Unit 3 Projects:
Slab Slump Mold/Sgraffito
Plan:
- Draw the pumpkin out on paper
- Wedge clay
- Roll out clay in the slab roller
- Drape clay over a pie plate
- Gently press the clay into the mold and smooth out the creases
- Underglaze the bottom of the pie plate
- After waiting for the clay to be leather-hard, carefully peel the clay out of the mold
- Carve initials in the bottom of the plate
- Take a carving tool and carefully carve the pumpkin into the middle of the pie plate
- Fire!
- Glaze the whole piece with clear glaze
- Fire again!
Overall I really liked how my piece came out. The pumpkin looks really cool and it's perfect for fall. However, something that could have gone better was shaping the edges of the pie plate. When I removed the clay from the mold the edges got a bit crumpled, taking away from the overall effect of the piece. Due to the crumpled edges, the pie plate looks a little unfinished and I had to sand them down. The orange underglaze is very vibrant and makes the pie plate stand out. If I were to do this project again I would be more careful when removing the clay from the mold and I would do multiple layers of underglaze to add leaves and create more depth. I am very happy with my piece overall and excited to use it for thanksgiving this year!
Coil Vase
Plan:
- Wedge clay
- Take a piece of clay and roll it into a coil, repeat until all coils are made
- Start with a larger coil to form the base of the pot and then work your way up
- As coils are added to the pot smooth the inside so there are no gaps or holes
- Once the pot is finished make sure the inside is smooth and my initials are carved into it
- Fire!
- Glaze with blue glaze
- Fire again
Overall I was not very enamored with my coil pot because it looks lopsided and the color is off. If I were to do this project again I would take more care in creating the coils because they kept cracking. I would be more careful when placing the coils on the base because the pot started to expand at the top, making it lopsided. I would also add more layers of glaze in order to make sure that the glaze is not patchy. Making the coils was fun but I need more practice with them to perfect my technique. Overall this project was relatively difficult and I would like to try again at some point because the end result could be really cool.
Slab Structure With Darts
Plan:
- Wedge clay
- Using a slab roller, roll out the clay
- Smooth out any lumps or cracks in the clay with a rib
- Using a ruler, mark the line where the darts will go
- Cut the edges of the slab with a bevel tool to make the seam even
- Score and slip the seam together and make sure it is sealed
- Cut four darts in the clay and bevel the sides of the darts as well
- Score and slip the darts together, make sure the seams are sealed
- Cut a bottom for the cup and score and slip the two together
- Smooth out the cup and make sure all the seams are completely sealed
- Once smoothed, paint the pattern with underglaze on the four sides of the cup
- Fire
- After the first fire glaze with both clear glaze for the parts that were underglaze and white glaze for the remainder of the piece
- Fire again!
For the slab structure with darts, I made three of the same pieces. The first one I made was extremely lopsided due to my darts being uneven. I tried again the next two times, with more success to make the piece less lopsided. My second two pieces were much more even because I measured the darts more accurately to make sure they were all the same.
Choice Project
Plan:
- Wedge clay
- Using the slab roller roll out a slab
- Smooth out the slab
- Cut the slab into a rectangle
- Carefully push the edges up to form a dish
- Smooth any cracks
- Carve name in the back of the piece
- Gather underglaze in a variety of pinks and oranges
- Create the sunset effect by mixing the underglaze in an ombre pattern
- Start with the yellow sun and continue applying the underglaze from there, working up the piece
- Fire
- Glaze the whole piece with clear underglaze
- Fire again!
Overall I love how the piece came out. The sunset effect looks really cool and I am really pleased. Something that could have gone better was creating the dish. Making the edges come up all at the same angle was difficult but they all turned out in the end. If I were to do this piece again I would make the edges more even to make the piece cleaner overall. However, I think this piece turned out incredible and is one of my favorites that I have made. I am very excited to use it and maybe give it to my mom as a gift.
Relief Tile Revisited
Plan:
- Wedge clay
- Using a slab roller, roll the clay flat
- Smooth out the clay
- Measure and cut a square tile
- Using a small loop tool carve out a square within the square to make a border
- Carefully carve the outline of the chicken and the moon into the inner square
- Mix together teal and black underglaze to create a darker color, and fill in the sky and outer edge of the tile
- Using white underglaze, fill in the chicken, using red underglaze fill in the comb of the chicken
- Using yellow underglaze fill in the moon and beak of the chicken
- Carve initials into the back
- Fire!
- Clear glaze the piece
- Fire again!
Overall I am much happier with my relief tile the second time around. The first time I just carved some squiggles but this time I put more effort in and made a cute tile. Something that could have gone better was the cleanliness of the lines. They are a little wobbly in some places and the piece as a whole is slightly lopsided but that is an easy fix. I am really proud of the image I created and may use it as a birthday present to my sister in a few weeks. If I were to do this project again I would add even more detail in the form of some stars in the sky above the chicken and make sure that all the sides were even and smooth. Overall I really like how this turned out and cannot wait to gift it to my sister!