Ceramics: Slab Pots

Six square clay pieces were cut, the harp sliced the clay into equal thickness then the tile cutter cut out the square shape. You do not have to stick with a square shape it’s just as easy to do a rectangle box instead. We just had to prove that we could do a box slab first and that it held together and after that we were free to do any shape if we desired to do so.


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Everywhere that needed to be joined together were scored with cross hatches and paper slip was added to both parts that needed joining. Both joined pieces were squeezed together which caused the slip to ooze, the sides of the boxes required a 45 degree mitre which held the join better than if the two joins were placed flat side by side. The join was then worked on with the fingers or a tool until the join couldn’t be seen.

All of the joins required scoring in a cross hatch style before paper slip was added to produce a stronger bond.

Legs were attached to the base of the pot also two extra pieces were attached to the lid so the lid didn’t just slide off.

The side not seen is a blank side with no markings yet whether I continue to work on the slab pot remains to be seen.

The lid and design is supposed to be about trees and vein branches, it isn’t finished I need to build inside the pot still.

Ceramics: Colouring Pots (Glazing Technique)

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Glazes on Ceramics: I choose an image I had drawn previously from my journal and photo copied it.

 

The back of the paper was painted in a black glaze and left to dry (bone dry), it was then used like graphite paper to transfer the image to clay.

 

 

 

This is the completed piece before firing; the slab of clay was used with glazes the same way paint is used on a canvas.

 

 

 

After the slab was fired the colours didn’t come out as saturated as I expected the white also seemed transparent.

Ceramics: Coil Pots

First of all I made a base for the pot there are a few different ways of making them. You can either roll the clay out flat on the press or just cut the slab with the harp to the correct thickness. The way I did it was to coil the clay into a spiral and just smoothed the clay out, the shape of the base can be cut with anything I think I used the open end of a pot noodle tub as a shape cutter.


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Once the base is built you need to add the coils again there are a couple of ways of doing this, you could use the Clay Extruder machine to make the coils. However I choose just to roll the clay out trying to keep it at a similar thickness. Slip is used in between the coils to hold the clay together, you can score the clay if desired with a fork to help it to bond together stronger. Slip is just the type of clay you are using added with water to make a thin paste which acts like glue. Once a few of the coils are on top of each other you need to smooth it down either using your finger or a tool like a kidney rib, once it is done the pot can be reshaped to the form you require by using cutters, ribs, fingers or anything you can get hold off.

 

The completed pot made using the Coiling method before it has been fired in the kiln.

 

The pot has been in the kiln and fired at 1000° but still remain porous, it requires a coating of glaze.



Ceramics: Pinch Pots

We were started off with the most easiest method of ceramics which is Pinch Pots, I haven't done anything like this since primary school and to be honest I don't really want to do it now. We were showed the different types of clay given a demonstration and had a quick talk about health and safety, unfortunately this lesson is sequenced for 10 weeks god knows why its so long.


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These are my sad attempt of the pinch pots, the top image was taken before the pots had been in the kiln and the bottom photograph is after they had been fired.

3D Art: Carving from a block of Clay.

This is my first ever reduction carving carved from a block of cheese hard clay, this piece was influence by Henry Moore. I found the clay dried out quite quickly when working on, it was easier to work with at first but got harder as time went by. The last couple of images shows the piece after its been in the kiln its turned to a white colour rather than a stoned colour which I prefer.


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