CLAY HOUSE TEA LIGHT HOLDER – Form, Texture, Measurement

1. Design your house.

1. Draw a house plan to scale.
2. Include each part of the house.
3. Cut out each piece.
4. This will be your pattern when you start building the house with clay slabs.

ROLL A SLAB OF CLAY

1. Tape 2 parallel slats of wood about .6 cm (.25") thick on either side of a plastic placemat so they are the distance of a rolling pin apart.
2. Place a piece of wax paper on the placemat, between the wood slats.
3. Place a small, flattened piece of clay on the wax paper.
4. Place the rolling pin on top of the wood slats and roll out the clay.

1. Place one of the house pattern pieces on top of the clay slab.
2. Use a plastic knife or wooden stir stick to cut it out.

1. Cut out all the pieces.
2. Place them on a piece of wax paper.
3. Allow them to dry slightly so the become 'leather hard'.

1. Trace the outline of a tea light on the floor of the house.
2. Make it slightly larger than the circumference of the tea light.
3. Cut out the circle before adding any walls.
4. Use the score and slip technique to join the parts of the house to each other.
   See the techniques lesson available on this website. Score and Slip Technique

1. Scratch texture lines into the clay and add details.

1. Allow the house to dry for about 1 week.
2. Place a plastic baggie loosely over the house to slow the drying down for the first 2 days.
   This will help prevent the thinner pieces of clay from drying too quickly and breaking away from the rest of the house.
   

1. Once the house is completely dry, paint it with acrylic paint.

1. Place a battery operated tea light inside the house.