Specialist Crafts

Here is one of our 2026 catalogue competition runners up:

Daria Nestyagina - Age 11
School: Repton Abu Dhab

Tag us in your posts for the chance to be featured on our page!

Art can do more than decorate a wall, it can spark change. 🌍🎨

Hampshire’s Climate Unity Project is showing how creativity and sustainability can work hand in hand, giving young people the chance to explore climate action through “artivism” projects in schools. From immersive installations to recycled wearable art and collaborative exhibitions, students are turning everyday waste into powerful messages about the environment.

The project proves that sustainability in the art room doesn’t have to mean huge gestures. Small creative choices, reusing materials, exploring natural media, and encouraging student voice, can have a lasting impact both inside and outside the classroom.

As Jayne Stillman explains, art projects like these don’t just teach creativity, they teach agency, empathy, and activism. 💚

How are you bringing sustainability into your art lessons?

Read now!

https://www.specialistcrafts.co.uk/blog/guest-blog-small-worlds-big-impact-how-art-teachers-can-lead-the-sustainability-charge.html

📘 Back to School Starts with the Right Sketchbook ✏️
20% Off Sketchbooks. The sketchbook range teachers trust, now even better value.

As the new term approaches, the right sketchbook sets the tone for how students develop, refine and record their ideas. From first marks to finished pieces, it’s an essential part of the process.

To help you get prepared, enjoy 20% off our full sketchbook range. With plenty of sizes, formats and paper types, you can match every class, project and budget with ease.

Shop now!

| Specialist Crafts Specialist Crafts is a leading supplier of Art, Textiles and D&T resources to educational institutions, students and artists worldwide.

Art Talk:
What is the difference between air-dry clay and ceramic clay?

Air-Dry Clay
Air-dry clay is a ready-to-use modelling material that hardens naturally when exposed to air, making it ideal for quick making and accessible sculpture work. It’s widely used in education because it allows ideas to be built, refined, and finished without specialist equipment.

Ceramic Clay
Ceramic clay is a natural earth material that only becomes permanent after firing in a kiln at high temperatures. Once fired, it becomes ceramic, a far more durable material used for pottery, sculpture, and functional objects.

So what’s the real difference?
They may look similar when you start, but they don’t belong to the same category of “finished” material. Air-dry clay is finished through drying, while ceramic clay is finished through firing, which completely changes its structure and strength.

🍽️ Step-by-Step Lesson Plan: Clay Pantry
Coiled Condiments with Character 🟤

Bring humour and creativity into the classroom with this hands-on clay project where students design their own coiled condiment jars — full of personality, texture, and form.

This step-by-step lesson plan guides learners through building, coiling, shaping, and refining their ceramic pieces, encouraging experimentation while developing core clay techniques.

Perfect for introducing structure in ceramics while still leaving room for individuality and fun outcomes.

Read now: https://www.specialistcrafts.co.uk/blog/step-by-step-lesson-plan-clay-pantry-coiled-condiments-with-character.html

✏️ GIVEAWAY: Win a Set of 4 New Essential Slimline Drawing Boards!

We’re giving one lucky school the chance to win a set of our extra-large A1 Slimline Drawing Boards, designed to give students the space they need for ambitious sketching, technical drawing, observational work, and final presentation pieces.

The generous A1 size makes them ideal for GCSE and A-Level art classrooms, allowing students to work comfortably on large-scale drawings both in the classroom and on the move. Lightweight and slimline, they’re easy to carry, store, and use around school.

How to Enter:
1️⃣ Like this post
2️⃣ Follow
3️⃣ Comment with your school’s name and tag a fellow art teacher who’d love these A1 drawing boards in their classroom

📅 Winner will be contacted on: 8th June 2026
🇬🇧 Eligibility: UK entries only. Open to art teachers and educators

Now available to buy separately!
• A1 Slimline Drawing Boards
• A2 Slimline Drawing Boards
• A3 Slimline Drawing Boards
• A4 Slimline Drawing Boards

Ceramics lessons can feel chaotic fast - exploding pots, cracked sculptures, wobbly handles and the terrifying kiln nobody wants to touch 👀🔥

But most clay disasters are surprisingly predictable once you understand a few core principles.

Our latest blog, The Ceramics Survival Guide for Teachers Who Inherited a Kiln They’re Afraid Of, breaks down:
• why student work explodes in the kiln
• the 3 biggest mistakes that ruin clay projects
• simple classroom fixes that actually work
• glazing tips without the panic
• and an easy ceramics project to build confidence fast

Perfect for art teachers introducing clay, surviving their first kiln firing, or wanting smoother ceramics lessons.

Read the full blog on our website now 👇

Here is one of our 2026 catalogue competition runners up:

Artist Unknown
School: Dover Grammer School For Girls

Tag us in your posts for the chance to be featured on our page!

🟤 New lower prices. Same great quality.

Our air-drying clay just got more affordable, without cutting corners on performance. Still smooth to work with, still reliable for modelling, still perfect for classrooms and creative projects… just better value for your budget.

Ideal for sculpture work, hands-on learning, and projects that need simple, effective materials without the kiln.

Shop Now!

🎨 GIVEAWAY: Win 3 Rolls of Unprimed Canvas!

We’re giving one lucky school the chance to win 3 rolls of our unprimed canvas, perfect for large-scale classroom projects, scenic backdrops, painting, printmaking, textile work, and experimental mixed media.

Ideal for GCSE and A-Level art, collaborative displays, and creative workshops, these versatile canvas rolls give students the freedom to work bigger and explore a wide range of techniques.

How to Enter:
1️⃣ Like this post
2️⃣ Follow
3️⃣ Comment with your school’s name and tag a fellow art teacher who’d love these canvas rolls in their classroom

📅 Winner will be contacted on: 1st June 2026
🇬🇧 Eligibility: UK entries only. Open to art teachers and educators

Now available to buy separately!