Let’s Make Salt Dough: Ellie Barrett

Two hands hold a model of human teeth and gums, made from a pink and white material, over a wooden surface. The model resembles a simplified version of a set of dentures.

Get stuck in and have a go at making your own salt dough sculpture.

Salt dough is a fun, versatile modelling material made from simple ingredients you’ll find in your kitchen.

Artist Ellie Barrett will guide you through getting to know this wonderfully sticky stuff, sharing tips and techniques to help you create your very own salt dough artworks at home.

You will need:

  • A big mixing bowl
  • A water jug
  • Little containers and a paintbrush
  • A container for measuring
  • Baking sheets
  • Non-stick baking paper
  • Different coloured acrylic paint, food colouring or spices (optional)
  • Flour
  • Salt
A sculpture of a crumpled Colgate toothpaste tube rests on a textured, square, stone-like surface with reddish and brown marbled patterns. The photo is taken from above.
A person shapes green clay to resemble a cactus in a terracotta pot. Art supplies and containers are on the table, and the person has blue-painted nails and wears a key necklace.

About Ellie Barrett

Ellie Barrett is a sculptor, practice-based researcher, writer and artist-mother. She produces object-based artworks for exhibition and delivers socially-engaged projects. She is invested in exploring sculpture as a collaborative discipline.

Ellie is an associate lecturer in Fine Art at Lancaster University and a member of Good Things Collective CIC. Good Things Collective is a grassroots, community-led CIC supporting creative, social and sustainable ideas and practices.

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