Ceramics Unit

Caricatures In Clay

Assignment

Your assignment is to make a ceramic mug that incorporates a face and/or a character.

Requirements:

You will need to create a pinched and coiled mug form

You will need to apply an expressive face using additive and subtractive sculpture
You will need to consider the foot, lip, and handle
You will need to glaze the mug to apply color

In Class Practice

Clay Drying Experiment - 10 points

Learning Objectives:

Students will understand the stages of clay
Students will understand how to control clay dryness
Students will use the scientific method

Directions:

Use the following handout to learn and experiment with the stages of clay. Follow the scientific method to observe, question, hypothesize, experiment, and conclude your results.
Make 4 pieces of clay that you cover using different methods.
Hypothesise what your results will be
Conclude which methods are the best in controlling the dryness of your clay.

Clay stages experiment document:

Clay Stages Experiment

Step 1: Observe the Stages of Clay

Ways to Store Clay

Clay left uncovered:

Clay covered in wet paper towel:

Clay put into a tupperware:

Clay covered in plastic

Clay covered in wet paper towel and plastic:

Step 2: Hypothesize they best way to store the clay for your needs?

Step 3: Make Clay Samples for the Experiment

Directions:

Roll or press a small piece of clay into a flat slab
Cut into 4 even pieces of clay (mini tiles)
Number each tile from 1-4
Put your initials on the back
Label the paper towel with the four different ways to store the clay
Put your sample numbers into the experiment handout

Preparing Clay Drying Experiment.mp4

Step 4: Conclude Your Results

The Basics of Working with Clay

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to make a pinch pot
Students will be able to roil a coil
Students will understand how to recycle clay
Students will understand how to wedge clay

Directions:

Make a pinch pot
Roll a coil
Water and wedge to recycle the clay

Making a Pinch Pot

PinchPot.wmv

Rolling a coil:

How to Recycle Clay

Water +Wedging Clay

When the clay is getting too dry for your liking, but still contains moisture, you can reintroduce water to the piece through water and wedging.

It Is recommended to fo this before working with any piece of recycled clay
It Is recommended to water and wedge all scraps at the end of a workday before returning It to the bag.

Why WEDGE?

You can mix clay until Its even
You can add more water to the piece
You can dry out the piece
You remove air bubbles!!! This Is very Important.

Making Slip

Once clay Is bone dry, adding water to a piece will turn the clay Into slip. Slip Is very watered down clay and It Is an essential material for attaching two pieces of clay together.

Any dry pieces of clay can be used for slip:

Break dry clay up into small pieces into some plastic covered container:

Add water :

Allow clay to break down:

Mix clay into slip and store covered

Summative Assessment

Assignment: You will create a mug that contains a sculpted character IN THE ROUND

Planning & Design

Part 1: Caricature Design (Plan Your Character)

Learning Objectives:

Students will understand the proportions of the human face
Students will create a caricature design based on aspects of a character's personality

Directions:

Using the brainstorming sheet provided, develop your character and create a caricature drawing

Brainstorming for Caricature Mugs

Realistic proportions of the human face:

Directions:

Describe your character: are they someone you know from real life, a celebrity, a mixture, or completely made up?
Describe what the inspiration is behind your character and/ or the personality you want to portray in your ceramic mug. Explain in detail and use full sentences.
Draw out the facial features you want to include. You must have a minimum of 3 features- either 3 different ones, or repeated shapes. These must be complex forms, though they may be exaggerated (caricature).

Your character must include:

At least one facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, ears and/or hair)

If you choose only one facial feature, it must be repeated a minimum of 3 times.

You can choose to make it realistic, surreal, or a caricature.

You can NOT choose a cartoon character.

You CAN create your own character by mixing pieces from real people or other characters.

Facial features must be somewhat complex.

Exaggerated proportions of the human face:

Photo vs. Drawing vs. Caricature

Examples of styles:

Realistic vs. Surrealistic vs. Caricature

Part 2: Plan Your Mug Form

Learning Objectives:

Students will understand form and function
Students will be able to identify a foot and a handle

Directions:

Continue with the brainstorming worksheet
Create 3 different designs for the FORM of your mug.
Mug must include a foot, and a handle.
Consider what forms might go nicely with the personality of your character.

Form & function

Focus on design over function:

Function considered in the design:

Foot & Handle

Foot forms:

Handle forms:

Part 3: Combine Your Character Design with the Mug Form

Learning Objectives:

Students will understand how to draw sculpture in the round
Students will combine their charaters and forms

Directions:

Finish the brainstorming worksheet
Combine your favorite mug FORM design with your favorite character sketch. Consider where you will place the features of your character. Draw your mug from 4 different angles: the front, side, back, and top.

Requirements check:

Do you have the following in your designs?

At least one facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, ears and/or hair)

If you choose only one facial feature, it must be repeated a minimum of 3 times.

You can choose to make it realistic, surreal, or a caricature.

You can NOT choose a cartoon character.

You CAN create your own character by mixing pieces from real people or other characters.

Facial features must be somewhat complex.

You need to have a FOOT and a HANDLE

Drawing a Sculpture in the Round

In the round- Designed to be seen from all sides.

Draw your sculptue design from the front, back, side, and from above.

Process

Creating the Mug Form & Coiling for Height

Learning Objectives:

Students will use the techniques of pinch pots and coiling to form the body of their mug
Students will utilize scoring and slipping to attach pieces of clay together
Students will be able to blend clay

Directions:

Make a pinch pot- consider the shape of your mug. how big does the bottom need to be?
Form the pinch pot base and smooth it out- make sure the lip is even
Coil for height on your mug
Bend the coils and form the mug with a paddle

Mug Base & Coiling for Height.mp4

Don't forget to score and slip whenever attaching two pieces of clay!

Adding Facial Features

Learning objectives:

Students will be able to form eyes, ears, a nose, and a mouth out of clay
Students will understand additive vs. subtractive sculpture

Directions:

Add your facial feature designs to your mug
Make sure you are careful to take care of the shape of your mug
Blend and smooth
Add texture

Constructing an eye:

use your thumb to press into the clay to make concave indents for the eyes
Create 2 coils
Score and slip the coils on the top of the impressions for the eyelids
Create 2 small balls and flatten slightly with your thumb- slip and score those into the impressions
Add details with the needle tool

Constructing a nose:

cut out a triangle that matches your nose shape drawn on your vessel
Create 1 coil and slip and score onto the center of the triangle
Create 3 balls and slip and score that onto the end of the triangle
use the sgraffito part of the needle tool to blend with slip to smooth it out

Constructing a mouth:

cut out a half circle
Make two coils and score onto top and bottom, following the curve of the half circle
Take your handle of the needle tool to create an imprint
smooth out with sgraffito tool