Decorating with Slip

Slip is a versatile and wonderful part of ceramics. A slip is a suspension in water of clay and/or other materials used in the production of ceramic ware. We made slip for attaching clay parts to each other aka slipping and scoring in class last week. This slip is not used for decorating. Decorating with slip that has colorants and/or other materials to make it flow and form to your pieces is a great way to paint your surface and get color and drawings on you forms. It can be used to create contrasting imagery or designs on your surface.

Here is a video from ceramic arts daily.
Remember a variety of brushes will give you more line variation. Best when applied to leatherhard ware. Building layers of color and scraping back or etching through drawings works well too! Stamps and stencils can give you more ideas to work with as well.

Here are some examples on Pinterest. More info during my demo in class.

Historic cup... our ancestors had a sense of humor

A Pythagorean cup (also known as a Pythagoras cup, a Greedy Cup or a Tantalus cup) is a form of drinking cup that forces its user to imbibe only in moderation. Credited to Pythagoras of Samos, it allows the user to fill the cup with wine up to a certain level. If they fill the cup only to that level, the imbiber may enjoy a drink in peace. If they exhibit gluttony, however, the cup spills its entire contents out of the bottom (onto the lap of the immodest drinker).

CFile

Great website for contemporary clay and class research. I'll put a link in the sidebar too!

CFile

personal pinch cup inspiration

Remember no handles, but you can paddle, carve or model small decorative attachments. Cups should start with a ball the size of an orange at least and need to be functional. Have fun pushing texture, form and your individuality. Make sure they hold at least a glass of water... no espresso mini shots please (unless you make 16, one for each of us!).

stamps: Kristen Kieffer

carving: Matthew Metz

paddled: Brian Jones

Shoko Teruyama

Beginning Pinch Advice and Inspiration.

When attaching pinch forms together you have to score with your fork and slip and score some more then press together firmly. Once attached roll a small coil of clay to fill in gap between sides then smooth out with your metal rib tool. Remember closed forms must have a hole to let the air out!

For class Tuesday Sept 2nd:

- Look up a minimum of 5 cups on The Rosenfeild Collection site. Print out and put into sketchbook. Write who the artist is and why you choose that pot. http://rosenfieldcollection.com/?cat=16

-Finished 6" pinch cup form. No handles but have fun making it creative and yours. Attach all added parts the same way you did the 2 half moon- slip and score all attachments.

For your Pinch cups have fun with modeling on designs, carving and making an interesting and stable drinking vessel. Think about the foot and lip of the cup. Also how you will hold your cup? But no handles, this is not a mug, focus on the cup as a form and the surface. Make it at least 6" as clay the clay shrinks when it comes out of the kiln. Can't wait to see what you do! Keep cup and sphere covered in plastic. Do not let it dry out completely. Leatherhard is what we want.

Dierdre Daw

Todd Hayes

For the next class you must have...

This is what you need.  You will be expected to buy supplies  to start the semester by Thursday. Clay must be purchased at Trinity Ceramic SUPPLY. You will need to buy more depending on your use, as needed, most likely around midterm. Tools can be bought there as well as at Michael's, Asel or most art supply stores.

·       50lbs Trinity White Stoneware and 25lbs lowfire terracotta longhorn red
(more will be required as semester progresses)

·       A sketchbook—hardbound 8-½ x10 and pencil

·       Large yellow utility sponge for cleaning 

·       Ceramic tool kit:

      A small sponge, to use on your work, Fettling knife, Metal rib, Pin tool, Trimming tools, cut-off wire

·       Variety of large and small brushes including: wide bamboo brush, small sable brush

·       A plastic water mister

·       Pencil

·       Plastic bucket for water and to keep tools

·       Clothes to get dirty in, and/or an apron

·       Lightweight plastic from a dry-cleaner, or a very thin plastic drop cloth

·       Metal Fork

·       An old towel

·       2 or more small lidded containers- about yogurt or butter size for slip/slurry
A lock for your locker

Welcome!

Eastfield  students welcome to Handbuilding Ceramics Fall 2014!
Missing class and not looking at this blog is one way to fall behind so bookmark and check in often for inspiration, assignments info, calendar updates, important news, technical info and artist research.

I hope your ready to learn a few new things and challenge your ideas and expectations about contemporary clay in the world. That said, let's begin:

Lesson 1: Ming Dynasty Fu Dog 1968 AD = Traditional, historic and gorgeous glazed terracotta
or fabulous contemporary functional ware like Margaret Bohls

 Lesson 2: Kristen Morgin= unfired life-like sculpture 

or  Jeanne Quinn's sculptural installations = Unexpected, informative and sometimes even unfired!

Lesson 3: Ai WeiWei's installation of millions of ceramic sunflower seeds = Clay can reference the past and have a contemporary language full of consequence and power.

  "It is a work of great simplicity and complexity. Sunflower Seeds refers to everyday life, to hunger (the seeds were a reliable staple during the Cultural Revolution), to collective work, and to an enduring Chinese industry."-   Adrian Searle's  review for the Guardian

Lesson 4: Form follows Function. Beauty must not overshadow functionality...

Lauren Meaden