‘Leather-hard clay’ is firmer than wet clay - it is good for detailed carving. Clay is leather-hard when it has dried for a few hours and has become slightly stiff. It feels cool to the touc ...

Before carving, wipe down the outside with ... I've found that trimming tools, commonly used for pottery or ceramics, work great for this job. For the etching, I grab a set of linoleum carvers.