Salty dough, as a material for modeling, has been known since time immemorial in the history of applied art of all the peoples of the world. There are many recipes for this composition, as well as various techniques for working with it. After drying, the figures from the salted dough are firm and durable. The cost price of the material allows you to experiment and apply it to create unique souvenirs and accessories and development activities with children. How to cook a salted dough and start to sculpt from it?
Salted dough: recipes
To prepare the dough for modeling, it is recommended to use only fine salt. Thanks to this, the mass will be homogeneous, and the ready-made figures from the salted dough will have a smooth and smooth surface. Flour and salt are mixed in a 2: 1 ratio, water is added to the mixture. Fluids will need about half as much as salts. If desired, you can add a little vegetable oil or hand cream. Some masters enter into the dough dry wallpaper paste. If the resulting mass is too sticky or, conversely, dry, you need to add more liquid or salt and flour, respectively.
The finished products are dried in the oven at a temperature of 80-100 degrees. The duration of heat treatment depends on the size and thickness of the figures. It is allowed to dry at room temperature, but choosing this option, be prepared for the fact that it takes several days until the solidification is complete. Figures from salted dough can also be dried near central heating radiators. It is not necessary to prepare a mass for modeling each time just before work, it is remarkably stored in a refrigerator in plastic bags.
How to sculpt figures from a salt dough with your own hands?
Dough - a very soft and plastic material, which is easy to give any desired shape. If you first work with this material or conduct classes with children, it's worth starting with creating the simplest forms. Try to roll and crush the ball, make a "sausage" or an asterisk. In order to create complex figures from salted dough, you will need different accessories. These can be small spatulas, cutting tools, implements for creating impressions. Try to use any improvised items - for example, rods from ballpoint pens, a variety of caps and plugs. Do not forget to prepare a container with water and vegetable oil in advance. Water should be lubricated by gluing the individual elements, and oil is useful in case the dough sticks to the hands.
Depending on the quality of the flour used, the natural color of the salt mass for modeling is white or yellowish. It's easy to make a colored salted dough on your own. Figures then have to be molded from individual parts. It is also possible to color the finished articles after they have completely dried. For this you can use any paint, but looks good and ordinary gouache. It is recommended to apply a layer of clear lacquer after painting. Such a finishing treatment of the product will make the colors more vivid and extend the service life.