How To Make a Clay Bowl By Hand
Making a handmade clay bowl is easy to do and this post will show you how!
These handmade clay bowls are so easy and fun to give as gifts! If you have a painter friend, I have the perfect bowl for resting watercolor paint brushes!
My daughter in law has inspired by lately because she is throwing pottery on her pottery wheel. She has made some beautiful things.
Because I don’t have a pottery wheel, I decided to try to see if I could make a bowl out of air dry clay. I am so pleased with how my clay bowl turned out making it by hand.
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There are so many ways to make clay bowls at home, and so many kinds of bowls to make. You can paint clay bowls, or leave them white and they are beautiful both ways.
I have wanted a bowl that I could comfortably hold in my hand to hold paint and rest my paintbrush so that it doesn’t roll around, so I made one!
Handmade Gift Series
I made a few extras to give as gifts too! This week is the fourth week of my handmade gift series and I joined up with my friends who have made some really fun things as well. Those are linked at the bottom of this post.
How to Make a Clay Bowl
- Warm the air-dry clay
Warm the air-dry clay by squeezing it a few times in your hands to get it pliable so it can be shaped easily.
- Roll the clay into a ball
Rolling the clay into a ball first will make it easy to get a uniform consistency when you go to roll out your clay.
- Roll out the clay
Use a brayer to roll out your clay into a circle.
Roll the clay to about 1/4 inch thick. Use cornstarch on your clay and brayer so that it doesn’t stick. - Start to Shape
Start pressing the circle in the center and make a bowl shape.
I used an ornament to shape my clay bowl. It was smooth and round and gave the perfect mold.
Make sure there is plenty of cornstarch on your clay. - Make it interesting
Now your little bowl is ready to make it interesting.
Be creative and make a scallop effect by making the rim ruffle-like.
On mine I wanted it to be comfortable to hold, so I put it in the palm of my hand and pressed it between my thumb and forefinger to make it fit my hand. -
- Let them dry
With air dry clay there is no need to bake. Just let them dry naturally overnight.
I used plastic wrap and cornstarch and rested them upside down on the ornaments and one big one on a small bowl I had until they were firm. - Paint
Use a beautiful gold metallic paint or rub and buff around the edges of your bowls.
I used Green metallic paint and glaze (watered down) to make my marble effect.
I had help with a few!
More about the project
You can see how I painted these homemade clay bowls with a marbling theme.
I used a green metallic paint mixed with glaze and it had a neat way of changing to blue in some places. It looks like glazed ceramics.
I used gold metallic paint on the edges.
You can see in this image where I made my thumb impression and it fits my hand perfectly! .
Giving Clay Bowls as Gifts
These little clay trinket bowls make the perfect gift for teachers and friends! You can use them for rings or paintbrushes (like me) and so many other fun things.
Tools You’ll Need
- Air Dry Clay
- Parchment paper
- Cornstarch
- Brayer
- Smooth ornament or small bowl
Frequently Asked Questions
How do You Shape a Bowl Out Of Clay?
You can use your fist and fingers or you can use the shape of a bowl or round ornament to shape your air-dry clay bowls.
Can You Make A Clay Bowl At Home?
Absolutely, with air dry clay you don’t need a pottery wheel or a kiln. You just let it air dry after you shape it.
More Handmade Gift Ideas from My Friends
Regina at Saved From Salvage made these easy hostess gifts!
Jennifer at Cottage on Bunker Hill has made this beautiful snowflake wreath!
Wendy at WM Design House is showing you how to make these adorable Christmas Trees!
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I happen to have a big tub of air dry clay on my kitchen island right now..I love how you painted them!!
Amy this is stunning! I love the gold edge, it really elevates it! I hope you will come share your idea at my weekly link party! https://www.ourtinynest.com/2022/12/14/weekly-wednesday-link-party-326/
Thank you Nicolle!