Effigy PotsAn effigy is an object made in the likeness of something or someone. Clay vessels serve as containers for liquids or other materials. Effigy pots also have certain symbolic purposes which were considered magical, religious or ceremonial.

Haniwa Horse Japan 200 520 AD

Mangbetu Portrait bottle 19-20 century

Mochica Sturrup Bottle Peru 500 ADMixtec Xantile Figure 1250-1500 AD

ASSIGNMENT

• Create an effigy pot. A piece of functional pottery with a human or animal design.

• This assignment should try to combine slab, pinch and coil methods.

REQUIREMENTS• The vessel must have animal or human features. If it is human do the

shoulders and up, if animal do the entire body.• Must be around 3” to 8”.• The opening of the vessel should utilize some part of the animal or human.

Handles and feet should incorporate animal parts.• Surface of the clay should have a texture to reflect the animal or human.• Must be a container that holds a cup of liquid or a small orange.• MUST SCORE AND SLIP EVERYTHING.• NO thicker than ½” to ¼”.• Cannot carve from a solid block of clay.• No hollow pieces without an air hole.• DOUBLE BAG work when storing it.• Lids must sit on a flange.• No snakes, lady bugs, turtles, cartoons, or other simplified forms. This is

meant to challenge you.• DRAWING OF THE VESSEL MUST BE APPROVED BY TEACHER

BEFORE YOU START.

Grading scale

POOR OK GOOD EXCEPTIONAL

• Cracks• Not scored and slipped• Pieces not attached well• Too thick• Carved from solid block of

clay• Lumpy• No texture • Parts not measured• Lid doesn’t fit - no phalange

POOR

Grading scale

POOR OK GOOD EXCEPTIONAL

OK

• Minor cracks• Not scored and slipped

well• Pieces not attached well• Bumps and dents in

clay-lumpy• Pieces don’t match• Lid doesn’t fit well• Attempt at texture

Grading scale

POOR OK GOOD EXCEPTIONAL

GOOD

• Pieces scored and slipped well

• Parts measured, but not exact

• Texture reflects actual animal or person

• Details added to make piece more realistic

• Sits flat• Lid fits

Grading scale

POOR OK GOOD EXCEPTIONAL

EXCEPTIONAL

• Every thing scored and slipped well

• No cracks• Surface is texture shown

throughout piece• Parts measured (ex. Legs are

all the same size)• Lid fits, phalange attached well• Pot shows pinch, slab and coil

methods• Details are added to make the

animal or human look realistic

How do you make an effigy pot?• Break it down

into basic shapes and basic techniques.

• Coil• Slab• Pinch

• For example: Two pinch pots for a body or head. Coils for legs or tails. Slabs for wings

Look for the basic shapes

• Body—pinch pots• Legs and tail—coils• Wings--slabs

Trouble shootingShrinking and warping

• Clay will shrink and warp in the firings. Will your pieces still fit and be balanced? Thinner pieces will not support the weight of heavier pieces in the firing.

• Is the position of the lid stable? Will it slide off?

Trouble shooting - Balance

• Think of how the piece will be balanced. Will the piece tip over?

• If creating an object that is standing use a base for a support structure. Otherwise it will fall over easily.

Trouble shootingDifferences in thickness-Drying and Braking

• Add smallest parts/details LAST-because they will dry the quickest. These are the defining features of the pot so we want to put them on first. Wait until the major work is done, then put them on.

Elisa Romero

Trouble shooting - Base support

• If making an animal with tiny toes or lots of legs-birds, bugs, octopus-make a slab base for the pot. Do this so the legs, toes etc. wont break.

Michael Mason

Adam Coates

Colton Tran

Valerie Longfellow

Trouble shooting pull appendages close to the body

• Setting work down on a table in the bone dry state can break off feet, tails, legs etc. if you aren’t extremely careful.

Liz Moon

Trouble shootingCombine form with function

• Try to use the parts of the animal/person as parts of the pot. Wings, tails as handles. Necks and mouths as spouts. Feet as feet.

Trouble shootingInner structural support

• If needed use an inner support structure to support the weight above it.

Sherylee Erickson

Trouble shootingGlazing

• When glazing your work. TAKE TIME. Plan it out. For color separations put a clean line in between each color (like a coloring book).

• See glazing tips in glaze area.

SAM BENTON

SERA STEVENS

KELLEN WHETSTONE

Trouble ShootingAnatomy

• Study the anatomy of the animal or human.

• Look for bones and muscles.

• Work from a photo or picture of the animal.

STUDENT WORK

Cari Bogue Adam Fager

MATT ROMNEY

IRVIN BURMUDEZ

LOGAN HUNT

TYLER BENSON

Kez Teaney

SKYLER CASTILLO

Trouble ShootingStylization

• You can stylize an animal or person. Do not mistake stylization for crappy workmanship or laziness.

• Stylization must also include an awareness of anatomy and structure.

Trouble Shooting• Give the animals

some personality, personify them.

Trouble Shooting combine forms from different animals

Riley Barker

Trouble ShootingAir holes

• All hollow pieces must have an air hole.• If this isn’t done the kiln gods will be angry and

will sacrifice the arms and legs of your pot.

Trouble shootingStoring your work

• Spray and triple bag everything when not working on it.

• Keep work on a wood bat.

• Be careful when taking work in and out of storage.

• Please do not be careless with someone else’s work.

This is technically not an effigy pot because the animal itself needs to be the pot. Not a box with an animal on top. It is a

great example of anatomy-muscle and bone structure.

ADAM COATES

STUDENT WORK

Brittany Page

AMANDA HEINZ

STUDENT WORKAmanda Prince

STUDENT WORKAshley Wade

STUDENT WORKCarlos Moreno

STUDENT WORKKAITLIN GARNER

STUDENT WORKMichaela Ferguson

STUDENT WORKTori Meng

STUDENT WORKALISON MIYA

STUDENT WORKHALEE HATHENBRUCK

STUDENT WORKJAMIE DETRO

STUDENT WORKMATT KECK

STUDENT WORK

NATHAN JARAMILLOTYSON HOLT

STUDENT WORK

MELISSA SIDDOWAY JOSH THURGOOD KALIN RACKHAM

STUDENT WORKMATT LOOCK

STUDENT WORKTANNER JOHNSON