Santa Gnomes, Christmas Trees, and a Happy Clay Accident

Santa Gnomes and Christmas Trees

This winter in the studio, a small “just for fun” idea turned into one of the most satisfying projects of the season. What started as a whim—making a few Santa gnomes and Christmas trees as a surprise for my partner—became a reminder of how playful, low‑pressure work can open up new creative directions.

A Whim That Turned Into A Tradition

I didn’t plan these pieces as a formal collection or a shop update. They were meant to be a little secret: a cluster of tiny Santa gnomes and stylized Christmas trees to appear one day on a shelf, waiting to be discovered. That intention alone took the pressure off. Instead of worrying whether they were “important” enough for a product line, they could simply be delightful.

Working with that mindset changed the whole energy of the making process. The forms came together more quickly than many of my larger, more intricate pieces, and that speed gave the project a sense of momentum. Each new cone became an opportunity to tweak a hat shape, tilt a beard, or play with how a tree flared at the base.

They were, simply put, very fun to make—and that fun shows in the finished pieces.

Cones As The Secret Structure

Underneath each gnome and tree is a very simple idea: the cone. The cone is the quiet little structure doing all the heavy lifting. It gives the gnomes their cloaked bodies and long hats, and it gives the trees their clean, vertical silhouette. Once that basic shape is in place, all the personality comes from small shifts:

• The angle and height of the cone

• The way the base meets the table

• How much the sides curve or stay straight

From there, it’s all about surface: carving beard textures, adding little noses peeking out from under hats, or creating tiers and branches for trees. Because the foundation is so simple and repeatable, it becomes easy to experiment with color, carving, and detail without getting bogged down in engineering the form.

Discovering The Cone Template Maker

A big part of what made this project both quick and satisfying was finding a cone template maker online. It’s a simple tool: you plug in your desired dimensions, and it generates a flat pattern you can print and cut out. That pattern becomes your guide for rolling and cutting slabs into the exact shape you need.

Having those templates made an immediate difference:

• The shapes were consistent, so gnomes and trees looked like they belonged together as a family.

• Scaling up or down for different sizes became as easy as changing a few numbers and printing a new template.

• Instead of fussing with trial‑and‑error paper patterns, the technical part was handled quickly, leaving more time and energy for the creative details.

There’s something deeply satisfying about combining a simple digital tool with a very hands‑on, tactile process. The screen gives you a clean, precise cone. The clay gives you all the organic irregularities and charm.

Quick Projects With Big Impact

Compared to many ceramic pieces, these gnomes and trees were comparatively quick to make. That doesn’t mean they were careless—just that the workflow was efficient:

• Roll a slab

• Trace around the cone template

• Form and join the cone

• Add features, textures, and details

Because each step is straightforward and repeatable, it’s easy to get into a rhythm. That rhythm is what allows the small variations—one gnome with a longer beard, another with a shorter, stubbier hat; one tree with tight, tiered branches, another with soft, flowing lines.

Quick projects like this can play an important role in a studio practice. They:

• Break up longer, more complex builds

• Offer a low‑stakes space to try out new glazes or surface ideas

• Create room for surprise and play, especially when they’re destined as gifts

A Surprise For Someone You Love

The original intention behind these pieces was simple: surprise my partner. That personal motivation mattered. Knowing they were for someone specific made each little decision—hat tilt, glaze choice, how the trees would cluster together—feel more like arranging a tiny stage for a scene they hadn’t seen yet.

There’s a special kind of joy in making things that are not primarily for sale, not optimized for a product page, but made for one person you care about. The fact that they were quick to build didn’t make them any less meaningful. If anything, the ease of the process let more of that affection show through.

Letting Play Lead The Way

In the end, these Santa gnomes and Christmas trees are a reminder that some of the best studio moments come from following a small impulse: “What if I just made a few of these?” A simple cone, a handy template, a playful idea, and a quiet surprise for someone you love—that’s enough to carry an entire project.

If you’re feeling stuck or overthinking your next body of work, it might be worth printing a cone template, rolling out a slab, and seeing what kind of little forest—or gnome village—wants to appear.

Cone Making Web Site