ceramic vocabulary

Wednesday, 9/8

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Today: Notes -Ceramic Vocabulary

Ceramic VocabularyIntro. to 3D Art

Ms. Yackel

ClayA fine-grained, firm earthy material that is

plastic when wet and hardens when heated, consisting primarily of hydrated silicates of aluminum and widely used in

making bricks, tiles, and pottery.Moist sticky earth; mud.

Recycleable

Ceramics1.An object, such as earthenware, porcelain, or tile, made of ceramic.2. The art or technique of making objects of ceramic, especially from

fired clay.

ScoreThe process of roughing the

surface of two pieces of clay that will be joined

together. A fork is used to score clay.

SlipClay that is thinned with water or vinegar to form a thick liquid. Slip is used on

scored areas to join two pieces of clay.

WedgingA process used to prepare clay for

working. Why do you need to wedge your clay?

a) Relieve clay of air bubblesb) Creates consistency in the clay

c) Detect foreign objects

Kilnthe furnace used to fire (heat) ceramic

objects

a) Bisque firing: 1600 degrees Fb) Glaze Firing: 2200 degrees F

Electric KilnType most

used in schools

Safe & predictable

Gas Kiln

Professional potters/studios

Gorgeous resultsWatch very

carefully

Raku Firing

Typically hand-builtOutside

Unpredictable resultsWatch ALL of the time

Kiln Furnitureshelves and posts upon

which ceramic ware is placed

while being fired in the kiln

Decorative Processes

Incising

A decorative process in which a tool carves away parts of the

clay to create a design or pattern

AppliqueA decorative process in A decorative process in which a sculptural form which a sculptural form is added to a ceramic is added to a ceramic

piecepiece

Stages of Clay

Greenwaremoldable, “fresh”, plastic

Leatherhard rigid, dry clay, no longer moldable, still carvable,

partially dry

Bone dry completely dry, free of water, fragile, ready to be bisque-fired

Bisqueware Clay objects that have

completed the first firing, ready to be glazed or painted

Glazeware Objects that have been fired a

second time after glaze has been applied

Potter’s wheel

A revolving horizontal disk on which clay is shaped

Types of wheels: Electric or kick

Handbuilding Techniques

Pinch

using your fingers to manipulate the form

Coil

rolling out ropes of clay - butterfly fingers

Slab

rolling out sheets of clay - rolling pin

Why do things blow-up in the bisque firing?

A. Clay is still wetB. Clay has an air bubble

C. Clay is too thick

Why does applique fall off?

A. Clay was not slipped and scoredB. The two pieces were not in the

same “stage”C. The two pieces were not blended

together

Functional vs. Non-Functional

• Has a utilitarian purpose

• Eat off of it, drink from it, holds water

• Example: a glazed teapot, chair

• Purpose is to sit, hang, or be displayed

• To look at• Example: a paper

sculpture, an oil painting