I’ve always wanted to try these leaf bowls but was never really sure how to do them. Lori over at Fun Art for Kids provided the inspiration and the know-how. I ordered the Colorburst under-glaze as per her instructions, and I love the results. Definitely worth the bucks. You can find the Colorburst glaze here. Thanks Lori!
If you want a detailed, photo tutorial, consider checking out my Easy Clay Project art booklet. It will give you step-by-step instructions for this project plus many more.
The best time of the year to make these is Fall, so start gathering some leaves!
The Colorburst Glaze is yummy. Don’t you just LOVE this blue?
The 4th grade teachers wisely saved these little beauties for holiday gifts for the parents. I use one of my sample as a tea bag holder and the other to hold push-pins. Love these bowls!
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These came out great, Patty! I am glad they worked out for you. I love the different shapes you used. You may also like the Santa Cookie Plate posting I just did. You have the energy and va-voom to do it! The moms and kids LOVE it and talk about it for years. Have fun creating! Lori
funart4kids.blogspot.com
Thanks, Lori. I just love how these turned out. The kids loved this project…oh, and I saw your Santa plates. Way to cute!
Hi, I was wondering, do you glaze the bottoms of these leaf bowls? If so, what do you do to keep them from sticking to the kiln shelf? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Rachel, Like you suspected, if you glaze the bottoms of the bowls, they will stick to the kiln. Glaze everything but will touch the kiln shelf. Wipe bottom with a damp sponge to be sure.
Beautiful. I just got down with a clay totem project and rolling the slabs is labor! Especially pregnant. The kids did great but I was wondering if a slab roller is worth the space/ money? What do you think would it be worth it when teaching masses of students with a one hour class period?
My ceramic mentor, Catherine, just bought one last year. I think it’s been invaluable to her. They’re expensive ($500) but I know it’s a huge time saver. If you do ceramics on a regular basics, I would invest in it. Perhaps it’s even possible to share it within your district (although the logistics of that sounds crazy!). If you buy one how you like it. I am seriously considering buying one myself.
I have a slab roller, but I also have a clay cutter that I bought from chineseclayart.com, it slices the clay right out of the bag…LOVE IT!!!
I am going to have to disagree. They are handy for small groups but I have one and never use it because I can cut a slab faster. It takes a long time to roll out 20 to 30 slabs. Then you have to rework the scraps and keep going. I have found a large cheese slicer, if you can find one big enough, is well worth the investment and much cheaper. I also use rolling pins and slab sticks and have my students do it. If you cut the slab a little thicker they can roll a longer piece if desired. Otherwise the size of the clay from the bag works well also. If you don’t have a cheese slicer you can wrap a clay cutter around all sides, then pull through evenly and slowly. After a couple of warm ups you get on a roll. But maybe that’s just my opinion.
These are just beautiful! Miss you!
Miss you, too! I love my schedule but definitely miss the interaction with the teachers and the kids. Say hi to everyone for me!
These turned out great! Just love these project and glazes! Will be posting some from my fifth grade soon!
I really want to do this with my students this Friday!! If you have your PDF done, or even partially completed, could you please send it to me. This project is intimidating for me, so any help would be great!
talie321 at gmail dot com
Hi Natalie,
I released the Ceramic Mural Project PDF and it contains a huge amount of information on ceramics ( in easy terms!). I did not include project instructions, but if you are unfamiliar with ceramics, you’ll find this PDF useful. You can find the Ceramic Mural PDF under Products or by clicking the “Shop” icon on my main page.
My Easy Ceramic Projects PDF will be out in January, if you want to wait.
This is a great project and one the kids will feel proud of for years to come! I will definitely try this with my classes! Thank you, thank you!
i did these while student teaching. our kiddos used just regular glazes, but in true kid form mixed glazes, layered, splattered, etc. they always turned out BEAUTIFUL. i even made some in my college ceramics class for spoon rests for grandma’s.
thanks for a great site, as always!
Hi! I wanted to do this with my first graders, is it appropriate? I plan on buying your Easy Clay Booklet to guide me.
Hi Jennifer,
If you have a few extra hands to help you, then I think you’ll be fine. It’s hard to mess this project up!
Good luck and have fun.
Thanks for the quick response! I’m looking forward to it!
Loved these so much that I did them with my high school art students with air dry clay and a one coat heavy duty clear gloss glaze made for clay. They look awesome.
What did you paint the air dry clay with before the clear gloss glaze?