CLAY BUTTERFLIESElementary

Materials

•White Clay

•Slip

•Clay Tools

•Color Markers

•Tempera Paint

•Paint Brush

•Heavy Cardstock White

•Scissors

•Water

•Black Marker

•Pipe Cleaners

•Pencil, Eraser and Sharpener

Step 1: Clay Body

Begin with a ball of clay that is the size of a fist.

Drop on table 10 times to get air bubbles out.

Clay Body Continued

Create body of butterfly by rolling out body to desired shape and size.

Leave a small amount of clay aside for the head.

Clay Body Continued

Use clay tool to “score” body to head of butterfly.

Put a generous amount of slip in between body and head before attaching to each other.

Clay Body Continued

Use a clay tool with a flat edge to lightly carve lines horizontally across the butterfly body.

Clay Body Continued

On the top of the head use a clay tool or pencil to poke two holes.

Go down about half way through ball of clay.

Cook clay to specified settings in kiln.

Step 2: Painting

After clay body has been cooked begin to paint using tempera cakes and a brush.

Painting Continued

Choose one color paint to fill in every other stripe.

Tempera will dry very quickly on clay and may need 2 or 3 layers to achieve desired color.

Painting Continued

Choose a second color to fill in the remaining empty stripes on butterfly body.

Choose a third color to paint the head of butterfly.

Let dry.

Part 3: Wings

On a heavy piece of white cardstock sketch out one butterfly wing with a pencil and then trace with a black marker.

Use scissors to cut out wing.

Wings Continued

Flip wing over on to another piece of white cardstock and trace a mirror image of that wing.

Trace again with a black marker.

Wings Continued

With a pencil sketch out a design on each wing.

Make sure that designs are a mirror image of each other.

Use a black permanent marker to trace over pencil.

Begin to color in wings with various color markers.

Colors should also be a mirror image.

Go slow and stay in lines.

Wings Continued

Only one color per space.

Colors may be repeated but try to separate from repeats touching sides.

Assebmly

Using a low-temp hot glue gun to begin assembling butterfly.

Assembly Continued

Glue wings to the back of butterfly body.

Do one wing at a time in order to make sure wings are even.

Assembly Continued

Put a small dab of hot glue inside each hole on top of butterflies head.

Carefully place one 6 inch pipe cleaner inside each hole and let dry.

Step 5: Finish

When butterfly is finished twist pipe cleaners for antennas.

If desired butterfly can be mounted on a piece of construction paper for hanging on a wall or strings can be attached for hanging in the air.