Go through this easy to create DIY clay pumpkins craft with the air dry and polymer clay to have a fun creative evening with your kids and family.
If you’re looking for a fun and easy to do clay project with your kids, this craft is for you. I thought it to be a good idea to create miniature clay pumpkins to start giving my home the Halloween feel. I know this is too early for a Halloween project, but I anyway made them because I couldn’t wait to try these! Although they didn’t turn out as I had imagined but I’m happy with the results, they are not too bad I guess.
Materials Required
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- Air Dry Clay
- Water
- A Round Point Object
- Brushes
- Acrylic Paint
Note: If you’re looking for how to make a polymer clay pumpkin, I’ve shared the steps at the end of this project.
DIY Clay Pumpkins
Before starting to work with the clay, always knead it for at least 2 minutes to soften the clay. This helps in easier handling and easy shape formations with the clay. After kneading it well, I used my palms to create a round ball-like shape. You can optinally increase the width of the shape to give it a more realistic feel.
Then I took a small part of the clay and rolled it into a cylindrical shape and flatten out its base. This will act as the stem of your pumpkin and you can give it twist and turns to make it look more like a stem. You can even add wines to the pumpkin by making a thinner cylindrical shape and twist it a few times.
Next, I dip my index finger into water and applied pressure to the shape to smoothen it a bit and to attach the stem to the circle. Keep in mind to use light pressure only as the shape can easily get distorted if you apply more pressure.
Pumpkin Compartments
I used a round pointed end of a brush to carve the compartments in the pumpkin. You can even use a craft knife but that can be tricky to handle for clay surfaces. Find something with a round end and draw lines at equal distance on the ball. Once you draw the lines, push the lines in to create a depth effect. You can go as deep as you want but keep it at a minimum so as to give it a real feel. You don’t have to be perfect in this, just try and be on the path and you’ll get smooth divisions in no time.
Now leave them to try for a day or two until they harden properly. I created more clay pumpkins to use them as a décor piece around my house. You can create as many and use them as table weights or as name cards for a Halloween party. Personally, I’m thinking of attaching these to a string and hang them on my door but I could also use them as paperweights once Halloween is over. There are a lot more creative ways in which you can put them to use.
Once they are dry, it’s time to paint them. If you have the right pumpkin orange shade, you can skip the next step. For those of you who want to learn the color mix for a pumpkin orange shade, keep reading.
Paint the Pumpkin
I didn’t have the right paint for pumpkin so I mixed red and yellow to get the right swatch. I tried and tested the swatches before applying it to my clay pumpkin. It took me several drops of yellow and red to get to the right shade. Just don’t add too much red and keep adding yellow and keep testing the shade (as you can see, I tried certain swatches in the bowl itself). Once you get the right shade, paint it all over your pumpkin. Be consistent with the strokes and you’ll end up with a perfect looking pumpkin.
I used green to paint the stem, however, some people might use brown too, based on their preference. If you are creating the leaves as well as the wines, try to keep them a shade lighter than each other. Allow them to dry and your DIY clay pumpkins will be ready! Besides, you can even create a scary pumpkin face to them for added interest.
This can be a fun project for kids to do and shower their creativity. However, younger kids who don’t know how to use paint might need your supervision. Otherwise, you can leave the craft on kids and let them create pumpkins or even different vegetables according to their creativity. These pumpkins, coupled with other clay vegetables, can be a great way to introduce your kids to various vegetables and fruits.
The possibilities are endless when you consider the use of these pumpkins. Delve into your mind and search for different ways you can incorporate this fun project.
How to Make a Polymer Clay Pumpkin
Making a clay pumpkin with polymer clay is relatively easy and quick than DIYing it with air dry clay. Shape the pumpkin, attach the leaves, stem, or wines, and put it into the oven to bake. The baking instructions can vary for different companies; look at the manufacturer’s baking guide at the clay package. Generally, you may bake polymer clay at 275°F for 10 to 15 minutes. It might take extra time in this case as the pumpkin is relatively thick. Keep an eye on the clay and check in-between to get an idea about the time required. You can skip the painting part if you’ve used colored polymer clay; otherwise, follow the color mix guide as above.
