Elementary Art Project

1. Elementary
CLAY BUTTERFLIES

2. Materials
•White Clay
•Slip
•Clay Tools
•Color Markers
•Tempera Paint
•Paint Brush
•Heavy Cardstock White
•Scissors
•Water
•Black Marker
•Pipe Cleaners
•Pencil, Eraser and
Sharpener

3. Step 1: Clay Body
Begin with a ball of clay
that is the size of a fist.
Drop on table 10 times
to get air bubbles out.

4. Clay Body Continued
Create body of butterfly
by rolling out body to
desired shape and size.
Leave a small amount
of clay aside for the
head.

5. Clay Body Continued
Use clay tool to “score”
body to head of
butterfly.
Put a generous amount
of slip in between body
and head before
attaching to each other.

6. Clay Body Continued
Use a clay tool with a
flat edge to lightly carve
lines horizontally across
the butterfly body.

7. Clay Body Continued
On the top of the head
use a clay tool or pencil
to poke two holes.
Go down about half
way through ball of
clay.
Cook clay to specified
settings in kiln.

8. Step 2: Painting
After clay body has
been cooked begin to
paint using tempera
cakes and a brush.

9. Painting Continued
Choose one color paint
to fill in every other
stripe.
Tempera will dry very
quickly on clay and may
need 2 or 3 layers to
achieve desired color.

10. Painting Continued
Choose a second color
to fill in the remaining
empty stripes on
butterfly body.
Choose a third color to
paint the head of
butterfly.
Let dry.

11. Part 3: Wings
On a heavy piece of
white cardstock sketch
out one butterfly wing
with a pencil and then
trace with a black
marker.
Use scissors to cut out
wing.

12. Wings Continued
Flip wing over on to
another piece of white
cardstock and trace a
mirror image of that
wing.
Trace again with a black
marker.

13. Wings Continued
With a pencil sketch out
a design on each wing.
Make sure that designs
are a mirror image of
each other.
Use a black permanent
marker to trace over
pencil.

14. Begin to color in wings
with various color
markers.
Colors should also be a
mirror image.
Go slow and stay in
lines.

15. Wings Continued
Only one color per
space.
Colors may be repeated
but try to separate from
repeats touching sides.

16. Assebmly
Using a low-temp hot
glue gun to begin
assembling butterfly.

17. Assembly Continued
Glue wings to the back
of butterfly body.
Do one wing at a time
in order to make sure
wings are even.

18. Assembly Continued
Put a small dab of hot
glue inside each hole on
top of butterflies head.
Carefully place one 6
inch pipe cleaner inside
each hole and let dry.

19. Step 5: Finish
When butterfly is
finished twist pipe
cleaners for antennas.
If desired butterfly can
be mounted on a piece
of construction paper
for hanging on a wall or
strings can be attached
for hanging in the air.