Fruit Harvest Plate
Clay Casting Project
Use painted clay castings from four Rycraft cookie stamp designs
to decorate this platter, then bake some shortbread cookies to match!
Materials Needed
1 Rycraft cookie stamp or craft stamp each:
Clay – we recommend Creative Paperclay® which is non-toxic and air dries to a paintable white
4 clay castings* (see Basic Clay Casting Instructions) each:
#007 – Cherries
#008 – Pear
#014 – Apple
#015 – Grapes
1 wood plate about 8″ to 10″ diameter with a large lip (as pictured) from craft store
Sandpaper or emery board
Acrylic primer (spray can)
Acrylic paints: white (spray can), gold, green, purple, yellow, red
Pearlcote pearl glaze by PLAID (spray can)
Permanent gold market
Acrylic spray varnish
*Note: Alternately, the casting for this project may be made from paper instead of clay (see Basic Paper Casting Instructions).
Instructions
1. While clay is still wet, use a knife to trim close to the designs.
2. Apply wet castings to wood plate (refer to photo) following the application instructions for working on unfinished wood below**. Let dry for at least 24 hours (may take longer in moist climates).
3. Spray on a coat of primer and let dry.
4. Spray on a coat of white paint and let dry.
5. Using a fine-tipped brush, decorate the fruit designs with the green, purple, yellow, and red paint (refer to photo).
6. Using a fine-tipped brush, outline the fruit designs with gold paint.
7. Spray on a coat of Pearlcote pearl glaze to mute the colors.
8. Draw the gold leaf shapes and dot designs with a gold marker.
9. Spray on a coat of varnish to entire plate to seal.
Note: This plate should not be submersed in water. Wipe surface with a soft cloth, warm water, and mild soap. We recomment using a paper doily to cover the surface when serving food.
**Applying castings to unfinished wood:
1. Before you apply any clay castings to unfinished wood, make sure the wood surface for your project is finely sanded.
2. Use the Rolling-Pin Method (see Basic Clay Casting Instructions) to create your castings
***because they will have a flat back and adhere well. The Pressed-Ball Method leaves a more uneven surface. Do not allow the castings to dry before applying them to the wood.
3. Apply wet castings to the wood by dabbing a few drops of water on the wood and the back of the casting. Then put the casting on the wood and press lightly on the design to make sure it bonds to the wood.
4. If you want a well-defined edge around the casting, carefully trim around the design without cutting into the surface of the wood.
If you prefer a blended edge on your casting, press the soft edges of your casting with the rounded end of a paint brush, a blunt tool, or your finger, sloping the edges down to the wood. Dab water on the edge of the design if it resists blending.
Use a wet paint brush to smooth the area between the clay and the wood. Let dry. Note: Be careful not to leave a lot of water on the wood. You will probably need to allow a day or 2 for this type of project to dry.
5. After the clay is dry, sand the rough edges of the castings.
6. Apply primer, varnish, and/or paint as desired to decorate your project.
Matching Napkin Rings
Materials Needed
1 Rycraft cookie stamp or craft stamp each:
Clay – we recommend Creative Paperclay® which is non-toxic and air dries to a paintable white
4 clay castings* (see Basic Clay Casting Instructions) each:
#007 – Cherries
#008 – Pear
#014 – Apple
#015 – Grapes
1 scallop cookie cutter
Sandpaper or emery board
Water and spray bottle
Tacky glue
Acrylic primer
Acrylic paints: green, yellow, red
Pearlcote pearl glaze by PLAID (spray can)
Permanent gold market
Acrylic spray varnish
*Note: Alternately, the casting for this project may be made from paper instead of clay (see Basic Paper Casting Instructions).
Instructions
1. While clay is still wet, trim castings with cookie cutters as shown in both photos. Let castings dry. Sand rough edges smooth.
2. To make twisted ring (as shown in the example below of the rose napkin ring):
(1) Roll clay into long strings approx. 1/4″ in diameter and 9″ in length. Spray a thin film of water on the clay strings to prevent them from cracking during the next step.
(2) To make the clay rope, join two strings by pressing the top ends of the clay strings together. Then gently twist the strings to form a double rope. Secure the other end of the rope by pressing the bottom ends of the clay strings together.
(3) Trim the double rope down to 7″ by pinching off both ends with your fingers. Overlap the ends slightly and press them together.
(4) When dry, lightly sand the top part of the rope ring to flatten it. this creates a better surface for gluing the casting to the ring.
3. Attach casting to ring with tacky glue and let dry.
4. Apply a coat of primer to entire ring (casting and rope) to seal it. Let dry.
5. Paint the details of the design with acrylic paint. Let dry.
6. Spray on a coat of Pearlcote pearl glaze which will tone down and mute the colors already applied. Let dry.
7. Draw the gold leaf shapes and dot designs with a gold marker.
8. Spray on a coat of varnish to entire napkin ring to seal.
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