Animal Crossing Gyroid Jar- Ceramic or Sculpey!

This is a short process showing how to make a clay Gyroid jar in celebration of the release of New Horizons!

Supplies

Clay (This Instructables includes instructions for water clay and Sculpey)

Xacto knife/clay cutting tool

Bowl of water & Rolling Pin (if using water clay)

Clay board

Paint (optional)

Step 1: Process Overview

The main difference between making your Gyroid with water clay or Sculpey is the method you'll use to attach the pieces once they are cut. Water clay needs to be kneaded, and pieces must be attached using the score and slip method. Sculpey generally sticks to itself and can be easily smoothed with tools/your fingers. Water clay also requires firing in a kiln, which is also why I wanted to include a bake-at-home version, so I could show a finished painted version. :)

Water Clay Users: Go ahead and take out all the materials shown above, and glance through the Sculpey process to get an idea of the build.

Sculpey Users: You can skip to Step 6 for instructions.

Step 2: The Body- Face

You will need one long rectangle and three circles cut for the body. One circle will form the base of the Gyroid, the second will be a little foot underneath the base, and the third will be the top/brim of the "hat."

The Rectangle & Face

Grab a lump of clay and knead it until it is free of air bubbles. Next, roll out the clay to a few centimeters thick, and measure/trace out a rectangle- I chose 12" by 5". Cut the rectangle and stand it up to make a tube, but do not seal the edges together.

With the tube standing, lightly draw ovals for the eyes and mouth until you like your design. Lay the clay out flat again and cut out these shapes. Dip your fingers in water, and run them over the rough edges of the holes to smooth and round them out.

Step 3: The Body- Base & Attaching

Circle 1, The Base
Knead & roll out the clay again to about 1/2", or a little thicker than your rectangle. Wet the clay. Place your tube on the new clay and remove it, which will now show a circle outline. Cut out the circle from the inside of this ring.

-- Score & Slip

Laying your rectangle flat and face-up, score and slip the bottom a few cm up. Do the same to the edge of the circle. Add a little water to both sides so that they are on the squashy side, and wrap the rectangle around the clay, pressing the pieces gently together so they seal.

-- Seal the Body, Indent the "Skirt"

Join the open sides of the rectangle by lightly scoring and slipping both edges, trimming the excess if the rectangle is a little too long. Use the edge of your cutting tool and fingers to press all the scored edges together, remembering to not just press from the outside, but turning the pieces to check the inside and bottom as well. Smooth all unsealed lines.

The "skirt" at the bottom of the gyroid is made by running your fingers around the Gyroid tube, in a ring just above the top of the base. Remember to add water so the clay moves smoothly and evenly!

Step 4: Body- the Foot & Top

The Foot

The foot is a pretty simple free-hand draw. Roll out another piece of clay to at least a 1/2" thickness, wet the top, and plop your Gyroid body down to leave another circle impression in the clay. Remove the Gyroid and cut out a circle smaller than the impression. Score and slip the base of your Gyroid as well as the top of the foot, and press these pieces together from the very bottom, as well as from the inside of the Gyroid's body.

Top/Base of the Hat

Using the excess clay or rolling out a new piece, use the above method to estimate a circle that is slightly larger than the top of your Gyroid. You could also cut a piece of paper into a circle and trace around that if you find it easier. Lay it on top of your Gyroid to test the size.

Step 5: The Arms & Hat- Done!

The Arms

Simple process here- just roll out a couple of tubes, cut them to size, and smooth the edges with water. After bending into shape, attach with the same score and slip method. You can use balled up cloth/paper towels to gently hold them in place. I used tinfoil because I'm low on supplies and knew I could fix the dents later.

The Hat

There are a lot of different ways you could put the hat together, especially considering the number of Gyroid designs, but I went for the "cut away at a pinch pot" method.

1. Make a pinch pot- it doesn't have to be anything great looking, as long as it's not too thick and has the basic shape. Test out the size of the pot relative to the top of your Gyroid- it should match up with the top of your Gyroid as if the hat brim wasn't there. Now, grab the circle you had set aside, and score and slip the pinch pot to the circle.

2. Make sure the pieces are sealed from the outside, then hold the pinch pot side in your hand to cut out a hole in the circle. Smooth the edges from the inside to secure the hat.

3. To finish that hat, we just need to make it more angular. Using a knife, cut away at the dome shape from all sides of the hat to give it a slightly more built shape. Use water and your fingers to smooth.

4. For the final touch, roll out a tiny tube, and cut both sides at an angle. Place this on top of the hat and smooth so that it blends and secures into place.

Step 6: Tiny Sculpey Version, Quicker Process

Due to the quarantine I can't fire the ceramic Gyroid, so here's a quick walkthrough for the Sculpey version pictured before! I used a toothpick for all the details and smoothing.

Body

The body of the Gyroid requires 3 circles- a base, a bottom foot stuck to the base, and the top, which serves as the base of the hat.

1. Cut out a long rectangle of the size of your choice. Roll the rectangle to make a tube, but don't seal the edges.

2. Lightly draw ovals for the face, and using a toothpick, cut/poke out the holes for the eyes and mouth.

3. You can cut out all the circles beforehand after deciding on a size for your rectangle by tracing the base of the tube. The first is the base, and should be a little smaller than your tube so that you can wrap the rectangle around it. The second circle is the little foot underneath that and should be even smaller. The third, top piece just needs to be drawn a little larger than the base so that it hangs over the edge of the top.

4. Follow the images and gently press all the pieces into place, using the toothpick to smooth any open edges. Holding your piece from the base, pinch around the edges to give the Gyroid a little "skirt" sloping towards the foot.

Arms

1. Roll two tubes, and bend them in opposite directions. Stick them to either side of the Gyroid, using a toothpick to help seal them into place.

Hat

1. Roll a ball that is slightly smaller than the top of your Gyroid/hat base. Pinch the edges, then trim the sides of the hat according to the blue-pencil drawing. Smooth with your toothpick. Roll a very tiny tube and pinch the sides at a downward angle. Attach the tube in the middle of the hat, and smooth into place.

Step 7: Baked & Painted

Bake your clay according to package directions. Let cool.

There are a lot of fun Gyroid designs, but I went basic for this one and chose the classic orangey-brown. After doing the first coat and painting the inside black/brown, I just dotted tan and brown dots over the body.

Thanks for looking, have fun y'all!