Textured Clay Pendant- with Homemade Air Dry Clay

This clay pendant starts with the perfect air dry clay recipe and then uses some favorite childhood toys to create texture. This is a great sensory experience as well as creating a sweet little keepsake pendant.

The clay recipe…

This air dry clay comes together super quickly using only a few household ingredients. All you need is cornstarch, white glue, baby oil, vinegar, and a dash of body lotion. Check out this post for the complete air dry clay recipe.

Creating texture….

It’s best to work on top of a smooth surface. A scrap of leftover cardboard works perfectly as a clay mat. To create your texture pendant you want to start with a small bit of clay smashed partially flat with the palm of your hand.

We want to use household items to create texture on this pendant. Texture is the feel or consistency of a surface. Check out this post (and free printable) about the element of texture.

Head to the Lego bin, that’s right we used Legos to create a textured surface. (I’ve also done this project having the kids step on clay and using the sole of their shoe to create texture. Lego’s bring much less debris to the project than do shoe soles.)

Press assorted Legos into the air dry clay.. I don’t know about you but our Lego bin has amazing shapes, so many shapes. You can really substitute any found object to press into the clay at this point but Lego’s are easily accessible, clean, and easy to find!

This is a great place to discuss repetition and symmetry. A great explanation, project, and symmetry printable can be found here! ]

Before the clay pendant begins drying you’ll want to be sure to make a hole in it large enough to thread it on a cord, either for wearing or hanging up in a window to show off! A dull pencil works perfectly to make a just right sized hole.

Let it dry, let it dry, let it dry….

Let your clay sit out on the counter, uncover, for a day or so. It dries pretty quickly but the exact time will depend on the thickness of your clay as well as the humidity in the air. Many clay recipes either have to be heated during the process of making the clay or your creations baked after they are made. The fact that this air dry clay recipe requires neither makes it my favorite!

Paint it up..

At this point your clay pendant is white, has a nice texture, and is a pretty cool little treasure to hold in your hand. There are any number of ways you could finish it. We chose to start with a coat of plain black acrylic paint. Tempera paint will work too. Use what you have.

Bringing out the texture….

The black paint on your clay pendant is going to serve as a backdrop for vibrant color added with oil pastel. These oil pastels are my favorite. for such an inexpensive supply they pack a huge punch and can be used in so many ways!

This looks sophisticated but it’s so easy! You’re going to pick a color scheme of just two or three colors. We went with analogous colors but you can choose any colors that you like.

Color on the clay pendant with enough pressure to cover the raised areas but not so much pressure as to squish the oil pastel crayons down into the depressed crevices. Oil pastels blend super easy so this method is a quick way to blend colors that look like paint!

Seal it up….

Oil pastels don’t set. They will stay greasy and possibly stain clothes so you’ll want to seal your clay pendant. I like to use Mod Podge. Brush it on like paint, it will appear cloudy, at first, but dry clear and shiny. We used colorful hemp cord to string these up. Wear them, hang them in your window, or from your rear view mirror. These are seriously pretty.