Egyptian Tiles

To make these tiles, you will need:

Two sheets of card, pencil, ruler, scissors, self-hardening clay, cutting board, rolling pin, modeling tool, sandpaper, acrylic paint (blue, gold, green, yellow ocher), paintbrush, water pot.

Method:

1. Copy the two tile shapes, about 2in deep, on one sheet of card. Cut them out. Draw around them on the other sheet to make the whole pattern. Trim the edge as in step 2.

2. Roll out the clay onto a cutting board with a rolling pin. Place the overall outline over the clay and carefully trim the edges using the modeling tool. Discard the extra clay.

3. Mark the individual tile patterns onto the clay. Cut through the lines but do not separate them fully. Score patterns of leaves and flowers onto the surface of the clay. Separate each tile.

4. When one side of each tile has dried , turn the tile over and leave the other side to dry. When the tiles are fully dry, use a piece of sandpaper to smooth off the edges.

5. The tiles are now ready to paint. Use bright colors to paint over the patterns you made earlier. When you have finished, leave the tiles to dry.
The tiles that you have made are similar to the ones found at a royal palace in Thebes, the capital of ancient Egypt. The design looks somewhat like a lotus, the sacred flower of ancient Egypt.