- A selection of your life drawings: briefly discussing what drawing techniques you have used and how successful they were. Think about line quality, proportions, expression, how well you have captured your subject etc.
- Artist research: a post about Picasso showing selected images of his ceramics work and discussing materials and techniques that he has used, your thoughts about his work and how it has, or might, influence your own work in this project.
- Further posts about other artists: select images showing the work of at least one other figurative ceramic artist. Describe materials and techniques used, express your thoughts about the work i.e. what you like or dislike about it, and suggest how this has influenced or inspired your own designs.
- Examples of tile samples experimenting with slips and glazes. (Chris has these saved to the computer in the ceramics room and you can copy them onto your memory stick). Discuss the techniques you have used: making the tile, coating them with coloured slips and possibly scratching into them, bisque firing them and then glazing with a transparent glaze before firing again at 1080 degrees C. State any Health and Safety precautions that you took and briefly evaluate how successful the samples were when finished and suggest which techniques you plan to use on your coil pots and why.
- Designs for your pot template (and designs for decoration if you have done these): what do you like/ dislike about these designs and which one will/ have you used as a template for your pots and why?
- Images showing the production of your coil and/or moulded pots discussing the materials, tools and techniques you have used. State Health and Safety precautions and describe what has been successful/ unsuccessful about the process and what you might do differently in future.
- Any other samples you may have produced: discussing materials, techniques, health and safety and own thoughts.
- Images of finished pots after firing and glazing etc. Describe any decorating techniques that you have used if you have not discussed them in a previous post, i.e. use of coloured slips and glazing, firing temperatures, health and safety etc. Evaluate what has been successful/ unsuccessful about your finished pieces and what you might do differently in future.
Technical information to reference when describing materials and techniques
| Terracotta Clay (Red) | Properties | Is smooth, plastic and malleable when wet so it is easy to work with. |
| Characteristics | It is fired at low temperatures and remains porous so will need glazing in order to be waterproof. | |
| Strengths | A larger range of coloured glazes can be used with terracotta clay because of the lower firing temperatures. | |
| Weaknesses | Although it will be durable when fired it is not as hard wearing as stoneware clay. | |
| Health and safety | When the clay is dry avoid the dust it creates because it contains silica which in large quantities can cause silicosis or irritate breathing and skin conditions. Wipe down all surfaces and wear an apron when using clay. | |
| Clay slips Clay slips are made by mixing clay (usually white earthenware) with water and oxide pigments to colour the clay base. | Properties | They are used to decorate a pot before it is bisque fired. They are easily applied evenly and create a smooth surface with a wide variety of colour. |
| Method | The clay pot should be leather-hard (this means it has been dried in the air until it is hard to the touch but still contains some water) before it is decorated with clay slips. | |
| Strengths | Provides more opportunity to add colour and decoration. | |
| Bisque firing The first of two kiln firings to drive out the last of the water from the clay. | Temperature | The temperature is increased very slowly to 800ºC so that the water is slowly evaporated from the clay before heating more quickly to 1000ºC. If the pot is heated too quickly it could break or explode in the kiln. |
| Properties | The clay can no longer be rendered soft and is no longer plastic | |
| Characteristics | The pot is now hard and absorbent so will soak up the moisture from glazes well. | |
| Health and safety | Kilns must be in a well ventilated area with extraction to avoid build up of noxious gasses. | |
| Glazing A glaze is clay mixed with fluxes such as lead or tin, water, and other materials to stabilise it. Oxides are added to the glaze to colour it. Glazing continued. | Properties | Glazes are fluid and thick when wet. The water from the glaze soaks into the bisque fired pot quickly leaving an even layer of dry glaze on the surface of the pot. |
| Characteristics | When the fluxes in the glaze are melted during firing they will give the glaze a glass like surface that is no longer porous, and therefore waterproof. | |
| Method | After the pot has been bisque fired it can either be sprayed with glaze in a spray booth, or dipped into a glaze. Let it dry for up to half a hour and then clean the base of the pot thoroughly to remove any traces of glaze. Otherwise your pot will stick to the shelf in the kiln. | |
| Strengths | Makes the pot waterproof and allows introduction of a wide array of colours. Can be used to alter the surface of a pot and make it shiny or textured. | |
| Weaknesses | Some lead based glazes can still be toxic after they are fired if acidic substances like vinegar are placed into the pot/vessel. Earthen ware glazes are softer than stoneware glazes and are not as durable because they are fired at lower temperatures. (Stoneware glazes can not be used with earthenware clay.) | |
| Health and safety | Must not be ingested as they may contain toxic elements. Surfaces must be kept clean, aprons worn and hands kept clean to avoid build up of dust. | |
| Under-glazes (optional) Are made from a clay or glaze base mixed with oxides to add colour. | Properties | They are thinner and easier to paint with than regular glazes which need to be applied thickly |
| Characteristics | Under-glazes produce a strong colour on chosen areas of a pot. | |
| Method | Under-glazes are painted onto the pot and left to dry after it has been bisque fired but before it has been glazed with a regular glaze. However with a complicated design, after you have applied the under-glaze you may need to bisque fire the pot again. You can then apply further under-glazes or regular glazes. | |
| Strengths | Can be applied thinly and delicately so they can be used to add more detail that you can achieve by simply glazing a pot. |
Coiling
Coil pots have been made since ancient times. It is a very versatile process as it allows the potter to have lot of control over what they are making. It can be used to make symmetrical or asymmetrical pots, and you can alter the shape as you go along.
Technique:
- A flat clay base is rolled out and then cut to the desired shape and size.
- Coils are hand rolled from soft, malleable clay, or can be produced using an extruder for greater uniformity
These are layered on top of the outer edge of the base and gradually layered on top of one another. If you want to increase the diameter of the pot, lay each coil along the upper outside edge of the previous layer. To decrease the diameter, lay each coil on the upper inside edge of each previous layer.
- After several layers have been produced you should being to blend the coils together, and to the base. Use a modelling tool or your fingers to gently scrape the surface of the pot in an upward direction on the inside and a downward direction on the outside.
You should repeat this process regularly as you add more coils. This should be a slow and gradual process.
