Menorahs can be made from a variety of materials, but when you want to sculpt a menorah it is best to do it from clay. Natural ceramic clay would be excellent for this purpose, but it would be necessary to fire it in a ceramic oven so that it would also be possible to preserve the menorah. For creating a holiday for children it is enough to use dry clay that dries in the air and does not require burning. Here is a breakdown of the materials required to create and examples of menorahs.
The piece is suitable from the age of 9 independently, under the age of 9 accompanied by an adult. Enjoy the creation! ♥
Chanukah sculpting from dry clay - necessary equipment and materials
- White Dry Do & Dry clay 500 g
- Work surface
- Various sculptural tools for designing details
- Rolling pin for rolling clay
- Water spray or water in a glass
- Round cutter or small cup for cutting circles
- 9 metal reeds for candles
- Strong plastic glue
- For painting: gouache / acrylic paints, brush, jar
Example 1: Sculpting menorah flowers from dry clay
1. Cut from the dry clay piece for the base of the menorah. We used about 1/4 (120 grams) of the clay package. Roll out the piece and make a long, narrow rectangle out of it. The rectangle can be aligned with a sculpting tool by cutting unnecessary clay.
2. Roll out some of the remaining clay to a thickness of about half an inch and make 9 equal circles with a cutter, jar or any other round tool. From the circles we will create the flowers.
You can make additional smaller circle (s) and create double flowers. We created a double flower just for the sun.
3. Cut 5-7 incisions 1/3 the length of the circle. Be sure to leave in the middle of the circle a place where the nest will rest. Shape each part into a petal of the flower. Do this by gently pinching the edges of the petal backwards and lightly squeezing each leaf. Add a small roll to the base of the menorah on which the sunflower will rest. Leave the flowers ready to dry.
4. Roll out the remaining clay again and cut isosceles triangles for the leaves. Gently engrave on each leaf a straight line from the top vertex to the base, and from it lines to each side. Deepen the engraving on the sides of the leaf by pressing with a sculpting tool. The base of the leaf can be crushed for easier gluing later. Leave all the leaves to dry.
5. After all the menorah parts have dried (for about 24 hours) you can move on to painting. Dry clay can be painted with gouache, acrylic or spray paint. It is recommended to paint the metal canes as well. At the end of the painting let all the parts dry.
Note: You can attach the flowers and leaves to the base before painting using water and leave to dry for one day and only then paint and stick the stems. If you use a variety of colors and not a uniform color for the entire menorah - we recommend painting the parts separately and then pasting. In this way, it is easier to paint and a more aesthetic result is obtained.
6. After the paint dries, glue all the parts. Start by gluing the leaves to the base and put the flowers on them. When finished, stick metal canes in the center of each flower.
Example 2: Sculpting owl menorahs from dry clay step by step
1. Cut from the dry clay piece for the base of the menorah. We used about 1/4 (120 grams) of the clay package. Roll out the piece and make a long, narrow rectangle out of it. The rectangle can be aligned with a sculpting tool by cutting unnecessary clay.
Give the base a natural wood look: Gently draw stripes on top of the branch, split the branch at the end into smaller branches and add in the middle or from the side a branch on which a sun owl will sit.
2. Make 8 elliptical balls for the owls and one bigger ball for the sun owl.
3. With two fingers, crush a heart shape on the ball and make fine slits on top of the heart for a feathery look.
4. Make 2 small balls for the eyes and a small triangle for the beak. Glue the parts to the owl's body with a little water. Create pupils using a sculpting tool.
5. Make 2 triangles for the ears, 2 round triangles for the wings and 2 smaller round triangles for the legs. Make slits on the owl's legs and glue all the parts to the body with a little water.
Now the first owl is ready, repeat the steps for all the owls. When finished, leave all parts to dry.
6. After all the menorah parts have dried (for about 24 hours) you can move on to painting. Dry clay can be painted with gouache, acrylic or spray paint. It is recommended to paint the metal canes as well. At the end of the painting let all the parts dry.
Note: The owls can be attached to the base before painting using water and left to dry for one day and only then paint and paste the reeds. If you use a variety of colors and not a uniform color for the entire menorah - we recommend painting the parts separately and then pasting. In this way, it is easier to paint and a more aesthetic result is obtained.
7. After the paint dries, glue all the owls to the branch. At the end, stick metal canes on the heads of the cute owls.
Fun creation and a happy holiday!
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