INTRODUCTION TO CLAYCeramics 1

Ceramics

Things made from clay, the basic material for all ceramic creations.

Clay is created as a result of the decomposition of igneous rock, which makes up the entire earth’s crust.

Everything you will do with clay involves the interplay of these 3 variables: Moisture Plasticity Heat

Origins of Ceramics

Of all the arts, ceramics has perhaps the longest history, dating back to when people first learned to control fire.

Theories: People first began to model clay as a

diversion. People used clay for practical purposes.

Early Techniques

The clay you work with in a studio has been processed and prepared to some degree.

Early potters had to actually dig their raw material from the ground and prepare it.

There were sometimes impurities that had to be taken out.

Chapter 2: Working with Clay Clay Properties

Plasticity Shrinkage Texture Moisture Handling Clay

PLASTICITY

Most beginners use highly plastic clay, or one that can easily take different shapes. PLASTIC – The property of clay that

allows it to change shape without tearing or breaking.

Numerous factors can make clay more plastic. You can spray it with water. You can store it in a bag with water. You can mix new plastic clay with the

old.

SHRINKAGE

All clay shrinks as they dry. Clay can crack when it shrinks if the potter doesn’t carefully monitor the drying process.

It is frustrating the spend a lot of time on creating your artwork only to have it crack because you did not take the time to allow it to dry slowly.

TEXTURE

The texture of a clay body can range from coarse to smooth.

Some potters add sand or grog to change the texture of their clay.

MOISTURE

All clay contains water. You can add water to clay to make it more workable or plastic. Add too much water, however, and the clay loses plasticity – it won’t hold any shape at all.

Clay begins to dehydrate, or lose moisture, when it is exposed to air.

You will occasionally need to rehydrate, or put water back into the clay, to keep it moist.

MOISTURE

You can mist it with a spray bottle or dampen it with a wet sponge or damp paper towel.

Once the clay is fired, it becomes permanently harder, stronger, and less likely to break.

It can never become plastic again after being fired.

PREPARING THE CLAY

Before you can make anything with clay, you’ll need to prepare it.

All clay needs to be de-aired before you begin.

Kneading or Wedging eliminates air bubbles and keeps the internal structure of clay more cohesive and consistent.

Kneading / Wedging Clay You will use a piece of canvas to

absorb extra moisture. Since we are using a small amount of

clay, we will use the kneading method.

Clay Safety Tips

Little bits of clay that end upon the surface of your table are harmless. However, when they are brushed onto the floor these crumbles break down into smaller and smaller particles which then scatter into the air you breathe.

CAPTURE CLAY DUST WITH WATER. Use a wet sponge to clean tables, tools, wheels, and sinks. Brooms and brushes only make more dust.

SLIP

A fluid suspension of clay in water used in joining clay pieces and for surface decoration.

It has the consistency of yogurt. You can put your scrap pieces in your

slip cup.

STAGES OF CLAY Plastic

Leather-hard___________

Green ware / Bone Dry

Bisque ware

Glaze ware

PLASTIC CLAY

Clay is pliable and plastic. It is somewhat forgiving at this

stage. It is at the “workable” consistency for

slabs, coils, and throwing. Ware can be reclaimed at

this stage.

LEATHER-HARD CLAY Clay is drier than plastic/workable

clay but is somewhat stiffer. Clay has the consistency of a

chocolate bar. Pots are incised and trimmed at this

stage. Clay is still cool to touch and slightly

darker. Ware can be claimed at this stage.

GREENWARE / BONE DRY CLAY

Clay is chalky looking. It is not nearly as cool to the touch.

It is VERY FRAGILE at this stage. Ware can still be reclaimed at this

stage. Do NOT try to work clay at this stage.

BISQUEWARE

First firing of piece. After firing, the piece

will be much more brittleand whiter.

Ware can NOT be reclaimed after being bisque fired.

GLAZEWARE

After piece has been glazed, the piece will be fired a second time.

This time, the piece will obtain the qualities of the fired glaze.

Many times this is a more glassy finish, but not all the time.

Ware can NOT be reclaimed after firing.

History in your area These six jars were found with about

one hundred others in one of the rooms of the Pueblo Bonito great house. To make each pot, circular coils of clay were layered over a flat base and then given a smooth surface by hand or use of a scraper. The smoothed surface was covered with a slip (a thin mixture of clay and water) and painted with a mineral-based color. When the pot was dry, it was fired, or baked, in a kiln to harden it and set the decoration.

Anasazi Cylinder Jars, c. 1100

Anasazi Cylinder Jars, c. 1100 We do not know how these jars were used. The cylindrical

shape, which is rare in Anasazi pottery, varies slightly with each pot: some are fatter, some are taller, and some are a little tipsy. They have flat bottoms and can stand upright. Small holes or loops near the opening show they could be hung by some kind of cord, perhaps, as some archaeologists think, for use in rituals. The geometric designs, painted with black lines on a white background, give the pots their individual character. The designs are hand drawn with a relaxed asymmetry. Squares stretch over one jar in a form-fitting grid that seems to reveal every bulge of a squirming body beneath. A crooked line of triangles travels down another, and up and down on a third. The slimmest pot is made to look even thinner by vertical striping, and the two widest pots appear even broader because their designs twist from the vertical and move diagonally across them.

1 Anasazi pottery, c. 1100

what you can do with ceramic

Questions You know that it is a fine-grained

material that comes from the earth? What do you think if you see clay?

In your area ancient Native American used clay to make potteries. What is a pottery sculpture?

When a pottery became an art work special and unique?

Your TurnMake a coil vase Project: Coil Pottery

1. Can be Sculptural and/or functional2. At least ¼ of it must use coil technique.-how you incorporate this and the concept of the artwork is up to you.3. 2 sketches, ideas and any reference images you may need are Due on Friday! I will be absent on Monday March 9. next weekYou can make a animal lid or attach a separated decoration to your art piece

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