POTTERY I – CUMULATIVE REVIEW
USE THE BLANK QUIZZES TO TEST WHAT YOU REMEMBER
CHECK ANSWERS IN VOCABULARY LISTS BELOW QUIZZES
Section I - VOCABULARY
1/12/2013 8:54:00 PM
I. CLAY TYPES
earthenware
-
burr
-
-
greenware
leatherhard
-
bisqueware
-
dry leatherhard
slip
-
-
clay body
-
mixed - color slip - plastic
____________ 1 Low fire clay body with the most impurities
____________ 2. White clay with colorant added (paint consistency) and applied to
clay
____________ 3. before the first firing
____________ 4. clay and water; acts like glue
____________ 5. clay is soft and workable; fresh clay
____________ 6. drying, but still bendable and able to manipulate; good stage for
building with slabs
____________ 7. beyond leatherhard, no longer bendable; great for decorating
____________ 8. A combination of any or all clay types
____________ 9. air dried clay; ready to be fired
____________ 10. clay that has been fired once; ready for glazing
____________ 11. recipe of clay
____________ 12. sand-like grit; strengthens clay; and protects kiln shelves from
glaze drips
____________ 13. clay crumbs
____________
14. must be at this stage to glaze
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Name the four points of good craftsmanship
1.
2.
3.
4.
II. CLAY TOOLS
grog
kiln
-
cone
-
modeling tools wedgeboard
wire loop tool
rib
-
-
paddle
toggle wire
-
-
fettling knife
wedge board
-
-
canvas/burlap
slip bucket
-
-
pinch-
- coil
____________1. oven that fires the clay
____________ 2.small triangles that are used to regulate the heat; Cone 05-06= 6-8
hours at 1600-1800 degrees
____________3.Wooden tool used to alter and smooth form
____________4.fluting or trimming tool
____________5.used to cut clay; hard blade
____________6.material used to roll slabs out on
____________7.plastic or wooden tools used to shape and decorate clay form
____________8.jellybean shaped tool used to smooth inside
____________9.wire used to slice clay
____________10.where recycled clay goes to rid of its moisture before being wedged
and reused
____________11.technique using only your hands to form a pot
____________12.flat sheet of clay often made using a rolling pin
____________13.where we put wet clay ready to be recycled or used as slip
____________ 14.tool we use to make our “naughty clay” behave
ATTACHING TECHNIQUE
Give the steps (in order) to attach two pieces of clay
1.
2.
3.
1/12/2013 8:54:00 PM
POTTERY I VOCABULARY – parts III&IV
III CLAY TECHNIQUE and DECORATION
pinch
-
coil
- blend
-
-
slab
wedging
-
burnish
add-on
-
-
texture
recycle
-
relief
-
fluting
underglaze
-
-
sgraffito
clear
-
-
wax resist -
______________1. using only your hands to form a pot
________________2. ropelike; snakelike
________________3. flat sheet of clay
________________4. to shine and make smooth with a spoon
________________5. scratch marks in the surface for decorative purposes
________________6.raised surface
________________7.grooving into the clay
________________8. adding colored slip and than grooving in textures to show
contrast of clay and slip
________________9. making scratch marks for attachment purposes
________________10. to seal all seams
________________11. kneading clay to remove air, moisture, and make workable
________________12. pinching pieces of clay literally to build a form
________________13. resoftening UNFIRED clay in water to return it first to slip and
then drying it on a wedge board
________________14. small containers of chemical and water that are non shiny and
used only for decorating purposes; small areas
________________15. chemical and water mixture applied to make piece shiny;
applied after 1st firing
________________16. will repel glaze; used on bottom of forms
IV. CLAY DESCRIPTIONS
functional
-
pattern
geometric
-
non functional
-
-
pattern
organic
-
craftsmanship -
form
-
surface -
-
____________ 1. has a useful purpose
____________ 2. for decorative purposes only
____________ 3. repeated design
____________ 4. shapes you can identify - they have names like circle, square, etc...
____________ 5. free form shapes
score
____________ 6. discussion about an art piece using both objective and subjective
language
____________ 7. 3-D in space, sculptural quality
____________ 8. out coating or skin
____________ 9. neatness, effort and completeness of work
V. CLAY POT PARTS
Identify on any appropriate clay vessel:
flanged lid
-
lip/rim
-
neck
-
shoulder
-
body
-
base/foot
Cumulative List of used or referenced terms
1/12/2013 8:54:00 PM
CERAMIC VOCABULARY
The three basic methods of hand building are- PINCH, COIL and SLAB.
We also use PRESSMOLDS with slabs for producing sets
The approach that requires the potter’s wheel is called ‘THROWING’.
THROW or THROWING – Using the potters wheel to make forms by hand
from plastic clay.
ARMATURE- a support framework for the clay to help it hold its shape until it
begins to harden.
BISQUE- pottery that has been fired but not glazed. This usually is a low
firing to give the clay strength for glazing.
CERAMICS- All objects made of fired clay, including earthenware, porcelain,
stoneware, and terra cotta.
EARTHENWARE- pottery fired at a low temperature (about 700 degrees
centigrade or less), which remains porous until glazed. This is the most
common form of ceramic ware, found in all ages.
PORCELAIN- the highest grade of ceramic ware. The original hard paste
method was developed in China during the 17th century A.D. It contains
clay, feldspar and flint and must be fired at very high temperatures. True
porcelain ranges in color from white to gray, has a translucent appearance
and produces a clear tone when struck.
STONEWARE- Pottery fired at a high enough temperature to vitrify the clay
so that it is close-grained, almost non-porous and as a result, extremely
durable. A glaze may be added to decorate the surface but it is not
essential.
TERRA COTTA- The Italian words ‘terra cotta’ literally mean ‘baked earth’
and the term could be applied to any unglazed clay object, which has had an
initial firing. However its use tends to be restricted to the clays, which range
in color from red to black, the most common being reddish-brown. Terra
cotta has been used as the material for countless objects since the Neolithic
age, particularly simple pots, figurines, architectural decoration and roofing
tiles.
COIL- Rope-like roll of clay used in hand building.
CONE- mixture of clay and glaze with a predetermined melting point.
FIRE- to heat clay in a kiln until it becomes hard.
GLAZE- a thin coating of glass making materials that melt when fired.
GREENWARE- pottery that has not been fired.
INCISING- to cut or carve into a surface; to engrave.
KILN- an oven/furnace/container for heating clay pottery.
KNEADING- Working clay on a surface with the palms of the hand in order to
remove air from it and obtain a uniform consistency.
LEATHER HARD- the almost hard condition clay reaches on partial drying.
This is a good stage for carving clay.
PLASTICITY- The quality of clay that allows it to be easily manipulated and
still maintain its shape.
POTTER’S WHEEL- A round platform, mounted on a shaft, which rotates
when set in motion, either by the potter’s pushing against a bar or other
mechanism (such as a kick wheel) or by a motor. As the platform spins the
potter raises and shapes the clay he has centered on it, making a vessel or
other ceramic object.
POTTERY- A general term for ceramic objects, especially those made with
more porous clays, such as EARTHENWARE, STONEWARE, and RAKU
(PORCELAIN is not usually classified as pottery). Throughout its history, this
ancient craft has combined utilitarian and aesthetic objectives; often
producing beautifully shaped and decorated functional items. In simplest
terms, “the art of making earthenware”.
UTILIATRIAN- designed to be of practical use.
AESTHETIC- A term derived from the Greek aisthetika, or ‘perceptibles’,
which is generally defined as the philosophy of taste and perception of
beauty.
SCORE- to cut or roughen the surface of the clay to aid the attachment of
one piece of clay to another.
SCULPTURE- a three-dimensional work of art made by carving, modeling, or
making a construction or arrangement of material, such as an assemblage or
mobile.
ADDITIVE SCULPTURE- sculpture, which is constructed by attaching (adding)
media to a basic form (such as clay sculpture, wood or found object
assemblages, etc).
SUBTRACTIVE SCULPTURE- sculpture, which is constructed by removing
media from the basic form (such as carved wood, stone, or clay sculpture).
BAS-RELIEF- a sculpture which has been carved from a flat surface, but in
which the design is not deeply cut so that the image is raised only slightly
from the background. Also known as low relief.
SGRAFFITO- a technique in ceramic or mural design in which the surface
layer (of glaze or plaster) is scraped away to expose a contrasting
background.
SHARD- a piece (or small bits of) broken pottery. A potshard (Pot shard) a
fragment of broken pottery, esp. one found in an archeological excavation.
SLAKE- is to moisten clay with water (return drying clay to soft body clay).
SLIP- clay and water mixed to a cream-like liquid. Liquid clay.
SLIP TRAILING- painting or squeezing slip onto the surface of leather hard
clay for decoration.
TEXTURE- to make patterns on the clay with objects that are pressed into
the clay surface.
WEDGE- Mixing and de-airing clay by cutting it diagonally and slamming the
pieces together.
Resources:
<Artlex.com> Art Dictionary
Nigrosh, Leon I., Claywork, Form and Idea in Ceramic Design, Davis
Publications, 1995
Williams, Arthur, Sculpture, Technique, Form, Content, Davis Publications,
1995
Ancient Greek Pottery History
1/12/2013 8:54:00 PM
I. MATCHING 2 pts. each
______1. Potters wheel was FIRST used in this time to make pottery quickly
and cheaply
______2. Pots were sloppy and lopsided – people forgot how to create pottery
______3. 6000 BC
______4. Palace Style (Octopus vessels)
______5. Pots were tall and red with black figures, then black
with red figures
______6. Time of the collapse of Mycenaean civilization around 1200 BC
______7. Handles show up for FIRST time
______8. A new invention made circles easy to make and repeat
ANSWER
CHOICES:
A. Neolithic
(Stone age)
B. Early Bronze
Age
C. Late Bronze
Age
D. Dark Age
E. Archaic
______9. Period of time when people settled down into houses and villages
______10. Minyan ware
______11. A new firing process involved using iron shavings in
slip to create a layer that fired black
______12. Shared designs (Minoan and Mycenaean)
______13. Rainbow ware
II. FILL IN THE BLANK 2 pts each (some may have 1+ possible answers)
______1.
______2.
______3.
pd.
______4.
Pottery is cream colored with designs painted on in black or red
Pottery is plain gray but shapes are well made
Cheap “knock offs” were made by other towns in Middle Neolithic
Named for black and red design color that blended together –
Neolithic pd.
______5. Red and white decoration with geometric patterns (fish bowl
shape)
______6. Motif that often adorned the Mycenean and Minoan pottery
______7. Type of decoration on Dark Age Pottery
______8. Besides geometric shapes, Mycenean pottery in the Late Bronze
Age often showed ___.
______9. Sesklo ware was adorned with what kind of design?
______10. This invention made Minyan ware easy and cheap
WORD BANK:
Rainbow ware
Sesklo ware
Domini ware
Minyan ware
Mycenaean
Minoan
Sub-mycenaean
Potter’s wheel
Geometric
Sea Creatures
Life scenes
Little or no decoration
III. Identify and tell cultural significance (what was unique or new based on
pottery design?)
Identification – 5 pts
Significance – 10 pts
Identification___________________________(name/time)
Significance: “The people were…
Identification___________________________(name/time)
Significance: “The people were…
Identification___________________________(name/time)
Significance: “The people were…
Identification___________________________(name/time)
Significance:
ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES
1/12/2013 8:54:00 PM
I. Design Elements Quiz
1. _______ refers to the dark and light of an object or color – like light
(pastel) blue and dark(navy) blue
2. _______2-dimensional; geometric (squares, circles, etc.) or free-form
(natural or organic)
3. _______ mark made with a tool/medium; often suggests movement; can be a variety of
thicknesses; your eye follows it
4. ________ made up of light (think rainbow); black and white are added in randomly to
produce various shades/values
5. ________
includes empty or filled areas (positive or negative): used to show depth or
shape in relationship to it’s background
6. ________ surface quality (like rough or slimy); can be tactile or visual
7. ________The “building blocks” of a design or the “A, B, C’s” of art
8. ________ 3-dimensional; describes volume or mass; viewable from all angles
WORD BANK
Line
Color
Value
Texture
Space
Shape
Form
Design elements
II. PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN QUIZ:
1. ___________________the path your eye follows in a work of art
2. ___________________repetitions to enhance a surface
3. ___________________use of opposites to create visual excitement;
shape, color, and/or textures are used
4. ________________provides the quality that makes an artwork complete;
formed as a whole because of their organization
5. _______________the differences in the elements of an artwork that
make it interesting
6. ________________size relationship between one thing and another (NBA
star compared to gymnast)
7. ________________repeated positive shapes separated by negative
spaces this contributes to visual movement (your eyes see and follow
similar elements)
8. _________________refers to visual weight; symmetry, asymmetry and
radial
9. _________________the size of something that you can measure (height,
width,…)
10. _________________wanting a specific area of an art piece to be seen
or stand out from the rest of it (focal point)
11. ________________ the “building blocks” or basic parts of any design
or work of art
12. _________________HOW the “building blocks” are used to create a
work
WORD BANK
balance
movement
emphasis
DEFINITIONS:
contrast
Proportion
rhythm
Design elements
Scale
unity
Design principles
pattern
Variety
The Elements of Design


These are called the building blocks (elements)
are used to EXPLAIN THE VISUAL MESSAGE (explain how each is used on
piece – Be Specific)
1. Line –mark made with a tool/medium; often suggests movement; can be
a variety of thicknesses
2. Shape – two-dimensional’ geometric or free-form
3. Color- made up of light; black and white are added in randomly to
produce various shades/values
4. Value- refers to the dark and light of an object or color
5. Form- three-dimensional; describes volume or mass; viewable from all
angle (sculptural or the “3D shape”)
6. Texture- surface quality; can be tactile or visual
7. Space- empty or filled areas; used to show depth or shape relationship to
its background
The Principles of Design
 are used to EXPLAIN THE VISUAL MESSAGE (explain 3 or more)

this is HOW we USE the building blocks (elements)
1. Emphasis- wanting a specific area of an art piece to be seen or stand out
from the rest of it
2. Contrast- the use of opposites to create visual excitement; shape, color
and/or texture are used
3. Balance- refers to the visual weight; SYMMETRY, ASYMMETRY, or
RADIAL
4. Pattern – repetitions to enhance a surface (note: usually stop at edges of
surface, like a plaid shirt or flowered wallpaper)
5. Rhythm- repetition of visual movement (an element repeated throughout
the work, like a red ball/circle as a hat, buttons, round table top)
6. Unity – provides the quality that makes an artwork complete; formed as
a whole because of their organization (think TEAMWORK)
7. Movement – the path your eye follows in a work of art
8. Scale- RELATIONSHIP between the actual and what you are measuring; a
relative size compared to something else
9. Size- length, height, depth, volume; something you can measure
10. Variety- the differences in the elements of an artwork that make it
interesting; something that is a variation that catches your eye
11. Proportion- relative size and scale of various elements in a design
12. Figure-ground relationships- relationship between an object and its
surrounding area (background)
Check Sheet Required Projects -POTTERY I1/12/2013 8:54:00 PM
CHECK INITIAL PROJECT/ASSESSMENT
GRADE
I. PINCH CHARACTER
1. Planning sketches
2. Build character with 5 pinch pots and
flanged lid
NTBK
PROJ
3. Know clay pot parts -
QUIZ
4. Know clay tools &types
QUIZ
II. SLAB VASE
1. Study work of Ray Chen from PPT and reflect
NTBK
2. Planning Sketches of freeform/organic vase
with two clays that express a visual message
NTBK
3. Build organic vase
PROJ
4. Project reflection paragraph- MESSAGE
WRITTEN
III. COIL POT
1. View Ancient Greek PPT and fill in
worksheet/QZ
QUIZ
2. Plan pot following one of time pds studied
NTBK
3. Create pot following plan using coil technique
and add a creative modern update to express a
21st century theme
PROJ
4. Paragraph written reflection of ancient vs.
modern
written
IV. PRESSMOLD
1. View Examples and plan theme
NTBK
2. Create project with 3 of a kind
PROJ
3. Clay Technique and Decoration QUIZ
QUIZ
V. RELIEF TILE
1. View online examples of relief tiles / planning
sketches
NTBK
2. Show how elements/principles of design are
used in your work
written
3. Elements/Principles QUIZ
QUIZ
4. Create a relief tile using 3 layers of relief
PROJECT
CRITIQUE Definitions and Worksheet
1/12/2013 8:54:00 PM
Critique has 4 steps
1.
2.
3.
4.
Describe
Analyze
Interpret
Evaluate (state final message)
CRITIQUE: A method to evaluate art using a common vocabulary. A
formal critique covers description, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation
(final message).
DESCRIPTION: Notice room to write title above
 Fill in other details in sketch area as needed
BEGIN with what the work says about itself.
 Title
 Artist
 Size

Medium – what the artist uses to get his/her point across – like
paint, or clay, or ball point pen
description does not include your feelings or any reference to the artist
We describe a piece of art using the following vocab lists to describe the
physical work completely
ANALYSIS:
Use the elements and principles to note physical relationships and relevant
facts (The worksheet works great for this! – use the left and right columns)
Interpretation:
What it makes me think and feel and why (Answer BOTH)
Always refer to the element or principle associated with the thought or
feeling
Message: This is what the artist is trying to say…
-- Form a message statement as a complete sentence (subject, verb, etc.)
--It must contain information that can be backed up by 3 visual clues
1/12/2013 8:54:00 PM