1. Clay
Clay - mixture of organic and inorganic materials with a very high silica content and water. Silica gives Clay its distinctive glass-like quality.
Earthenware- porous, low fire clay body. Fires to cone to 1500 F.
Plastic State - very wet, soft, and malleable. State when we form clay and join pieces of clay together. Clay must be well wrapped to preserve water content.
Handbuilding - use of hands, not potter’s wheel, to construct functional ceramic works. Includes pinch, coil, and slab building techniques.

2. Clay
Pinch Pot - hand building technique that requires pinching and stretching clay to create form.
Wedging - a technique for mixing clay to remove air pockets.
How to Wedge - Ram's Head Wedge
Coil Pot - handbuilding technique in which clay is rolled into coils to create a form.
Score - to scratch the surface of the clay, creating a rough surface for joining two pieces of clay together.
Slip - liquid clay (clay + water) used to join pieces of clay together.
Seat - gently pressing two pieces of clay together.

3. Stages of Clay
Plastic - wet, soft, malleable clay. Forming clay, joining pieces of clay together
Leather Hard - visibly damp, but drying clay. It is the texture and consistency of leather. At this stage, clay can be incised (carved or gouged into). YOU CANNOT JOIN WET CLAY TO LEATHER HARD CLAY.
Greenware - completely dry clay. VERY BRITTLE! Ready to fire as there is no water left in the clay body (damp clay will EXPLODE IN THE KILN! WATER + HEAT = STEAM! STEAM IS EXPANSIVE!)
Bisqueware - clay that has been fired for the first time. The clay body is VITRIFIED and can no longer return to the plastic stage.
Glazeware - clay that has been glazed and fired a second time.

4. Coil Pot
Score - to scratch the surface of the clay, creating a rough surface for joining two pieces of clay together.
Slip - liquid clay (clay + water) used to join pieces of clay together.
Seat - gently pressing two pieces of clay together.
Smooth - to blend the two pieces of clay together.
These FOUR steps must be followed each time you join two pieces of clay together.
Coils = thickness of thumb
Work towards RADIAL SYMMETRY

5. Clay
Slab - hand building technique that requires clay to be rolled into flat, even sheets, then cut into shapes. These shapes are then joined together to create a form.

6. Clay Join Reagan Counseling AP Remind #81010 @rhsapstu
Slab - hand building technique that requires clay to be rolled into flat, even sheets, then cut into shapes. These shapes are then joined together to create a form.
Surface Relief - sculptural technique where the sculpted elements (applique) remain attached to a solid background of the same material or are carved into the background surface (incised).
Applique - 3D sculptural elements that are attached to background surface.
Incise - sculptural elements that are carved away from the background surface.
Join Reagan Counseling AP Remind

7. Clay
As you design your ceramic FUNCTIONAL SCULPTURAL vessel, make certain your sketch demonstrates the following:
A functional purpose or use
Combines two or more geometric or organic forms
Combines at least two hand building techniques in the construction of the form
Uses surface relief throughout the design
Has a color scheme
The work on the right is FIGURATIVE. This means that the artist has incorporated forms that represent people, places, or things. In this instance a heart.

8. Clay Kiln - specialized oven for firing clay
Fire - to heat clay in a kiln
Vitrification - heat induced chemical reaction in clay. Takes place during the BISQUE FIRING (first) firing in kiln. Permanently changes the silica structure in the clay - allows clay to permanently retain its shape, clay cannot return to plastic state.
Glaze - material that gives clay color, and fills pores in earthenware clay. Applied after bisque firing, must be fired a second time (GLAZE FIRING).