To sign 'clay', begin by holding both hands in front of your body with your palms facing down and your fingers curved and slightly spread apart. Make a gentle squeezing or kneading motion with your fingers on both hands, as if you are physically molding a piece of soft clay. Repeat this kneading movement a couple of times. After completing this motion, drop your non-dominant hand and use your dominant hand to clearly fingerspell the letters C-L-A-Y to specify the material.
To sign this, start by signing 'I' and 'make'. Then, use both hands to outline the shape of a pot in the air. Finally, sign 'clay' by performing the kneading motion and fingerspelling C-L-A-Y.
Sign 'clay' by kneading and fingerspelling. Then, sign 'soft' by repeating the two-handed kneading motion, pulling your hands slightly downward while maintaining a relaxed facial expression to emphasize the texture.
Begin by signing 'we', 'need', and 'buy'. Then, sign 'more' by tapping your pinched 'O' hands together. Finish the sentence by signing 'clay' with the kneading motion and fingerspelling.
To sign this, start by signing 'I' and 'make'. Then, use both hands to outline the shape of a pot in the air. Finally, sign 'clay' by performing the kneading motion and fingerspelling C-L-A-Y.
Sign 'clay' by kneading and fingerspelling. Then, sign 'soft' by repeating the two-handed kneading motion, pulling your hands slightly downward while maintaining a relaxed facial expression to emphasize the texture.
Begin by signing 'we', 'need', and 'buy'. Then, sign 'more' by tapping your pinched 'O' hands together. Finish the sentence by signing 'clay' with the kneading motion and fingerspelling.
While the kneading motion alone can sometimes be understood as 'clay' in a very clear context (like an art class), it is also the sign for 'soft' or 'dough'. Fingerspelling C-L-A-Y afterwards is highly recommended because it ensures there is absolutely no confusion about the specific material you are referring to.
You can certainly use the kneading motion to describe the action of playing with modeling dough. However, if you want to refer to the specific brand 'Play-Doh', you would typically fingerspell the brand name, or you could sign 'play' followed by the sign for 'dough' (which is the kneading motion).
The kneading motion should be performed at a moderate, relaxed pace. You typically want to repeat the squeezing movement two or three times to establish the action of molding. Once that is clear, you can drop your non-dominant hand and smoothly transition into fingerspelling the word.
