Modeletto Store

We are on a mission to add more play into everyone's day and to share this form of art therapy with the world. Let's face it, we all need a break from our digital devices and to rediscover making things with our hands.

We also wanted you to start your pottery journey learning with air-dry clay as it's easy to use, doesn't require firing (for decorative pieces) and is super fun. After this we encourage you to keep exploring by ordering more of our clay or booking in for a course with your local studio so that you can learn from the masters.

Being an eco-friendly and sustainable brand was non-negotiable for us.

Our clay is natural, non-toxic and made right here in New Zealand.

Our packaging is home compostable, recyclable and reusable.

- stickers are made with PVC free products

- clay is wrapped in a compostable cling-wrap + compostable kraft pouch

- paints come in reusable glass jars

- paint brush handles + sculpting tools are wooden

- mailer boxes are craft cardboard and can be reused

- each box is packed with reused wool insulation

- compostable mailer bags

We searched all over for the perfect clay and it had to be made locally of course! We tested and modelled for months until we found the BEST air-dry clay.

We use a light clay which is supple and workable making it super easy to model and smooth - sometimes we just like to roll it in our hands for a while and not actually make anything - it feels that nice. It dries a light clay colour making it easy and fun to paint! 

Drying time is 24-48 hours depending on thickness (for best results leave for 1 week). It looks great in its natural state with 2 coats of sealer, or paint with white acrylic paint (and colours if you wish), let the paint dry and apply 2 coats of sealer.

Don't put your piece in your oven, or apply heat to try to speed this process up, because it will likely cause your shape to crack. 

If you'd like to work on your piece then take a break, no worries! Just wrap it in an eco-friendly bag i.e bin liner and come back to it when you feel like it. We don't recommend leaving it for too long though.

NB: Our air-dry clay is not food or water safe, so if you want to make a bowl to eat out of, or a mug to drink out of, you must get your creations fired in a kiln after its dried for at least 2 weeks. It must not have our paint or sealer on it.

in a dry place out of direct sunlight.

Yes, if you are making a decorative piece, please seal it with two coats of our sealer so that your creation becomes water resistant.

We've been modelling clay with our hands for thousands of years - it's a primal skill.

You don't need a wheel, just model and hand-build your pieces - it's easy and super fun.

We also provide you with 5 x sculpting tools and a sponge to play around with.

You can make so many things with our air-dry pottery kits - model your shape at you place and let it air-dry for 24-48 hours.

No kilns are needed, but the option is there if you’d like to fire your piece - take the stress out of that mission and make something that doesn’t require firing

Ideas for things that don't need firing:

Vases for dried flowers (option to put a glass bottle in to hold water for real flowers), jewellery dishes, fruit bowls, wall hangings, candle holders

Mugs, food serving dishes and vases for fresh flowers.

No absolutely not - that’s the fun of our clay.  Model your shape at home and let it air-dry.

It looks great in its natural state with 2 coats of sealer, or paint with white acrylic paint (and colours if you wish), let the paint dry and apply 2 coats of sealer.

NB: Our air-dry clay is not food or water safe, so if you want to make a bowl to eat out of, or a mug to drink out of, you must get your creations fired in a kiln after its dried for at least 2 weeks. It must not have our paint or sealer on it.

You can't use your oven at home to fire your pieces :)

Firing temps for the kiln: bisque fire to 1,000 ℃ then Gloss fire to 1220 ℃.

Your kit will come with enough clay to make a few things.

Yes we sell single packs of clay if you'd like to make a bigger piece or if you've already got our kit and tools and want to make something else.

We recommend that you use your clay within a few months (who would want to wait to play anyway).

Spray some water in to your pouch and leave to soak. Knead the clay like pizza dough for a while and it will spring back to life.

Make sure you seal your pack completely so that no air can get in if you're only using half your clay and saving some for later.

Yes our clay is non-toxic so it's super safe for your little ones, but please supervise and make sure that they don't put any into their wee mouths.

Our air-dry clay is not food or water safe, so if you want to make a bowl to eat out of, or a mug to drink out of, you must get your creations fired in a kiln after its dried for at least 2 weeks (don't use any of our paints or sealer before firing). Use food safe glazes (more info in next Question) then after your piece has been bisgue + gloss fired your piece is now food safe if no cracking has occurred).

Our clay can be Bisque fired to 1,000 ℃ or Gloss fired up to 1220 ℃.

Yes you can. 

If you'd like to make your piece ceramic so that it is food and water safe follow the instructions below. Make sure that you DON'T apply any acrylic paint or our sealer to your piece.

Please note that when you are hand-building that you need to mould your clay really well so there are no air bubbles in the clay as your pieces could explode or crack in the kiln - this can happen with any type of clay used. There are many factors that come in to play should your pottery not turn out how you'd hoped - that's the tough thing with getting pieces fired and why it's a good idea to start practising with air-dry clay.

1. Leave your piece to dry for 2 days with a bag (like a bin liner) over it to slow the drying time down. Then take it off and dry for additional 2 weeks out of direct sunlight so that it becomes bone dry.

2. Reach out to your local potters or pottery clubs to ask if they will fire it for you - if you are using our glaze then make sure you ask them if they are ok with having some mayco stroke and coat glaze on the pots before bisque firing (some potters don't like this). You can find some of our partners in the next questions.

3. There is a fee for their service (this will vary between kilns) and it is a two step process: bisque & gloss firing. Firing temps for the kiln: bisque fire to 1,000 ℃ then gloss fire 1220 ℃.

There are three ways you can do this process:

1. Use OUR modeletto glaze - head to the next question tab to find instructions.

2. (Easiest option) take your piece to your local kiln to be bisque fired then after your pottery has been bisque fired, glazes need to be applied - we suggest asking the kiln/studio to do this for you if they offer this service or you can buy some from pottery a supply store, or enquire with your local kiln if you can purchase some glaze from them (we suggest Amaco + Kiwi glazes). Make sure you follow their instructions on applying the glaze correctly - don't apply any to the bottom of your piece. After this your piece needs to be gloss fired.

3. You can apply underglaze colours (these are available to be purchased online from a pottery supply store. (we suggest Amaco + Kiwi underglazes). Then they will need to be bisque fired. After bisque firing your pieces will need to have a clear glaze applied, we suggest a mid-fire glaze as this is what we use (we'd suggest asking whoever is firing your pieces to apply this for you so that its done correctly. After this your piece needs to be gloss fired.

These instructions are for OUR glaze only - all glazes have different application instructions and these ones are specifically for ours.

If you'd like to make your piece ceramic so that it is food and water safe follow the instructions below. Make sure that you DON'T apply any acrylic paint or our sealer to your piece. Please read all of this info before glazing :)

Leave your piece to dry for 2 days with a bag (like a bin liner) over it to slow the drying time down. Then take it off and dry for additional 2 weeks out of direct sunlight so that it becomes bone dry.

- Reach out to your local potters or pottery clubs to ask if they will fire it for you - if you are using OUR glaze then make sure you ask them if they are ok with having some mayco stroke and coat glaze on the pots before bisque firing (some potters don't like this, if they don't, that's still fine, you'll just need to drop off your piece to be bisque fired first, then pick it up, glaze it and then drop it back off for a glaze firing.) You can find some of our partners in the next questions.

- There will be a fee for their service (this will vary between kilns) and it is a two step process: bsque & gloss firing. Firing temps for the kiln: bisque fire to 1,000 ℃ then gloss fire to 1220 ℃.

GLAZING

These instructions are for OUR glaze on our clay only - all glazes have different application instructions and these ones are specifically for ours.

1. Shake the jar well. Glazes can be used singularly or mixed for desired colours.

2. Apply one even coat for a translucent finish with your brush - make sure you cover all the areas you want to be food safe, and don't apply any glaze to the bottom of your piece. Apply one more coat for an opaque finish. Don't apply more than 2 x coats or it might burn/melt in the kiln and make sure you let your piece dry in between coats.

**If you only want to design areas of your piece (e.g. paint flowers on it), you'll need to ask the potter who is firing your work to apply a clear glaze to your piece after bisque firing to make sure the entire piece is food and water safe. We can't guarantee a good result though, as some clear glazes aren't a good fit for our clay and can crack in the kiln. So it's best to just cover your piece in our glaze.

4. Remove any excess glaze from the bottom of your piece with a damp sponge so that your piece doesn't stick to the kiln shelf.

5. Take to your local kiln to be bisque and gloss fired to. ** If your piece is fully covered with our glaze, there is no need for a clear glaze to be applied after bisque firing.

Biisque fire to 1,000 ℃ then gloss fire to 1220 ℃.

Where can I find a local kiln

google is your best friend or you can find a list of our local kiln partners below:


AUCKLAND:

John St Pottery Our lovely personal firer, Jacs! She is located in Ponsonby on John St and charges around $10 per piece.  Message her to arrange drop off.

Author Ceramics - Stephen Lee is located in Pt Chev and makes the most beautiful pieces. He will fire your masterpieces for $5 each. 

Ann O'Sullivan Pottery (loveliest lady ever over in Devonport). She charges $10 per piece - make sure you take cash with you. Let her know you're coming on 0211580499.

Studio One
They have open days on Fridays 12-6 where you can take your clay and potter then fire your pieces once dry for $5

Lalita Ceramic

WELLINGTON:

Karla Marie Ceramics, the raddest potter to follow for all tips and tricks! message her 

Whanganui:
Pottery By The Sea
Potterybythesea@gmail.com

TAURANGA:

Turama Ahi Pottery Ltd

NELSON:

Kiln studio


Get in touch with us if you'd like to partner with us and list your kiln.

We have so many ideas for you!

Have a look at our 'Pottery Portal' and get inspired with our video tutorials on how to make different shapes like greek vases, donut vases, animals + so much more.

Follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, Tik Tok or Facebook where we share videos, pieces our community has made and offer live workshops.

FREEEEEEE xx

Orders will be sent within two business days of purchase. If you place your order over the weekend, your parcel will be sent Monday morning. For New Zealand public holidays, your parcel will be sent on the next business day.

NZ customers: after you receive a shipping confirmation email please allow 1-2 days for your kit to arrive to you depending on where you live. For some rural addresses, please allow up to 4 days. 

You will receive a tracking number when your order has been shipped so you can watch out for it via the link.

For international shipping times please refer to the next FAQ.

For international orders please allow 10-21 business days for your order to arrive.

Australian orders: $20 (per kit) tracked service and should arrive in 5-16 business days. If you'd like to purchase more than one kit please email us to get a shipping quote.

All other international shipping is $35 per kit. If you'd like to purchase more than one kit please email us to get a shipping quote.

Please contact us if your location is not available and we can look into shipping for you. 

We pack our kits in small boxes to reduce material use and to insure that your items are tightly packed limiting extra packaging around the items inside. Sometimes your box has a bit of a journey and can be tossed around -if your box arrives and you are not happy with the state of it, please email us pictures as soon as it arrives.

It's best not to wash lumps of clay down the sink, as it may clog your drain -it's fine to wash your hands with lots of water though.

Dispose of any unwanted bits of clay in your garden or in the general waste. Or you can order some more clay to add to it and make something else.

Yes, absolutely they are non-toxic.

Don't stress if your little ones get paint on their clothes, our New Zealand made paints are fully washable.

Use eco-friendly spray and wipe to remove paint off surfaces.

Air-dry pottery care:

Dust or wipe down your sealed pieces every now then. Don't leave them outside or anywhere that they would get moist.

Fired pottery care:
We would suggest only hand washing your fired pieces.