Intermediate Ceramics
Ceramics 201
Course Overview
This is an intermediate ceramics-pottery class for students who are interested in advancing their knowledge, skills, and confidence in clay. Students will expand on fundamental aspects of sculptural and functional pottery and develop their abilities to a higher level through guided instruction and projects. The course is a month long and students are expected to attend all classes and practice skills reviewed in class 1-2 times a week outside of class.
In order to support more advanced skill development, this course is NOT intended for beginners. This class primarily focuses on wheel throwing techniques with some handbuilding. Students are encouraged to review the prerequisites for what skills and knowledge are expected and ask a shop lead if they have any questions if this course might be appropriate.
Syllabus
Day 1 - Throw mugs, work with more clay. Focus on scaling up work.
Day 2 - Make and attach handles. Throw a 3 pound bowl.
Day 3 - Trim Bowl. Focus on pitchers. Throw 3 pound cylinder.
Day 4 - Glazing. Focus on different application methods to enhance your work.
Day 5 - Critique
Learning Objectives
By the end of this class you WILL ...
Develop an understanding of the properties and characteristics of different clays
Solve common problems related to working with taller and larger forms
Integrate wheel throwing and hand building to make more advanced pieces
Understand techniques for improving the quality and consistency of glazes
Understand how to apply glazes and how to apply glaze effects such as layering and brushing.
Develop your understanding of the firing process and the impact it has on ceramics.
Summarize and apply aesthetics design principles to make pieces with visual balance and weight (texture, shape, form, contrast, variety, etc.)
Apply intermediate techniques to trim, finish, and decorate ceramics using a variety of tools and techniques for more consistent and desired outcomes.
Develop the ability to critique and evaluate one's own work and the work of others.
Explore and apply inspiration for new pieces
Helpful Videos for Getting Started
Centering
Centering and throwing
Pulling up the wall
Putting it together to make a utensil holder
(This is 3 pounds of clay)
Common Challenges
Wobbling
Possibly the most common problem. Not an easy solution here other than practice! Possibly try less clay and scale up in smaller incraments.
Collapsing
Often caused by too much water on the piece and working it for too long. The clay is always absorbing water so you can try using a heat gun, blow torch, or propane torch to remove some water and help strengthen the piece. This is common practice when working large.
Uneven Rim
Simply use the needle tool to cut off the uneven rim.
Detached Clay when Making a Pull
Simply let it come off. We want to avoid this. It's caused by improper hand placement and too much slip on the surface of the piece. Often when working larger, we do not adust our hand positions from small work so the clay has nowhere to go and comes off. Place your inside hand above your outside hand a little more.
Day 1 - Throw mugs, work with more clay. Focus on scaling up work
Homework to be completed before Day 2:
Try working with 3 lb - make a bowl
Put dried greenware on shelf to be bisque fired in time for next class
Find a ceramics artist you enjoy. Bring pictures / social media account to share.
Mugs
Mugs are an important item for most potters. Almost everyone uses a mug from time to time. There are infinte mug designs so its important to identify the qualities of mugs that you like to use. The addition of a handle can pose a functional and aestecic challenge. it brings together a wheel thrown piece and either a pulled, extruded, or handbuilt handle. There are many handle designs; from a one finger mug to a big handle that you can get your whole hand through. It is simply a matter of preference.
Attaching handles is all about good timing. You want your piece to be leather hard. Not too malluable and not too dry. Bad timing can lead to cracks. There are several methods for pulling handles that we will cover.
Day 2 - Make and attach handles. Throw a 3 pound bowl.
Homework to be completed before Day 3:
Identify a piece you like - explore why - visual/balance/design/fxn
Try to guess how it was made
Work with 3lb - try to go taller (vase / cylinder)
Put dried greenware on shelf to be bisque fired in time for next class
Bowls
A three pound bowl makes for a great serving bowl. Bowls tend to be easier to throw because they are not as tall as a vase, but there are other considerations. The inside shape of the bowl is the most important while throwing. You can always trim the outside shape but the inside will be finished when you finsish throwing. You want a nice smooth transistion from the base of the bowl all the way to the rim. Using a double rib technique can help here.
Day 3 - Trim Bowl. Focus on pitchers.
Homework to be completed before Day 4:
Identify two pieces: wheel and hand-built
Explore interesting glazes
Make and attach handle for your pitcher
Create 3 test tiles of glazes to be fired
Make sure everything is bisque fired and ready for glaze
Working with Larger Forms
Working with more clay is challenging. Taller forms especially. It's important to remember that scaling up takes time and a lot of practice. Yet its also fun to challenge your abilities and see how big of a pot you can make. A good indication that your using all the clay is: on a 3 pound cylinder is 10-12 inches tall when 4 '' wide. Cutting your work in half is essential when learning. The side profile gives you valuable feeback. You can see if ther is any extra clay that you did not pull, usually toward the bottom, when you cut it in half. Don't be attached to each piece and focus on developing the skills to make a good pot every time. It won't happen overnight.
Day 4 - Glazing. Focus on different application methods to enhance your work.
Homework to be completed before Day 5:
What makes a good pot?
Bring food for potluck critique
Make sure your glazed stuff gets fired and ready
Play with clay
Glazing
Glazing can be the trickist park for many potters. It's very easy to ruin a good piece with a bad glaze or glaze defects. Application thickness is the most important. As a rule of thumb we generally say apply 3 coats when brushing on glaze. The problem is every glaze is different. Some glazes need to be on thick to get the desired effect and some will run like crazy and ruin your piece if it hits the kiln shelf. The only way to truly know is trial and error. This can make glazing overwhelming and time consuming, often ruining good pieces along the way. Making test tiles is a good way to see what the glaze or glaze combo will do before you put it on a piece that you care about.
Day 5 - Critique
Enjoy your hardwork with a final potluck! (this is the fun part)