14 Feb How to Make a Clay Model of a Pair of Mussel Shells (Concave)

We are officially half-way through the book, A Manual of Clay-Modelling by Hermione Unwin! After getting through 30 models, and with 30 more to go, we decided to treat ourselves with a new block of terra cotta clay. Our first block was getting old and hard, which makes it tougher to work with. Our new block was fresh and soft, which made our work more enjoyable – and that’s always worth it! (Pro Tip: Try to purchase your clay at your local craft store. Presumably because of the weight, they are twice as expensive online!)

A new block of clay is not a requirement by any means. You can continue to store your current block in a plastic bag, occasionally sprinkling the clay with water, after each use, to keep it from drying out.

This week’s handicraft project is to make a clay model of a pair of mussel shells (concave). In order to find some mussel shells, we trotted down to the grocery store and bought a pound of them. Obviously, they don’t sell individual mussels, so we had to get AN ENTIRE POUND OF LIVE MUSSELS! What do you do with that? I have never eaten a mussel in my life, and I was not about to change that.

My secret plan was to make the clay model with my daughter, then we would cook the remainder of the mussel shells for dinner and surprise my family with a fancy new dish. Let me just say, this did not go according to plan. I couldn’t get past the fact that the mussels we LIVE. I couldn’t get past the slime and texture, and there was no way I could convince my family that they were going to love this dish.

We ended up giving the remainder of our mussels to a friend. Be sure to keep the mussel shells that you are using for this project for a future model! It’s coming up soon!

Your mussel shells will take a little bit of preparation. Before making the clay model, you’ll need to clean and open them. We started by washing ours in the sink. While we washed then, I put a pan onto the stove with some water in it. I set it at medium-high heat and let it begin to simmer. Once the water was simmering, we dropped our mussel shells into the pan and waited. Within 2-4 minutes, it popped open and we removed it from the pan with a pair of tongs. We let it cool for a moment before opening it the rest of the way, removing the meat, and resting it flat on the table in a concave manner.

Materials Needed

• The book, A Manual of Clay Modelling by Hermione Unwin (or free online HERE)
• Modeling Clay (the book suggests red terra cotta clay)
• Clay modeling tools (this kit includes many tools, along with a sponge and wire to cut the clay)
• An modelling board with an armature – hopefully you’ve made this with us already
• A bowl of water
• An apron or paint shirt to protect your clothing
• Newspaper, or plastic covering to protect your table
• A pair of mussel shells

Happy Handicrafts Video: How to Make a Clay Model of a Pair of Mussel Shells (Concave)

The instructions begin by directing us to make the model half as large as the shells. I’m no mussel expert, so I may be wrong, but our mussels are not very large at all, so we made them to scale.

The directions then tell us to proceed as for the cockle shell, which was model #19. We did not use the armature for model #19, as the support is not needed. We made the slab away from the armature and made it large enough to allow a margin of 1/2 inch all around the model.

Once the slab was cut and smooth, we sketched an outline of the shell onto the slab with the tool, making sure that the angle that the two shells form with each other was correct.

We then built up the shape of the shells inside the outline, making it solid, beginning at the highest part.

The object and the model were then compared to ensure similarity. We then smoothed the surface with the wet thumb and fingers. The project was completed by adding in the texture details with the tool, and then applying some water and pressure to smooth away any sharp edges.

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