Ceramics: ART 212
Assignment #1 Tile (Raku fired)
Design and make four 5" X5" X5/8" thick tiles. These tiles will have a single sgraffito and monochromatic
slip design that extends across all tiles. This assignment requires careful measuring and cutting of the clay.
You must make a rough cut of the tiles as soon as you roll the out the slab and then finish cut as the clay as
it stiffens to the soft leather hard stage. You may look at successful work of former students in the CD files
in the Reading Room. This work will be Raku Fired. Please review the Raku process in the handout on
firing techniques.
Drawing assignment: In your sketchbook, draw five possible designs for your tiles. Drawings must be to
scale.
Grading Criterion:
Slab thickness, straight 90 degree cuts, careful application of your design, careful application of your slip
decoration, sketchbook. Each of these grading criteria will hold a value of about 20%.
All work must be signed with your last name and an initial before it is fired. There will be no
exceptions
Assignment #2. (Raku fired)
Construct a quick slab candleholder with a pierced shade.
The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize the student with the slab roller and other methods of
producing soft slabs of clay. It is also designed to get the student to work with clay quickly and directly.
You may wish to make several of these vessel forms and select the better one(s) to keep. You may recycle
your clay by carefully removing all newspaper and make a new slab out of the clay. If the clay has
dried beyond the plastic stage you may place it in the recycle tub. A note on recycling clay: Do not
put anything but unfired clay in these tubs. Be careful to remove all tools and foreign materials.
Reuse all clay that is suitably plastic to work, or return it to the clay bin. Clay that is too wet or too dry gets
recycled in the clay barrels. Any water containing slip should be placed in the recycle tub. Do not pour
slip or clay down the sinks.
Drawing assignment: Begin with a drawing or a series of five drawings of your ideas for a finished form.
You may find examples of former student's work in the CD files in the Reading Room. Maintain the
proportions of your drawings as you transfer your idea to the clay. These forms should be generally
circular in cross section. The forms will be tall and skinny. Be certain that your form will stand on its own.
If the center of gravity exceeds the diameter of base it will fall over.
Roll out a slab of clay. This slab must be between 1/4 and 3/8 of an inch thick.
Wrap a tube or other form with a number of layers of newspaper.
Cut the slab so it can be rolled around the newspaper-covered form.
Roll the slab around the form and attach the ends of the slab. This will form a clay tube.
Carefully remove the form and the newspaper.
Make a bottom for your lantern out of two separate pieces of clay.
The bottom of your candle lantern will not be attached to the cylinder but it should have a ledge or
journal to help you center the cylinder on the base. This ledge must fit the candle shade and be
properly attached to the base.
Once your cylinder is suitably hard for carving you should pierce it with a decoration for the light
to shine through. As you do this you will want to consider the diameter and height of candle that
you will be using in this holder.
Complete your design with two or more colors of slip. Please review the handout on slips. Slips
will not react like paints or pigments as you mix them.
Sign your name to the piece. Last name and initial will be fine but initials alone will not do.
Place the finished piece on your shelf to dry. If you have attached any appendages to your
candleholder you will want to dry it very carefully. Please read the handout on drying and
shrinkage in ceramic objects.
Technical note: As clay dries it shrinks due to the loss of water. As it is fired it goes through a cycle of
expanding and shrinking. This change in size of a ceramic piece will be the cause of the majority of
problems you have with clay. Careful attention to the change in size of a piece and regulating the causes of
these changes will greatly increase your success rate with clay. If the form you have produced is simple
and you do not wish to make any additions to it you can allow it to dry in the open air. If you wish to
continue working with the form or it contains appendages that might dry unevenly, you should cover it
carefully with a plastic sheet. Appendages dry more quickly than the solid body of a piece. The difference
between the size of the dried portion and the wetter portion will cause warping and cracking.
Grading Criterion:
Slabs will be no thicker than 3/8 inch, slabs will be appropriately joined, base and journal will be carefully
made and will not separate in firing, piercing will be appropriately refined for your design, glazes will be
appropriately applied and fired, there will be no undue cracking due to firing problems, your sketchbook
will represent your work.
Assignment #3
Make a closed container in the form of a fruit or vegetable from two or more pinched forms.
The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize the student with the process of making a hollow form by
pinching a solid lump of clay. The student will then connect two or more pinched forms to produce a
hollow closed form. This form will then be altered with additional attached forms and surface decorations
to accurately represent the form of a specific fruit or vegetable.
Drawing assignment: Begin with a series of no less than five drawings of different fruit. You must come
to class with pictures of each of these fruit as well as plan and elevation drawings of the fruit you want to
make. Apples and Oranges and other roundish are generally not good subjects for this project. If you
choose one of these fruits the highest grade you can expect to receive is a C. You might want to consider
historical works of fruit, vegetables as the subject of ceramic art. The Moche of Peru are a good historical
starting place. Please, once again refer to the CDs in the Reading Room
Start your piece with a solid lump of carefully wedged clay. This is the first time wedging will be
an important factor in your work.
Form a ball of clay and press your thumb in the center of that ball of clay, squeezing your thumb
and fingers and carefully rotating the ball you may produce a hollow cup like form.
The form may be closed by ringing your fingers around the opening and squeezing or holding the
opening with both hands, about an inch apart, and pushing your hands toward each other.
Continue this process until you have a form of the appropriate shape with walls of an even and
appropriate thickness. Appropriate thickness, means thinner than a half of an inch.
Once the first form is completed, cover it and set it aside, then make additional parts for your
finished piece.
If a third or fourth piece is required these should be made and set aside to stiffen. You will want
to carefully control the drying.
Connect the pinched forms by scratching the joining surfaces and adding a drop of water to the
scratched areas. Once the pieces are joined carefully scratch clay from the top to the bottom and
from bottom to top.
Once the form is enclosed the air inside will allow you to handle the piece as if it were a ball. The
resistance of the trapped air makes the piece much easier to work. Please note the seam will be the
weakest portion of the form. Make certain your joints are carefully crafted.
Finish the surface and add appropriate appendages and slips.
Some things to think about: This piece will logically be small. The deepest form you can make with
typical pinch forming is the length of your thumb. You can increase the size of the piece by combining a
number of pinched forms or by placing your fist in a lump of clay and troweling the walls of the form.
Careful monitoring of the dryness and plasticity of the individual pieces will be important in making this
piece.
Grading Criterion:
selection of fruit / degree of difficulty, representation of that fruit, wall thickness, surface texture and
decoration, durability in firing.
Assignment #4 Stoneware fired
Make five bottles out of thin slabs. These slabs will be no more than 1/4 inch thick. These bottle forms
will be 4", 5", 6" 7" and 8" tall. Two of the bottles will be made from leather hard slabs and three will be
made from plastic slabs. These bottles will necessarily be made quickly because of the thickness of the
slabs. They must have impressed and scratched textures on the surfaces and be decorated with quickly
applied slips. The biggest failure in this project will be from overworking the clay.
Drawing assignment: Draw ten bottle forms based on what you know of soft and rigid slab processes.
Attach to your notebook five printed photographic images (magazines are a good source of this
information) of texture that interests you. Do not use computer "textures". I can show you how to make
textured rubber mats to help you with special texture requirements. These mats will require some preplanning and some additional materials, but that extra work should be worthwhile.
Grading Criterion:
Degree of difficulty, slab thickness, textural information, stability of forms, joints, glazing, sizes.
Assignment #5 Stoneware fired
Build two birdhouses that are no smaller than 5" tall and no taller than 10 inches using leather hard slabs.
The first structure will have butt joints and the second will have beveled or mitered joints.
This is primarily a problem in joining leather hard slabs. It must be done very carefully. Drying will be a
primary factor in the success of your work. Cracked joints will be unacceptable and will greatly reduce
your grade.
Roll out 1/2-inch thick slabs of clay. Pre-cut the clay to oversized squares or rectangles like you did with
your tiles. Dry the slabs carefully to the leather hard stage so that they remain flat. Cut the leather hard
slabs to the appropriate sizes (I will demonstrate this in class). Carefully join the slabs. Cover the
birdhouse tightly in plastic and set aside to begin drying. After the first day of drying you will need to cut
the access hole in your birdhouse. Apply surface treatments of slip, texture and attachments then continue
to dry very carefully.
You will use the surfaces of the houses for slip decoration. Consider this work as a three-dimensional
painting. As you apply slips look at the techniques of sgraffito, stenciling, brushing, slip trailing and inlays
or Neriagi. Most of these techniques are done on leather hard clay. Avoid overwetting the clay when you
apply slips.
Drawing assignment: Draw your birdhouses with the overlaying design in place. All of your drawings
must be to scale.
Grading Criterion:
A perfectly constructed joint is essential. Sides will be planar, edges will be sharp, design will carry to all
six sides, there will be no cracks, slip decorations will be used, textures and sgrafitto are optional. These
objects will be stoneware glazed. Creative design and degree of difficulty will be strong considerations in
grading.
Assignment #6
Toothbrush holder with extruded cup. (Stoneware fired)
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate how to work with slabs of clay that are nearing the leather
hard stage, as well as using the extruder. Attaching slabs and forms in the leather hard stage is a common
forming technique in ceramics. Due to the problems discussed concerning shrinkage in the first assignment
this process must be done carefully. Drying must also be carefully monitored to prevent cracking. Please
think of the connecting seams in your piece in two ways; they can be hidden or decorative.
Drawing assignment: Draw your toothbrush holder and cup. Careful consideration should be taken to the
mounting of the object (wall or counter) and the function of each part. There are several good examples of
toothbrush holders represented in the collection of CDs in the Reading Room.
Select the best idea or ideas.
Prepare a slab and dry it to the desired hardness. Your slab must be made the day or class
period prior to the construction of the piece.
Slabs may be rough cut in the wet stage and then trimmed more accurately as you assemble the
piece.
Cut the slabs to the appropriate size. At this point you must decide if you will be using butt joints,
lap joints or mitered joints; or a combination of joints. As you cut the pieces, the thickness of the
clay must be considered.
Scratch or comb the adjoining surfaces.
Apply small amounts of water or slip to the scratched areas.
Allow the surfaces to rest for a few minutes.
Press slabs together at the joints.
Add appropriate reinforcement on the inside of the form. Small forms will not require a gusset.
Larger forms will require some internal support. You may choose to paddle the joints lightly to
assure a good connection.
Complete the form and make an appropriate cup by extruding a length of tubing and attaching a
bottom and handle. The wall thickness of your cup is critical.
You might want to consider thinning the form or adding textural interest as it dries by cutting
away areas with a knife or a Surform rasp. The surface can be scraped and textured. Slip
decorations and inlays may also be added.
Things to think about: The cup and holder should work as a complete piece. Carefully consider the size of
the piece.
The cup will likely be used as a drinking vessel. It must feel good in your hand and as it touches your
mouth. Is the weight of the cup appropriate? The wall of the cup should be about 1/4" thick.
Look at the way the piece hangs on the wall or sits on the counter. Does it rest lightly or heavily on the
surface?
The surface decoration should support the entire piece. I will ask you to clearly explain your intent as you
complete the work. You will need to monitor the drying of this piece very carefully.
Grading Criterion:
Sketchbook, general construction and craftsmanship, how does the piece function (this includes the
functionality of the cup and the relationship between the parts of the holder and toothbrushes and
toothpaste), is the glaze appropriate to the piece? The creative aspects of your design will carry a high
weight on this project, so you need to be thoughtful with the design.
Assignment #7
Coil building
The purpose of this assignment is to learn how to build forms in a variety of coiling techniques. Coiling is
one of the most ancient of forming techniques.
Drawing assignment: Begin with a series of drawings. I want this piece to be exactly 6" at the widest
point and 10 inches tall, and exactly three inches at the base. I encourage you to think of these works
figuratively as well as look at historical containers. You will make a template for yourself and one for me
before you begin this project. Your finished piece will conform to that template.
Coil work is done by making coils or ropes of clay. This can be done by rolling the coil, extruding
the coil or cutting the coil. Each type of coil has its specific properties. Pay careful attention to
the demonstration. I will show you some simple tricks that will make your coiling much easier.
Once the coil is made, the piece is begun by placing a small base slab on a flat surface or in a
shallow bowl. The coils must be carefully joined by pinching and dragging clay from one coil
across to the next. You will find many of the skills you learned while making your pinch piece
will be used in your coil piece. To make the piece wider simply place the new coil slightly to the
outside of the last coil; to make the piece narrower place the next coil slightly to the inside of the
last coil and so on. You can stack several coils up before you begin joining them. Join all your
coils carefully. Failure to join coils will result in cracks in the finished work.
You will notice that the piece will reach a height were it will no longer support its own weight.
Stay "tuned into your work". Before the piece reaches the point of failure, stop, cover the rim of
the piece and allow air to circulate around the bottom section so it can stiffen. On a very large
piece the bottom may be close to bone dry while you are still adding plastic clay to the top. You
may find it necessary to scratch and moisten the top coils of a piece when you start working on it
after a period of time. Monitoring of the drying of a coil piece is probably more critical than in
any other forming technique. You may have as much as thirty feet of connections in one 8" piece.
Roll out coils. You might want to experiment with large coils and small diameter coils. I will
demonstrate both in class. Your choice of coil diameter is very much a personal one, but it will be
dictated to some extent by the design of your piece.
Monitor drying and the strength of your piece carefully. If you find you have periods of time
when your work is stiffening I will expect you to be busy working on other ceramics assignments.
Just because your work is drying does not mean you cannot be involved in working in another clay
project. You can force dry portions of your piece by using a hair dryer, a small torch or a heat
lamp, but be very careful.
Grading Criterion:
Careful attention to construction techniques (there will be no cracks in your finished piece),
precise adherence to measurements of 10X6X3 in the leather hard state, well defined form based
on a strict adherence to your drawings and your template, glazing and finishing of the piece.
Assignment #8
Wheel throwing: Show me five cut cylinders that are more than five inches tall and more than three inches
wide, have flat even bottoms and even walls of an appropriate thickness (less than a half an inch). You
may make additional cylinders to fire if you have time.
Wheel throwing or as it is traditionally called "turning" in Alabama, is a technique that can be used to form
sculptural and utilitarian forms in clay. The result of all forms thrown on the potter's wheel is that the
horizontal cross-section of a piece is generally round and the thickness of the wall in that horizontal section
is relatively even. Wheel thrown forms can be combined and altered to form works that are far removed
from the turned original. Wheel thrown works can also celebrate the symmetry of the technique.
Once you have mastered the potter's wheel as a tool you will be able to decide how you wish to apply the
forms to your work. As you are attempting to gain mastery over the wheel I will insist that you work
toward an even geometry in your work. Most of you will find that learning to use the potter's wheel will
require a great deal of dedication and practice. If you begin by working at the process a step at a time
without any real concern for the finished product you will find you will succeed more rapidly. Do not
move to the next step in the throwing process until the last step is perfect. If you find that you develop any
problems with the piece during the throwing process you will be much better served by throwing the used
clay in the scrap tub and starting over.
Drawing assignment: Draw ten cross-sections of cylinders. They must be about five inches tall
and about three inches wide. The wall and bottom thickness must be about 3/8" thick. It should
be even from top to bottom and the walls should be at a ninety-degree angle to the bottom.
Wedging the clay is very important when you are throwing. The de-airing pugmill will be very
helpful in preparing clay for throwing, but it will not replace wedging. I prefer wedging a large
amount of clay and then cutting it into the size I wish to throw.
Once the clay is thoroughly wedged it should be pounded into balls. Do not entrain water, slop or
air into these balls.
Collect your tools: Bucket with water (I like slightly warm water), sponge, wooden rib. All you
really need is a bucket of water.
Go to the wheel. Adjust the seat to the height of the wheel head, (if you are very short this
position may need to be a little lower) attach the splash pan to the wheel, set out your clay and
water so that you are comfortable, attach a bat to the wheel head.
Begin pushing the flywheel with your right foot to develop a rhythm.
As you feel comfortable with the wheel move the location you kick on the flywheel closer to the
vertical shaft. This will require more energy to move the wheel but it will cause the wheel to
revolve at a faster rate. This is the same thing that happens on your bicycle when you shift gears.
Allow the wheel to spin without kicking. Press your hands down on the right side of the center of
the turning bat.
Repeat the kicking steps until you feel comfortable. While you are doing this you will need to
breathe deeply and try to focus on the center of the wheel.
Allow the wheel to slow to about 30 rpm (two revolutions every second). You can slow the wheel
by dragging your left heel on the flywheel. CAUTION: A turning flywheel has a lot of stored
kinetic energy. Be very careful around turning wheels. Never stand on a flywheel. They can
turn and cause you to fall and you can potentially damage the vertical shaft and bearings.
Pick up a ball of clay, focus on the center of the turning bat, throw the ball with some force at the
center of the bat. If the ball is not reasonably centered, stop the wheel, cut it off with a wire and
repeat the steps of throwing the ball on the bat. You will know if the ball is not reasonably
centered if it seems to wobble more than two inches from center as the wheel turns.
Get hands wet with water from your bucket. Drip some water on the turning ball of clay.
Kick the wheel up to its fastest speed.
Lean forward with you head directly over the spinning ball of clay. Your elbows should be on
each thigh.
Cup your hands around the clay. Your right hand should be on the lower right side of the clay and
your left hand should be held with the heel on top of the ball and your left fingers overlapping
your right hand.
Hold your hands in this position and press slightly until you feel that the clay is not pushing your
elbows. This will take several attempts. You will need to rewet the clay frequently. Do not
remove pressure from the ball of clay rapidly. This will drive the clay off center.
The clay is centered when you cannot notice any wobble as it turns. Do not go beyond this step
until the clay is centered. If you have to ask if your clay is centered it is probably not.
TO FORM A CYLINDER:
Wet your hands and the clay
Hold the clay like you are centering.
Allow your right thumb to find the center of the rotating ball of clay. While maintaining your left
hand on the clay allow your right hand, wrist and elbow to move upward. Slowly push your right
thumb into the center of the clay. Maintain constant contact with your left hand during this step.
Push your right thumb downward to a point about 3/8" from the bat. Judging this distance will
take some practice. You can measure the thickness of the bottom with a needle tool.
Remove your hands from the turning form. Wet the piece. Place your index and middle finger of
your left hand into the hole in the center of the turning ball. Lock you right hand over your left
and pull slowly and evenly to you. Be cautious to maintain an even distance from the bat. You
are forming the bottom of the piece at this time.
Cup your left hand over the rim of the short spinning form. Place your right hand across the top of
the thick wall and press downward slowly with your right hand holding the thickness of the wall
with your left hand. This process will form a donut. The clay should be absolutely centered at
this point. Do not continue if the clay is not centered.
Do not continue if the clay is not centered. Do not continue if the clay is not
centered.
Wet the clay. Place your left index and middle finger in the center of the clay at the bottom to the
right wall. Place your right index and middle finger to the outside of the right wall and touching
the bat.
Press gently inward with your right hand, holding with the left hand. Hold this finger position and
slowly pull both hands toward an imaginary point about six inches above the wheel head. The
outside fingers should remain slightly below the inside fingers. Maintain contact between your
hands as much as you can. Even the slightest touch will help you maintain position and control
over the clay.
Wet the clay and repeat the last step but move to a point about ten inches above the wheel head.
Continue this process moving the imaginary point up slightly with each new pull. When you get
to the rim of the cylinder, maintain your hand position for at least one complete revolution then
relax.
Grading Criterion:
You cannot reasonably expect to make a grade of an A in this class unless you are able to throw cylinders
and bowls well. This will require A GOOD DEAL OF TIME OUTSIDE OF CLASS. Your five cut
cylinders must be flawless with even thin walls and a refined bottom and a finished rim.
Assignment #9
Throwing a bowl: Show me five untrimmed bowls that are at least four inches in diameter. The curve must
be even and the bottom of an appropriate thickness. These will not be fired. Throw five more bowls and
trim them. These will be fired.
I will ask you to consider bowls as an entirely different form from a cylinder. A cylinder has a flat bottom
and begins with straight walls. A bowl begins from a central point and expands upward and outward in a
continuous curve. That curve may be changed at any point as it sweeps toward the rim of the bowl. A
bowl is designed to be looked into while a cylinder is designed to be viewed, for the most part, from the
side.
Draw some cross-sections of bowl forms. Draw bowls that are open and draw bowls that are more
closed. Consider the foot of a bowl. How does the bowl rest on the table or how does the bowl
seem to spring or float from the surface?
Refer to the assignment of throwing a cylinder. Everything remains the same to the point where it
says: "TO FORM A CYLINDER".
From that point place your right hand on top of the ball and your left-hand over it.
Find the center of the ball with your right thumb.
Gently press your right thumb down into the rotating ball as you did with the cylinder. However
with a bowl you will normally allow for a thicker bottom.
Place left hand inside the form and the right hand outside the form. Press gently outward with the
left hand holding with the right hand and pull outward and upward.
Maintain the distance between your fingers as you pull. When you get to the rim of the bowl
maintain the hand position for at least one complete revolution of the wheel, and then relax your
hold on the clay.
It is advisable to compress the rim of the piece after each pull.
Return to the center of the rotating piece of clay and repeat the outward and upward pulls.
Some throwing suggestions: Keep your cross sections as even as you can. Learn to throw and do
not depend on excessive trimming to form the piece. Consider the exterior surface of the piece as
you are throwing and finishing the outside. If you trim the outside of a form you should consider
the results of that trimming as a part of the overall design. Consider your intent as you are
working on a piece. What do you want the clay to communicate? Even a functional vessel
communicates intent. As you progress in working with clay you should have a clear
understanding of what the finished product will look like as you are making it. Learn control
before you learn to give up control.
Grading Criterion:
The interior curve on your bowl must be even, the wall thickness should be uniform and the rim
should be finished. Your trimmed bowls will show a great deal of control over both the throwing
and trimming process.
Assignment #10
Wheel Thrown Lidded Form
The purpose of this assignment is to learn how to make two forms fit together visually as well as
physically. I realize that many students will have a great deal of trouble with this assignment. It will not
carry the grade weight of the other assignments, but I want every student to attempt the assignment and turn
in their results for the final critique. Only well made and well fitting pieces will be fired.
Begin with a series of drawings of wheel thrown lidded forms. These forms may be
based on cylinders or bowls. As you are designing the piece you need to look at the ways
lids fit. Select an appropriate lid connection for your piece.
Throw the base.
Throw the lid. Attach appropriate handles.
Trim and fit the pieces together.
Grading Criterion:
In order to receive a grade of A in this class this problem must be reasonably completed.
Extra credit:
Do not begin this work until all of your regular assignments are successfully completed.
Landscape:
The purpose of this assignment is to get you to think about concept and content issues in ceramics.
Lots of drawings. Design and develop your landscape with its intent based on content,
mood, mode, gesture, etc. I want this landscape to hold a strong message in its content
Make a landscape in clay using the techniques we have explored in this class. This piece
will be due the day of your final and may count for extra credit.
Self-portrait
The purpose of this assignment is to get you to consider the issue of content in ceramics very broadly.
Using any of the techniques we have experimented with in class or any other approved ceramic technique
produce a self-portrait. I will restrict you from sculpting this self-portrait in the traditional clay sculpting
techniques. As you design the piece please remember that a self-portrait is not necessarily a physical
likeness of yourself. You are welcome to produce a likeness of yourself, but also consider that a selfportrait can be a metaphorical description of who you are.
Lots of drawings. Make lists of words to define yourself and this project. Be prepared to
tell me very specifically what your intent is with this piece.
This piece will be due at the time of your final and may count as extra credit.
You will be graded on quality as well as quantity in this class. I firmly believe you learn to make better
Not all the pieces you make for this class
will be fired. I will not fire cracked or substandard works. I will also
not fire trinkets. If you have any questions as to what makes something
a trinket we can discuss it. Before we talk about it I would suggest you
clearly examine your intent in the piece.
works of art by making more works of art.