How to Make a Clay Person

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

Making people out of clay is an easy way to get crafty with your hands and have fun! Maybe you just want to pass the time with a little sculpting, or maybe you want to make a claymation movie. You can put your little clay person on display somewhere when you're done or you can squish it up and make something else. You can use any kind of clay, but modeling clay works best. Remember to be creative! All the details are up to you, but this technique will give you a good clay person to start with.

Part 1
Part 1 of 4:

Prep

PDF download Download Article
  1. If you want to be able to move your clay person around after it's finished, you'll need modeling clay. This clay doesn't dry in the air, so it's perfect for making clay models out of. If you want your clay person to be still once it's done, you can use oven-bake clay.
    • You can make your clay person all the same color, or you can use different colors for different parts of the body. For example, if you want it to look like your clay person is wearing a shirt, you can use a green or white piece of clay for the torso. [1]
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Pinch off a piece of the clay. Roll the piece of clay into a ball. This will be the clay person's head.
    • It's up to you what color the clay person's skin will be. You can make the whole person out of blue clay, or you can find some flesh colored clay for the head and arms. [2]
    Advertisement
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Pinch off a piece of clay that's larger than the head. Shape this piece into a fat snake-like cylinder. Flatten the cylinder slightly.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Pinch off two more pieces of clay. Roll these pieces into two long tube shapes. One tube should be thicker than the other. These will become the arms and legs. [3]
    5. Advertisement
Part 2
Part 2 of 4:

Head

PDF download Download Article
  1. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Take the ball that will be the head and pinch out of it a little spike of clay. This will be how the head will attach to the body.
    • The neck should jut out of the head like a small spike or cone, and should be about half the length of the neck. And make sure it's thick enough that you can hold the head up by holding nothing but the neck between two fingers.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Take something narrow, like a pencil, or a toothpick, and burrow out a small hole in the top of the body cylinder. Make sure the hole isn't too wide, but wide enough for the neck to fit in. Make the hole deep enough for the neck to go completely in.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Stick the neck into the hole in the body so that the ball touches the body. Smooth out the edge where the head meets the body to make it secure. [4]
    4. Advertisement
Part 3
Part 3 of 4:

Legs and Arms

PDF download Download Article
  1. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Find the middle of the smaller tube and tear it into, for the two arms.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    With your thumb and finger, flatten a small bit of one end of both arms. These will become the hands.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    First, cut out a bit of the flattened parts. Use something sharp to cut out a corner of the flattened ends of the arms. Then round out the corners of the hand so that it looks like a cartoony thumb and fingers.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Take the finished arms and attach them to the sides of the body. Smooth out the connection between the arms and body to secure them.
    • If the arms are too long, tear off an even amount from both arms until they're as short as you'd like. [5]
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Find the middle of the larger tube and tear it into, for the two legs.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Bend one end of both of the legs. Shape this bent part into a rough foot shape. Make sure they are large enough to support the legs. Stand the legs up to test the feet. Press the feet into the table so that the feet bottoms are flat.
  7. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Stick the legs into the bottom of the body. Smooth the connection between the legs and body to secure them together. Make sure the feet are facing forward. [6]
    • If the clay person can't stay standing on its own at this point, you'll need to redo the legs and make them thicker.
  8. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    If you're clay person can't stand up on its own after you attach the legs, there could be a balancing issue. You can always make the legs thicker, but sometimes the legs are plenty thick, and it still falls over. In that case, you might want to redo various parts of the person and experiment with a shorter torso, less clay for the torso, smaller arms, a smaller head, etc.
    • Also make sure the clay person's torso is straight, and that the arms are close to the same size and weight.
    9. Advertisement
Part 4
Part 4 of 4:

Face

PDF download Download Article
  1. Tear off four small bits of clay. Make four balls out of these clay pieces. Two of these balls should be smaller than the others.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Push the smaller balls into the larger ones. Flatten them a bit into the bigger balls. These will be the eyes.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Press both eyes firmly into to the head of your person. [7]
    • If you want, you can use another method to make eyes, such as using two googly eyes, or making eyes out of paper.
    • If you want a simpler method for making eyes, you can just take a pencil and make two round holes in the head for eyes. You can use a pencil to carve out a smile or open mouth as well.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Take a small pinch of clay and roll it into a small tube. The tube should be no longer than the width of the head. You can make it as thin as you'd like the mouth to be.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    Place the small tube under the eyes, where the mouth should go. With the flexibility of the tube, you can make any sort of expression you want, a smile, a frown, or any other mouth shape.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Make a Clay Person
    You can add a nose to your clay person's face by just taking a small bit of clay and sticking it in the center of the face. Then use your fingers to form it into any sort of nose shape you want, a small ball, a little triangle, whatever shape you prefer.
    7. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    How can I make the hair and facial expressions more clear and realistic?
    Community Answer
    Better to paint the facial expressions to help make them more clear and realistic.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 37 Helpful 79
  • Question
    How do I make a clay person's hair?
    Community Answer
    This is difficult, but practice. Use a pencil or toothpick to sculpt edges, and make sure it’s not too thick and heavy. Practice makes perfect!
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 29 Helpful 61
  • Question
    How do I make it look like it's wearing a dress?
    Community Answer
    You just have to make a cone shape for the dress and put it on the doll.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 34 Helpful 57
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      Show More Tips
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      Warnings

      Advertisement

      Things You'll Need

      • A good-sized piece of any kind of clay
      • A toothpick or pencil

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Make a Clay Pot
      How to
      Create Clay Animals
      How to
      Make a Silicone Mold
      17 of the Most Valuable Pottery and Porcelain Marks
      How to
      Bake Polymer Clay in a Conventional or Toaster Oven
      How to
      Harden Modeling Clay
      How to
      Color Air Dry Clay
      How to
      Soften Polymer Clay
      How to
      Revive Dry Clay
      How to
      Make DIY Clay Dolls at Home
      How to
      Drill a Clay Pot
      How to
      Dry Non‐Hardening Modeling Clay
      How to
      Make a Clay Volcano
      How to
      Slab Clay
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeaZLIlTTY8
      2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeaZLIlTTY8
      3. ↑ https://ospreystudios.org/2020/04/09/making-small-figures/
      4. ↑ https://ospreystudios.org/2020/04/09/making-small-figures/
      5. ↑ https://ospreystudios.org/2020/04/09/making-small-figures/
      6. ↑ https://ospreystudios.org/2020/04/09/making-small-figures/
      7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeaZLIlTTY8
      8. ↑ Natasha Dikareva, MFA. Ceramics & Sculpting Instructor. Expert Interview. 5 May 2020.
      9. ↑ Natasha Dikareva, MFA. Ceramics & Sculpting Instructor. Expert Interview. 5 May 2020.

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To make a clay person, start by making a ball for the head, tube for the body, and smaller tubes for the arms and legs. Next, take the ball that will be the head and pinch out a spike of clay to form the neck. Then, use a toothpick to make a small hole in the top of the body cylinder, and stick the neck into this opening to attach the head and body. For the arms and legs, flatten the ends of the tubes, mold them into hands and feet, and attach them to the body. To learn how to make the face for your clay person, keep reading!

      Did this summary help you?
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 240,000 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Carol Gehring

        Sep 12, 2018

        "It helped me to understand how to make a clay person stand up! I really like that I not only get to watch the clay ..." more
      More reader stories Hide reader stories
      Share your story

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement