The making of southern face jugs is a ceramic tradition that has been dated back to the 1840's. Sometimes known as "ugly or grotesque jugs" face jugs were thought to have begun in Edgefield county South Carolina by African slaves who worked on the plantations as potters. 

Folklore handed down generation to generation told that slaves made ugly jugs to distinguish the different liquids inside. Jugs with faces were for the ones you couldn’t drink, like ones filled with kerosene. According to family folklore, ugly jugs were also used by slaves as grave markers, made ugly to scare the devil away. 

Review the website page of Jim McDowell. 

Read through his Bio and artist statement. 

1. Create 2 sketches of face jugs. Consider: Shape of jug and facial expression. 

2. Consider extra details and what you will place on the backside of the jug.  

3. Color your face jugs with colored pencil to determine the glaze you will use

4. Gather reference photos of expressive faces or objects to use as inspiration.  

5. Do not replicate a face jug that already exists but create your own. 

10 points 

1. Roll a slab and cut out the shape and size of your base. 

2. Roll your first coil and score and slip to the base of your jug. 

3. Continue rolling coils and attaching them to the previous coil by scoring and slipping. 

4. Blend the outside of your coils together. Support the clay with other hand as you blend. 

5. Control the size and placement of the coil to make vase wider or more narrow. 

Jug should be 12" tall! 

Sculpting the face

*Start at min 3*

1. Sketch out proportions of the face. Where are the eyes, nose, and mouth. 

2. Build up facial structure and blend. 

3. Add small pieces of clay and continue to build up features.