Wacky Clay Wine Stopper

Figure A

4. Roll this piece into a ball and carefully flatten it into a 1/2-inch thick disk (figure A).

5. Attach all the pieces together with clay slip: Slip is made up of clay mixed with a little water to create a paste the consistency of creamy frosting. Use a needle tool, toothpick or bamboo skewer and slip to attach all the pieces together.

6. Weigh each head on a kitchen scale to ensure continuity in size. Use 4 ounces of clay for each head. Base, eyes and nose not included.

7. Squish the clay for the head in your hand so it’s somewhat organic in shape and has a stone-age structure.

8. Create a smile or lips either by pressing your thumb into the clay to form a mouth or shape lips from two small pieces of clay that are simply pinched between your fingers and then placed on top of one another.

Figure B

9. Pinch off pieces of clay about 1/2 to 3/4 the size of the small circle cookie cutter, one for each eye and one for a nose. Roll the three pieces into balls (figure B). Experiment with the sizes. For example, if you want a one-eyed monster head or three-eyed head — be creative!

10. Score the side of each piece that touches another where they’re joined. Score crisscross lines in the clay on both pieces at the joint with a needle tool. Flatten the base of the head slightly to sit on top of the base piece.

Figure C

11. After scoring the clay pieces use a paintbrush to place a small amount of slip on one side of the scored clay and gently press it on the other piece of clay (figure C).

12. Clean up any excess slip that may ooze out from the attached pieces using a rubber tip tool or a damp bristle paintbrush.

13. Using jewelry wire cutters, cut high temp 20-gauge wire into three pieces each approximately 3 inches long.

Figure D

14. Insert each wire in the top of the head and curl each end in a loop (figure D). Let dry overnight.

15. Place the head in the kiln at 180 to 200 degrees for 24 hours to dry out the clay. Note: For drying the clay head in a home oven, place in an 200-degree oven for 24 hours prior to firing.

Figure E

16. Clean the head(s) using warm water, a small round sponge and a bristle paintbrush until areas are smooth (figure E). Let dry.

17. Bisque fire thoroughly dried pieces at cone 04.

18. Dunk the head(s) in a bucket of clean water to remove any dust particles and prepare the bisque for painting.

Figure G

19. Paint the head(s) with colorful under glazes using sable paintbrushes. The wires (beaded hair) are convenient for holding the head while painting the detailed facial features (Fig G). Let dry.

20. Add color dots (spots) on top of the eye features with dimensional paint. Let dry.

21. Apply two coats of clear glaze to the entire piece, allowing each coat to dry in between.

22. Clean off the bottom of the base with a sponge and water. Scrape off excess glaze from the wires with a cleaning file.

23. Fire in the kiln at cone 06.

24. Pour an assortment of seed beads in various sizes and colors into a plastic container mixing them all up.

Figure H

25. Straighten out each wire on the head. String beads onto the wires, varying the sizes of the beads. Add a special bead to the top of each wire, a faceted glass bead, crystal or Japanese miracle bead. Using a pair of flat nose pliers, fold the wire over and pinch it closed (figure H).

26. Mix two-part epoxy glue and add a small dollop of glue to the top of a cork. Attach it to the bottom of the wine stopper and press together firmly. Hold the cork in place while drying with a piece of masking tape.

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