UNIT 1 Lessons in Ceramics

Rules to Live By Clay teaches many lessons, quite simply:  1. Things happen.  2. Life's not fair.  3. Art is temporary. 4. Air bubbles are your enemy.  5. Nothing should be thicker than your thumb.  Do not fall in love with it until it is finished.

State Standards applied in this unit: Develop Perceptual Skills and Visual Arts Vocabulary (Grade 6) 1.1 Use artistic terms when describing the intent and content of works of art. Make Informed Judgments (Grade 7) 4.4 Develop and apply specific and appropriate criteria individually or in groups to assess and critique works of art. Develop Perceptual Skills and Visual Arts Vocabulary (Grade 8) 1.1 Use artistic terms when describing the intent and content of works of art.

Step One: Carving Personal Stamp Think about 10 ideas, objects or themes that have meaning to you, such as friends, music, truth, family or the universe. List them on a piece of paper, leaving about 2 inches between each word; you may use the back of the paper also. How can these ideas been translated into one symbol? Draw the symbol next to the words in your list. Make the symbol’s lines about ½” thick or use solid shapes for the idea/ geometric shapes work well LOVE Select 3 – 5 designs you especially like. Using a 2” x 2” x 2” cube of clay, carve 3 or more sides into the symbols. Puncture the cube on one side using using a sharp needle tool to allow air bubbles to escape Let cube dry for 3 days or longer. We will fire it before you use it in the next step.

Step 2: How to Use a Slab Roller Clay is so versatile that you can roll it out and make objects using what we call slab work. This process uses a slab roller; it is just a giant rolling pin. You will need two 1” slabs cut from a block of clay. Be sure to use a thick piece of canvas between the roller and the clay. Please watch out for your fingers and your clothing catching inside the rolling device. Click here for Video about How to Use a Slab RollerVideo about How to Use a Slab Roller After viewing the video, cut your slab using (1) a square that measures 4”x 4” and (2) a piece of clay measuring 13.5” long by 5” high. 4 “ diameter 5” tall 13.5”

Continue Step 2: Laying the long cut piece of clay on canvas or wood board, use your personal stamp to create texture pressing lightly into the wet clay. Do not press all they way through. You may add a rope of twisted clay through the length of the clay, too using score and slip. The principles are the same as on the video to attach clay.score and slip. Let the clay air dry to leather-hard consistency. Definition: Leather-hard Leather-hard means that the green-ware has dried to the point where it is firm but not void of visual water. If it over dries, you can use a light spray of water to rehydrate it.

Step 4: Attach and Join Pot Side and Base Step 4: Base and rim The base of the pot is done similarly to the score and slip process of adding embellishments to the exterior of the pot. Make a tube of strong paper the a bit smaller than the diameter of the bottom of your pot; 3 ½ “ tube. Use strong tape to hold the tube solidly. Flip your slab and gently roll into a tube, use the tube to support the inside of your pot as you roll it into a tube of clay. The decoration should be on the outside of the tube. Using score and slip procedure you can attach first, the side of the clay tube together. Ask a friend to help if you need more hands.

Step 4: Continued Sign the bottom of your pot before you attach the base. Attach the bottom using hints from the following video: How to Attach a BaseHow to Attach a Base Using a palette knife and working upward from the bottom, marry the clay base into the side walls.

Remove the tube once the base is added and let the project dry to bone hard. Once you flip the pot to the upright position you may smooth the rim with a wetted finger or add texture with a tool. Definition : Bone dry (adjective) is a term used to describe and identified greenware pottery that has dried as much as possible before it has gone through its first firing (the bisque firing). When held, bone dry greenware feels to be at room temperature, not cool to the touch. Coolness indicates that evaporation is still taking place. Be extra careful once your piece reaches the bone dry phase. Bone dry greenware is extremely brittle and will break apart very easily. Therefore, it should be handled as little as possible and great care must be taken when loading it into the kiln. If your base does not seem strong, see Mrs. Nichols for an addition means to strengthen your seam.

After firing: We will not be glazing this project. If time allows we will be staining this pot.

SELF-CRITIQUE for Lessons in ClayName: ______________________ [1-100] Your grade_________ Teacher grade_________ 1. Effort (Did you follow instructions? Were all steps of the project turned in on time? Did you remain on task in every class? Did you treat materials and tools respectfully? Did you begin clean-up when instructed? Did you remain orderly and efficient during clean-up?) [1-30] Your score__________ Teacher score__________ 2. Technique (Did you create a well constructed slab, pinch, or coil vessel? Did you use even thickness clay throughout sculpture? Are all joints and seams strong? Are all textures intentional and appropriate for your story? Did you apply glazes thick enough to make good color and seal all cracks and crevices? Did you keep all glaze off the bottom?) [1-25] Your score__________ Teacher score__________ 3. Story (Did story have an impact on your life? Did you state only the most interesting facts? Does your story have a beginning, middle and end? Is your story at least three paragraphs but less than one page long? Is it in the correct format: double spaced 12 point Times New Roman with 1” top & bottom and 1.25” side margins?) [1-20] Your score__________ Teacher score__________ 4. Elements & Principles (Does sculpture have interesting shapes and forms and pleasing rhythm, movement and balance when viewed from all sides? Is sculpture pleasing to hold and view? [1-25] Your score__________ Teacher score__________