How to Make a Clay Craft Cup : full craft tutorial

Making clay craft cup is easier than you think! This tutorial will show you a fun clay craft idea. 
This will work with any type of clay. 


Before you start, you should prep your workspace:

  1. Get a small container with some water
  2. Lay out your clay tools from the air drying clay kit
  3. You will also need a rolling pin (after using it on clay, do not use on food!). If you do not have a rolling pin, you can also use a sturdy round pen or stick. As long as it rolls, it works.
  4. Make a copy of your slab template so you always have the original and cut it out
  5. Get your modelling clay!

    Step 1: roll your clay

    Take the lump of clay out of the plastic bag and roll it out with your rolling pin. You do not want it to be too thin. Aim for something around 0,5 cm to 1 cm.

    Rolling the Clay

    Step 2: smooth out your clay

    Use the metal rib to smooth out the clay piece.

    Smoothen the clay

    Step 3: cut out your slab of clay

    Position the template on the air-dry clay and cut out your cup. Remove the excess clay, shape into a ball and set aside for the moment.

    Cut your Slab 1Cutting the Slab 2Cutting the slab 3

    Step 4: Score the borders

    On each short border of the cup, mark the clay by making small incision. This is to make the clay more susceptible to sticking to the other piece of clay. You can use a scoring tool, like the one included in the Mesh & Cloth kit.

    Score the borders

    Step 5: Unite the borders

    Apply a little bit of water on the marked borders (just a tip), and close the cup carefully. You can overlap the borders a little bit.

    Unite the borders part 1Unite the borders part 2

    Step 6: Smooth out the borders

    Use the metal tool to smooth out the seam on the outside of the cup.
    Repeat carefully on the inside.
    Put the cup aside for a second.
    Smooth out the borders part 1Smooth out the borders part 2

    Step 7: make the bottom

    Roll out the extra clay.
    Position the cup on the clay and cut out the bottom of the cup.
    Score the borders of the round bottom and wet them.
    Make the bottom part 1Make the bottom part 2

    Step 8: Unite the bottom with the cup

    Position the cup on top of the bottom you just cut out and, from the outside, use the metal tool to unite the seams. As you work, you may need to keep your clay a little humid to keep working so don’t forget to apply some water with your sponge.

    Once you bottom outside seam looks good, use the wooden tool to smoothen the inside seams.
    Unite the bottom with the cup part 1Unite the bottom with the cup part 2

    Finishing touches

    You may want to smoothen out the top of the cup by using a sponge or your fingers. At this point you can also use a stamp to apply some interesting texture.
    Store any more excess clay in an airtight container. 
    Leave your cup to dry for 2 to 3 days. At this point you can use acrylic paints to apply color or drawings, and you can make it more water resistant by applying sealant. In any case the cup will NOT be food or water safe.

    Enjoy your new cup! For more clay projects, check out my blog!