Glaze --leveling up your ceramics

Let's GLAZE! When you have created a clay artwork you will come in next class and it will either be in the kiln, still drying or bisqued.   look at the three stages of clay we see on the cart.

Glazing can really Power Up your work.  

The color can enhance the shape of your pottery.  You can add patterns, solid areas of color and design.

Betty Woodman was a ceramic artist.  She was known for inventive forms and how she applied her colorful glaze.  

Widewalls

Betty made FUNCTIONAL pottery and later on more decorative work.  

That means it had a function, purpose or could be used to perform a job. 

Functional meaning it could be use to drink from, hold objects, 

pour and eat off of.  Will your pottery be decorative or Functional?  

if you are going to put food or liquid in your clay artwork you will need to listen closely to instructions about GLAZE.

Glaze is the color we will use for clay.  Glazed pottery goes back in 

the Kiln for a second firing.  The glaze becomes molten hot and 

coats your work in a thin layer of glass.

The Cabinet of Glaze is to the left of the Clay Studio. You will only remove a blue tray of glaze from this cabinet and nothing else. Select a blue tray of glaze and bring it back to your table.  No placemat You will need a brush for each color you use.  New color new brush. Each jar gets  its own brush NO glaze the bottom of your work. if you get a little drop wipe off with a sponge. Two coats.  Same color, same place, twice.   These glazes are not meant to be mixed.  No mixing colors. TWIST Caps back in place.   Rinse Brushes until water runs clear. Return Glazes.   Put your glazed work on the cart.  Next class you will pick up your finished ceramics.

Ceramic work goes in the kiln a 2nd firing and the glaze becomes molten and melts onto your 

pottery and creates a shiny coating.

Clay Studio is Open

 Meramec Clay Studio is OPEN

Clay Studio

Bring supplies back to your assigned seat

Pinch Pot

Slip and Score Think of SLIP like your CLAY GLUE Drying your clay.  Once your clay is dry you will not be able to attach more clay Clean Up Return Materials Clay in the lidded box Wipe table with a green cloth *Touching art from of another clay artist may end your time in the clay studio *Artists who use clay responsibly get to use the Clay Studio.

Opening the Clay Studio

 Welcome to the Clay Studio

Today you will learn about the Clay Studio! We will go over expectations for Set up, Clean up and Studio Time.

What is Clay

Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals. Clays become soft when wet but becomes brittle when dry and hard after firing.  It's an art material that comes from the EARTH.

Let's look at how artists work with Clay and learn some Ceramic hand building techniques and process.  When you work with clay using your hands it is called Hand Building.  

Slab

Roll out clay and cut into shapes.  You can cut a Slab.  Make marks and texture into the surface.  And press and shape the slab into a form.

Use a mold to create a form

Don't make the slab too thin or too thick

Here are a few more examples of SLAB projects

Coil

a long pliable cylinder/roll of clay.

You can get very creative with the way you roll coils into arches, spirals, donuts, twists and braids.  You can cut coils into long and short lengths and place the horizontally and vertically.

Coils can be simple or intricate

Some artists like the coils to be visible or be part of their design.  Other artists like to smooth away out the coil texture.

Pinch Pot

Pinching is a basic pottery technique, Making a pinch-pot is pressing the thumb into a ball of clay, and drawing the clay out into a pot by repeatedly squeezing and pressing the clay between the thumb and fingers

How about Attaching feet or a handle.  Make a lid

Turn that pinch pot upside down--think of the possibilities!

What if you add coils and texture to your pinch pot

Slip and Score

Don't SKIP THE SLIP

Could you combine a COIL, PINCH POT and a SLAB?

Think of SLIP like your CLAY GLUE

Do you notice a clay coil attached to a pinch pot?

Texture

Using tools and materials to press markings into the clay surface.

Drying

clay must dry and be fired to become hard and waterproof.  Once fired, water will not soften the clay.

Firing 

a KILN is an oven for baking/ firing pottery.  It gets hotter than your oven at home.

Things BREAK!   

If your clay is too thin or too thick it can break.  Slip and Score to make sure attachments stay in place.  

Accidents can happen...but lessen the chance of accidents by paying attention and not playing around.

Glazing

Adding color to your fired clay often includes glaze although other materials can be used.  Glaze can can be used to color, decorate or waterproof an item.  

You will apply glaze like paint.  Brush on 2 coats.  Same color, same place, twice. 

NO glaze the bottom of your work.  if you get a little drop wipe off with a sponge.

Before and after the second firing in the kiln Often Glaze will make your work shiny.

Giving your Ceramic art a little EXTRA!

plan ahead for holes to hang your work with a wire or add beads.

Meramec Clay Studio