1. When Creating your Ceramic Designs Keep these tips in mind……

2. Trouble shooting -Base support
If making a figure with tiny toes or lots of legs-birds, bugs, octopus-make a slab base for the pot. Do this so the legs, toes etc. wont break.

3. Trouble shooting- pull appendages close to the body
Setting work down on a table in the bone dry state can break off feet, tails, legs etc. if you aren’t extremely careful.

4. Trouble shooting Combine form with function
Try to use the parts of the animal as parts of the pot. If you have handles, use wings, tails… if you have spouts, necks and mouths. Use Feet as feet.

5. Trouble Shooting Stylization
You can stylize a figure.
Do not mistake stylization for crappy workmanship or laziness.
Stylization must also include an awareness of anatomy and structure.

6. Trouble Shooting Anatomy
Study the anatomy of your subject.
•Look for bones and muscles.
•Work from a photo or picture of the subject.
Find images that show all points of view of the subject

7. Trouble Shooting- Add Personality
Give figures some personality, personify them.

8. All About Clay
By Mrs. M. McDyre

9. Different styles of
Creating with clay

10. Processes You can use: Additional types: Pinch Coil Slab Assemblage
Thrown
Drape
Press mold
Reduction

11. Pinch

12. Coil Pots

13. Slab Rolling out a slab of clay Adding Texture to your slab
Adding Texture to your slab

14. Economic and social development Influencing Culture and Socialization
Assemblage
Slip and Score is the GLUE that hold clay pieces together.
Slip is very watered down clay
Score is when you rough up the surface of the clay
You MUST slip and score all clay when attaching one piece to another.
Economic and social development Influencing Culture and Socialization

15. Economic and social development Influencing Culture and Socialization

16. Producing Quality Work
How to know if you are producing quality work with your clay piece…….

17. 1

18. 2

19. 3

20. 4

21. Construction
How to make this thing!

22. How to Start- Effigy Vessel

24. Trouble Shooting- Shrinking and warping
Clay will shrink and warp as it dries and in the firings.
Will your pieces still fit and be balanced?
Thinner pieces will not support the weight of heavier pieces in the firing.
Is the position of the lid stable? Will it slide off?
Trouble Shooting- Shrinking and warping

25. Trouble Shooting- Balance
Think of how the piece will be balanced. Will the piece tip over?
•If creating an object that is standing consider using a base for a support structure. Otherwise it will fall over easily.

26. Trouble shooting Differences in thickness-Drying and Braking
Add smallest parts/details LAST-because they will dry the quickest.
These are the defining features of the pot so we want to put them on first. Wait until the major work is done, then put them on.

27. Trouble shooting Inner structural support
If needed use an inner support structure to support the weight above it.

28. Trouble Shooting Air holes
All hollow pieces must have an air hole.
If this isn’t done the kiln gods will be angry and will sacrifice the arms and legs of your pot.
Meaning, your stuff will blow up!

29. Trouble shooting Storing your work
Remove air and seal up zip lock bag everything when not working on it.
If too big for zip lock, double bag it and but a damp rag in with it.
Keep work on a wood bat (or whatever Mrs. McDyre gives you.
Be careful when taking work in and out of storage.
Please do not be careless with someone else’s work.

30. What to Know

31. History to know
Ceramics- any clay work that has been permanently changed through the process of heating.
Has a history dating back to years
It is the reason we know of many other cultures
Mostly used to store things, as in pots
Fundamental in the development of cultures

32. Terms to Know
Wet- clay is wet when we work with it and use it to create new shapes and forms
Leather Hard- Is when clay is starting to dry out, it hard and cool to the touch, but it isn’t dry. You can carefully carve into these pieces
Bone Dry- All the moisture is out of the clay. It is ready for its first firing
Firing- when the clay gets ‘baked’ and chemically is changed into ceramics.
Kiln- the oven that the clay gets fired in.
Bisk Firing- the first firing of the clay

33. Processes & Techniques to Know
Pinch
Coil
Slab
Assemblage
Slip and Score is the GLUE that hold clay pieces together.
Slip is very watered down clay
Score is when you rough up the surface of the clay
You MUST slip and score all clay when attaching one piece to another.

34. Know the difference….. Glaze- Under-glaze-
3 coats is used
Goes on the ceramic piece after the bisk firing
It has pieces of glass in it that melt and make it look shiny
If glaze gets on the kiln shelf your piece can be permanently stuck to it
Under-glaze-
Is not shiny
It does not have glass in it
Can be painted on
Can be used as a layering effect
Can be used either in the bone dry stage or after the bisk firing
Wax Resist- Is used to prevent the glaze or under-glaze from going on your ceramic piece

35. 3 Different types of clay

36. Lowfire= Earthenware Fired at +/- 1860 degrees
This is the kind of clay we will use in class

37. Lowfire= Earthenware Highfire= Stoneware Fired at +/- 1860 degrees
This is the kind of clay we will use in class
Highfire= Stoneware
Fired at +/ degrees
This is the kind of clay most common among potters

38. Lowfire= Earthenware Highfire= Stoneware Porcelain= China
Fired at +/ degrees
This is the kind of clay we will use in class
Highfire= Stoneware
Fired at +/ degrees
This is the kind of clay most common among potters
Porcelain= China
Fired at +/ degrees
Used to create delicate, thin and fine works
More transluscent