05 Sep How to Make a Clay Model of an Oyster Shell

Today’s homeschool handicraft project is a clay model of an oyster shell. We will be making model #44 from the book, A Manual of Clay-Modelling by Hermione Unwin as part of our clay modelling series.

We are not in a situation where we can go oyster hunting, so we stopped at the seafood section of our grocery store and bought a lone oyster. It was live and firmly shut, so we steamed it, just like we did our mussels, to encourage it to open. It opened slowly, so we were then able to break it apart and remove the meat in preparation for our clay model.

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
• An oyster

Happy Handicrafts Video: How to Make a Clay Model of an Oyster

The Process

We’re not going to need the support of the armature today, as this model does not have height. So we began by making our slab away from the armature. Make sure that your oyster is positioned with the inside upwards. We made our slab large enough to hold the oyster with about a 1/2 inch margin all around.

Next, we drew the outline of the shell on the slab. This outline shows us where to build up the mass of the shell. Do not worry about the mass underneath – this will be taken care of later. Begin at the highest part, filling in the mass.

Once the mass is built up, carve out the inside. Smooth out the surface with a wet finger and draw in the outline of the black mark. Then take note of the surface of the oyster, paying attention to the texture. Work up the edge with the tool, and cut out underneath the edge a little, to show the thickness of the shell. Finish by applying the texture to the shell.

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