making sculptures with legs!!!!

This week at Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School,
I got to open Art Week with a speech, and give workshops in making figurines and sculptures with legs. Here are some of the sculptures with legs in progress.
Thought it might be good to have a look at the various ways that the the legs can be supported whilst the students continue to work on them.
Sometimes we can make the whole platform and legs upside down and leave it to dry that way. At other times we need to turn it up the right way with little supports to hold the soft legs up, whilst we work on the other parts of the sculpture.
I like to use a coffee cup which might be cut and adjusted to make it narrower or smaller.
The support also needs to include some softly scrunched newspaper for a bit og give as the sculpture shrinks inwards during the drying process.
Usually I try to remove the support the next day, when the legs have become harder and can hold themselves up. That way the support won't get in the ay and cause the clay to crack as it dries.
I have really enjoyed working with the girls as they are doing some wonderful creations and challenging themselves.
Great work girls!!!!

collaborative Garden Projects

collaborative garden pd
Notes from the professional development class held  at Northcote Pottery.

projects explored include: totem poles, hanging assemblages, ceramic mural techniques (and using ceramic and mosaic together), pavers and ground murals, free standing sculptural ideas.

All projects can be made by classes of students at different age levels and information about how to alter projects to suit different group needs and how to manage projects will be discussed.

Examples of projects will be explored, as well as the technical know-how of making and installation techniques, processes and the correct materials  such as glues.

Having a go at making the things that interest you will also be an important part of the day. So you will get to make trial pieces of ceramics, to take home as an example. 

all pd's are adjusted to cater particularly for the participants needs and interests on the day.

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Garden projects for your school    Tutor: Debbie (Harman) Qadri

debbieqadri@hotmail.com

Collaborative Garden Project for your school

This workshop is designed for schools or kindergartens wanting to undertake a collaborative garden project such as a mural, mosaic, totem pole, mobiles or pavers

Over the course of the day you’ll take your idea and develop the plan and the skills to make it happen.  We will:

·         Discuss and develop ideas into a plans

·         Break the plans down into elements to make the projects simple and manageable for your class

·         Determine the materials you’ll need and cost out the project

·         Develop the skills needed for the project to be realised

·         Provide trouble shooting and advice that will make life easier

At the end of the day you’ll have a plan to follow, a basic costing and a clear idea of what needs to be done to ensure the project is realised (as well as some valuable, guided practice making).

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Hanging arrangements beads, bells and small sculptures.
A great range of ceramic things can be made to make decorative hanging sculptures for, the garden. Ceramic bells, beads, small sculptures such as faces, birds, and fish can be made to incorporate into the hangings. Other materials can also be added such as driftwood, sticks, feathers and shells.

Notes:
When you make the ceramic pieces make sure they all have clear holes made in the, with a skewer before firing.
Purchasing wire. Some wires go rusty and others don’t. Make sure children are shown how to use wire correctly and safely in small pieces so that they don’t poke someone in the eye.
Fishing line can also be used so that parts swing more freely. But fishing line deteriorates faster than wire.

Totem poles and other applications
Totem pole pieces can be made uniformly by wrapping the clay around pvc piping.
It is very important that newspaper is wrapped around the PVC piping first and that the pipe is also removed from the inside of the clay cylinder within an hour.
The clay should be overlapped at least one inch and be joined with slip and scoring.

It can be gently rolled to smooth it.

The thickness of the clay should be 8-10mm, not thinner.


Notes:
I recommend terracotta, as it is very sturdy. But I have used web for this many times.
You will use a lot of clay in the process.
White clay is more easily decorated with liquid underglazes and looks great. If you want to minimise firing, use terracotta, as it looks good once fired. You can use white and blue, brown decorating slip or oxides and slips on terracotta and it looks very good once fired.

Many people have also had excellent results painting the bisque fired clay with vipond paints.

Bisque-fired terracotta can withstand the elements looks great in the garden.

If you just bisque fire, you can concentrate on carving, scoring and marking the clay for decoration.

Installation

You need to know how you are going to install your work before you make it. Ceramics shrinks in the kiln, so if you are threading beads of totems over a pipe or metal stake, make sure you are planning the sizes correctly. You will also need to pay attention to safe installation. Totem poles are very heavy and the stake may need to be installed with a base of concrete to hold it straight.

? before you dig perhaps check for water and gas pipes?

Birdhouses
Make using PVC pipe.
Remove pipe
Add the roof which can be made by making a large circle and cutting out a wedge to make it into a cone. Overlap edges by one cm at least when joining.

Pre- bisque tile applications
buying pre-bisqued tiles and painting them with underglazes is a good way of making a large and colourful artwork with only one firing and less mess. The tiles can be attached to a backing board with silicon or tile adhesive depending on the surface that it is being glued onto.

Blueboard or cement sheet – tile adhesive or silicon

Or marine plywood for outdoors – silicon or pre-mixed flexible tile adhesive

Indoors – you can use any sturdy surface that will hold the weight of the ceramics, plywood, MDF, Masonite, particle board etc.

Notes:
Coloured underglazes should be used thinly as they will peel if applied thickly.
Underglazes can be thinned with water.
I would recommend not using oxides to decorate pre-bisque tiles, as when you apply the glaze with a brush they usually smudge. If you want to use oxides you will need to make up a powdered glaze and dip the tiles into it face down to glaze them.
Glazing needs to be done very carefully as the underglazes can get smudged if the glaze is applied too brusquely or if a second coat is applied while it is still wet. The glaze needs to be gently brushed on with one stroke and then left to dry before adding the next coat.

If the mural is being placed outside always use a weatherproof backing board such as cement sheet, blueboard or MARINE ply which has been varnished with marine varnish. Artwork can be applied directly to a brick wall with tile adhesive or silicon. Using surfaces which deteriorate will shorten the life of your artwork.

Cut clay, murals low relief sculpture.

Slabs of clay can be made into low relief sculpture murals. Rollout slabs of clay and join them to make the slab to size by overlapping the clay and joining with scoring and slip. Draw or scratch the design onto the clay and add clay to build low relief areas. Cut the clay into pieces before it dries. Separate the pieces and smooth the edges. Dry slowly and carefully.

Notes:

Keep clay one centimetre ( pinkie) thick. Dry slowly, covered with newspaper layers and a lightweight board so that it does not curl. Moving the work onto layers of newspaper can speed up the drying form underneath. Patience is a virtue in ceramics and always assists with success.

Hanging plaques

These can be made with slabs. Make sure that a hole or hanging system on the back of the plaque is made before drying. Themes: birds, faces, scenes painted on a slab.

For a once only fire, use a clay with coloured slips and oxides.

For glaze fire, use coloured underglazes.

Other projects:

·         Low relief ceramic features can be made for mosaic pavers

·         Low relief ceramic features can be made to be included in mosaic walls, pots, totem poles.

·         Low relief ceramic artworks can be silicone onto pre-existing walls or fences to create an artwork.

·         Plant holders made using slabs, to decorate a fence.

·         Face plaques

·         Birds or fish ( two pinch pot or slab method) or flat flowers made to sit on metal stakes.

·         Hanging spherical birdhouses

Decoration:

For terracotta once fire: white earthenware slip or decorating slip, alice blue underglaze, black stain, iron oxide.

For WEB ( white earthenware handbuilding) terracotta slip, brown and white, black stain, decorating slip

Twice fired – I use liquid underglazes on greenware and then clear gloss glaze for the second firing.

Examples

Bird plaque, Totem pole pipe, Hanging plaque, Tile mural, Pre-bisque tile mural.

 

textures in ceramics

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Imprinting techniques with clay

• Lino cuts

• Making your own stamps

• Using Leaves and natural resources

  leaves made from pressing real leaves into clay.

• Textiles, rubber stamps, plaster and clay casts
• Impressions on slabs and three dimensional objects (spoon, rolling pin, )
• Inlaid slip and flooding colour techniques to bring out the textures

Popular ceramic projects, using textures:

Slump moulds, tiles, cups and bowls,

resources, cool sites for other info and ideas about clay

Resources - cool sites for clay

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here is a great site that has a never-ending slide show of the work of contemporary ceramic artists from around the world.
http://accessceramics.org/

Northcote Pottery runs ceramics workshops and can also tailor workshops to suit your needs, for groups, schools etc.
Their website has a number of information sheets about products and processes - 

#1 SAFER WORK PRACTICES IN THE STUDIO	#21 LUSTRES
#2 CERAMIC TESTING & TRIALS	#22 ONGLAZES & ONGLAZE DECALS
#3 CLAY PREPARATION & RECYCLING	#23 IMPRESSING & INCISING
#4 SLIP CASTING	#24 RESIST & MASKING
#5 POWDERED STAINS	#25 DECORATING TECHNIQUES FOR POTTERY 1& 2
#6 POWDERED UNDERGLAZES	#26 PAPERCLAY
#7 COLOURED DECORATING SLIP	#27 CERAMIC PUBLIC ART PROJECT PREPARATION & EXECUTION
#8 USE OF CERAMIC OXIDES & CARBONATES	#28 PIERCING
#9 EGYPTIAN PASTE	#29 FIRING & TRANSPORTING POTTERY
#10 NERIAGE – COLOURED CLAY	#30 HANDBUILDING TECHNIQUES - PINCH
#11 EARTHENWARE GLAZING	#31 HANDBUILDING TECHNIQUES - COIL
#12 LIQUID UNDERGLAZE	#32 HANDBUILDING TECHNIQUES - SLAB
#13 CRACKING IN DRYING & FIRING POTTERY	#33 HANDBUILDING TECHNIQUES – PRESS MOULDING
#14 MENDING POTTERY	#34 HANDBUILDING TECHNIQUES – SOLID MODELLING
#15 POTTERY FAULTS & REMEDIES 1& 2	#35 CYLINDER SAFETY
#16 SCREEN PRINTING ON CLAY	#36 BISQUE FIRING PROCEDURES
#17 ELECTRIC KILN MAINTENANCE	#37 EARTHENWARE GLAZE FIRING PROCEDURES
#18 ELECTRIC KILN OPERATION	#38 GLAZE SETTLING & SUSPENSION
#19 DECORATING WITH GLAZE	#39 TISSUE TRANSFERS
#20 MAIOLICA	#40 ONCE FIRING DECORATING/FINISHING OPTIONS FOR SCHOOLS

click on the above links to get to these information sheets or on the link below to go to the actual site.
http://www.northcotepottery.com.au/tech-tipsproduct-info

8 weeks crash course for primary aged kids

 

primary school class ideas and courses

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8 weeks crash course for kids plan

I have been taking 2 classes from Croxton Special School in ceramics on an 8 week course and I thought that I would outline the course and keep it as a resource. Its a crash course in the most important skills and students should come out of it with the confidence to be able to invent and make their own ceramics and a good understanding of building techniques. Each lesson goes for an hour.

lesson 1
pinch pots
Demonstrate pinch pot.
Give students clay each. Then demonstrate as everyone makes a pinch pot together.
Demonstrate adding textures and patterns to the pinch pot using stamps, a skewer, other tools
Later demonstrate how to roll a sausage and add the sausage to make a larger pot. Show how to add clay using scoring and slip.
tips: for students who dry out their clay by handling the clay too much, have a wet sponge sitting next to them, that they can wet their fingers on. This dampness transfers gradually to the clay, keeping it soft and pliable.

lesson2
Coils in moulds
Have a variety of moulds, plates, bowls etc.
Demonstrate how to roll sausages of clay.
break off a small piece and squish it into a basic sausage shape then begin to roll it. Roll with two hands on a flat board. Put pressure where the sausage needs to be thinner. Use sausages to line the mould. YOu can make patterns or a design with the sausages. Join sausages with your finger by scraping the clay across. Then use a kidney tool to make the surface smooth. Kidney tools can be made by cutting up icecream lids into shapes. ( good for people who lose their tools)

lesson3
Underglazing and glazing

lesson4
Faces - wall hanging
Demonstrate how to roll the clay out. When rolling clay, roll on a wooden board. Stand up so that you can more easily transfer your weight and strength towards rolling the clay. move the clay after each rolling, to make sure it doesn't stick tot he board. Only roll the clay a little less than a centimetre thick. I always tell students that it shouldn't be thinner than your pinky. ( The little finger on your hand, not your fat foot pinky).
Demonstrate how to join pices of clay using scoring and slip.
Add features to the face, such as eyes, nose etc.
Lift the face to make it 3D by stuffing some crumpled up newspaper underneath the slab of clay.
Add more features and holes for hanging.
Can be decorated with underglazes.

lesson5
Two pinch pots joined together to make a creature.

lesson6
more underglazing and glazing

lesson7
Making decisions about what to make.
Introduce students to the idea of thinking about what they want to make and working out how to do it.
Remind them of the things they have made and the techniques used to make them.
Remind them of how to join things using scoring and slip - demonstrate this again.
Discuss ideas of what students would like to make and how they could go about it.
students have a go.

lesson8
Finish off pieces - underglazing and glazing.


Options for ceramics classes 



fish bowls with textures and coloured underglazes





I have made lots of leaves with kinder kids. Below is an example of one. It has just been made and is decorated with underglaze colours. Then it is bisque fired and glazed and fired again ( earthenware) to bring out the colours.

before painting it the children could make it bowl shaped by resting it in a support. ( a takeaway container and cloth)

1. 1. You could paint with coloured underglazes ( two firings and glaze needing to be painted on after the first firing, by northcote pottery employees.
2. 2. Use clay only and concentrate on working on the textures of the leaf. Debbie to add oxide wash when the clay is a little dry. This can be fired once only. It would be a bisque-ware finish. I would recommend making it out of terracotta and using a black oxide or a white clay with brown iron oxide ( see photo below)
3. 3. Make it out of clay only. After firing once, the children can paint their colours on with acrylic paint. This can be gloss spray varnished also ( by the kinder teachers, applied outdoors).

Above: example of leaf with oxide added and fired once.
Above photo from internet

Make Faces – with holes for hanging them

1. 1. The faces could be either underglazed with bright colours and then glazed. ‘
2. 2. Or you could use coloured slips which gives different earth tones and bisque fire only ( matt finish)

1. 3. Or the ceramics could be made with clay only concentrating on the texture and bisque fired, then the work could be painted with acrylic colours.

above: example of underglazes to decorate and a glaze firing
above photo from internet


above: example of clay face painted later with acrylic paint.
Above photo from internet



above: a slab of clay, two holes for hanging. Child has traced their hand onto the clay and added texture around it.
Above Photo from internet


another example of bisque fired work with oxides for decoration.
Terracotta clay with a black iron oxide.
Photo taken from internet.

Below: children holding up their artwork which is white clay with coloured underglaze decoration. This work has then been glazed and fired a second time.


above photo taken from the internet.


above: some hands that I did with Lincolnville kindergarten.
(everything shrinks when drying and in the kiln so the hands will become smaller)

 

pre-school claywork

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Pre-School clay in the classroom



Basic theoretical information about clay, ceramic materials and the firing process:
In schools usually earthenware clay is used because it can be fired at a lower temperature. Earthenware clay comes in two main colours, white and terracotta. I think its good to use pre-school kids. They can mix and combine both clays in their constructions.



Its useful to let children know that clay is used to make cups, crockery, toilet bowls and many other things. Clay is just special mud, mud that has the ingredients in it that make it hold together well. If you dig about 30cm deep into the ground in Melbourne, chances are that you will find some. When we heat clay in a big oven called a kiln, it turns into a rock. It’s a bit like throwing your pot into a volcano. The kiln fires five times hotter than an oven.
How to manage clay storage and re-use
Always open your clay bag carefully by peeling off the tape. This bag is your best friend for storing clay.
After use, I get the children to thump the clay on their boards into cubes, 10x10cm square. The thumping process is very enjoyable for them, and it also pushes out the air bubbles. Then the clay is put into its original bag with a damp cloth and the edge folded over and stored out of sunlight. The damp cloth allows the damp to spread evenly through the clay. Two days later the clay is usually ready for re-use. Terracotta takes a little longer to re-dampen. Do not squash a thumbhole into the clay, as this adds to the chances of getting air bubbles in the children’s work.
If you store your clay this way there is no need for kneading the clay, just pull out the cubes, pass one to each child and play again.
Firing the work and alternatives to traditional ceramic finishing methods
Clay is usually fired twice; the first firing is called Bisque - 1000 C degrees
The second firing is called the glaze firing and in earthenware it goes to a temperature of 1060 – 1080C.
Most work that blows up in the kiln is due to not being dried enough. Clay work needs to be dried thoroughly before firing.
If you don’t have access to a kiln, it is easier to fire the work once, to bisque temperature. This gives you a biscuit finish like a terracotta pot. Children can decorate terracotta at its raw stage with white slip or blue underglaze and it will look quite good with only a biscuit fire. Otherwise many teachers biscuit fire the work and then let the children paint it with acrylic or tempera paint. The work can also be sprayed with a clear gloss spray paint (outside, and wearing a face mask) to give it a glossy finish.
Managing the activity in the classroom and cleaning up
When I run workshops I usually cover the table with newspaper, as it absorbs spills and can be easily be disposed of by folding inwards and placing in the bin. Children are given boards (about 20x20 cm) to work on which are porous, so that the clay does not stick to them. ( Masonite, plywood, plaster board, particle board, mdf) Board is very cheap at the hardware store and can be very easily sawn.
A variety of tools can be used, ones specially made for ceramics, mixed with things such as forks, blunt knives, garlic crushers, rolling pins, gum nuts and seed pods, icy pole sticks and textures.
Slip is also good for joining things with, and also painting onto clay.
Health and Safety:
Clay dust is not good for your respiratory system. It is not good to eat either, as it may some bacteria in it.
Activity 1: Slab-built bowl with leaf textures
How to make the slab bowl, imprinting textures. What to use for a mould. Decoration with oxides
You will need:
Plastic bowls, cloths, leaves, textured material, rolling pins, oxides, soft paintbrushes. Water jars.
Roll out the clay about 1 cm thick (as thick as your pinkie)
Roll on textures
Place cloth over bowl, place clay slab over top of cloth and arrange into bowl.
Activity 2: rolling coils – coil made tree
Coils can be called sausages. Coils should be rolled with two hands and fingers splayed out to support the coil as you roll it. Coils can be joined together without slip if the clay is soft and the clay is blended over the join, otherwise, slip needs to be used.
Using slips and oxides to decorate.
Building with coils – bowls and houses.
Activity 3: dioramas. Installation activities
This session will explore ideas for group dioramas or installations where all the children will make a part of a larger artwork.
Activity 4: Low relief sculpture tiles or hanging plaques.
Methods of joining clay and building pictures on slabs.
Slabs should always be rolled out about 1cm thick and no thinner, so that they are strong. When demonstrating rolling a slab, it is very important to lift the slab after each attempt at rolling. Roll and lift, roll and lift. As when the slab is rolled it often sticks to the board, if children do not lift the slab, they will make rolling more difficult as they will only be dragging the top layer of clay across the board.
Change directions when rolling to get a more even slab.
They should be dried slowly, on their boards piled up about 4 high with a board on top of the top one.. A double sheet of newspaper on top of each work will protect it and aid with the drying.
Activity 5: Stamps and stamping,
making wind chimes. – Wind chimes, are a great activity. The children can try to make beads and bells and put a hole in them so that they can hang them. They can be decorated with white slip and alice blue underglaze, then they only need to be bisque fired. Or you can bisque fire them and then paint them.
Children also enjoy rolling out clay and cutting it with cookie cutters. They can use a knitting needle ( safer than skewers) to pierce a hole in the shape.
Other materials can be used in the wind-chime construction process, such as driftwood, raffia, buttons and shells.
Activity 6: Pinch pots
Decoration with decorating slip and blue underglazes – a useful combination that will give a good result for one firing.
How to make a pinch pot: make a ball of clay by cupping your clay from one hand to the other. Alternatively you may squeeze it into a ball shape or roll it.
Put your thumb in the middle like little Jack Horner did. Ideally the hole has to go in leaving a centimetre at the bottom. Begin to pinch the wall and turn the pot. Pinch and turn is an important refrain for making the children understand that it is a slow process of pinching and turning the pot until it becomes bigger and thinner.
For more information about clay products and processes please see the information sheets at Northcote pottery’s website. Just google Northcote pottery, open the website and on the left hand side choose the page - Tech tips/product info.
For information, tips and links to sites about using clay in the classroom, Debbie’s wikispace might be useful :http://ceramicsclass.wikispaces.com/