Kitah Gimmel’s Clay Pendants
During the past school year, Kitah Gimmel students made several clay sculptures. This week clay was reintroduced to them in the atelier in a new way. They were asked to make something that could be strung onto a necklace.
The children were each given a ball of clay, a bit smaller than a ping-pong ball. First, they began softening the clay with a roller or simply squeezing it between their hands. They flattened their balls into the appropriate thickness (not too much or it could tear or crack.) They then began to cut and/or carve their pendants, creating their chosen designs. Some children had a specific object or shape that they wanted to shape. Some of them asked for help from Morah. They looked at a variety of reference photos for inspiration depicting several methods of clay pendant making.
Zev wanted to make a fish. Morah drew a simple picture and he tore his clay into two pieces to sculpt the round body and then the more triangular shape of the tail. He then asked for help Morah then suggested adding some more details like eyes, mouth, and the texture of the scales.
Dylan created a tiny, round sculpture about the size of a quarter. It was flat on the bottom and rounded on the top. The round shape was open on one side, revealing hollow space. “I made a cave,” said Dylan.
Shiloh explored many of the clay tools provided, cutting and pressing marks into his piece of clay. He finally handed Morah a bumpy, triangular piece of clay with a giant smile on his face. He said, “This is a Slobber.” Morah asked him what a Slobber was, and he replied, “A Monster.”
Rachelli sculpted a small heart shape on top of her pendant. She added a speckle texture to the top of the medallion with the pointed end of a tool.
Dov admired a pendant that featured a large “A” on it in one of the reference photos. He realized that he could make his “D.” He asked Morah to help him because he did not know how to make it with clay. Morah showed him that he could tear off a couple of small pieces of clay and roll them in “snakes.” He could then shape these “snakes” into the letter “D.”
Noa handed a thick, round, 2 inch piece of clay to Morah and said, “I made a worm!” Avi-Lev thought for a while about what he wanted to make, finally discovering something that he was passionate about, he made “A candy!”
We also had a couple of spiraled snails, a cookie, and a medallion topped with a swirly engraving.
Once the children finished their creations a skewer was used to create a hole on one side of their pendant, depending on which way they wanted it to hang.
During the following class, the children painted their clay pendants with brightly colored acrylic paint.
Once dried, the children coated their clay with Mod- Podge. They painted both sides of their creations to provide a shiny, protective layer.
The children then sprinkled glitter on both sides of their pendants.
The last step was to string the pendants onto jewelry wire.
The children were offered an assortment of beads, both glass and plastic. There were a variety of shapes and colors to choose from.
The children were excited to wear (and bring home) their new, handmade jewelry.
