Units 5 6 | Ceramics 2

Units 5 & 6

Wheel Progress

Plan:

For each of my projects on the wheel, my main goal is to center my piece as best I can to build muscle memory. The shape I make for my pieces really just depends on how I feel that day, but I am really trying to make the walls on my pieces even and thin without warping the pieces.

Outcome:

So far, I've made two bowls and two cups this semester. I centered them okay, but it could've been better. The walls are an okay thickness, but in some spots, they aren't even.

Critique:

Next time, I need to have more patience in my pieces; I would center too quickly and pull too hard, resulting in uneven walls. Overall, I am happy with how my pieces have been turning out, but I need to focus on consistency with centering and pulling.

Progress:

Trimming and Handles

Trimming

Plan:

For my feet, I want to focus on style and creativity. I know some of my pieces are off center, so I'm going to work around that the best I can.

Outcome:

I'm very happy with my pieces so far. For my mug, I made the foot the same level as the rest of the mug, but raised the bottom, so the foot is inconspicuous. For the rest of my pieces, I made pretty common feet and they turned out okay.

Critique:

I like how everything turned out, but I need to practice better patience because sometimes I would press too hard to speed up and make the foot too thin.

Glazing

Plan:

I love working with midfire glazes, so I am planning on using one color midfire glazes on each of the pieces.

Outcome:

I am in LOVE with how the glazes came out, but I wish I did more layers of glaze on my mug.

Progress:

Strainer

Reference:

Progress:

Plan:

I want to make a strainer to wash fruit. I plan to slab roll clay to make the base shape, and have holes in the top in another slab rolled portion. For my glaze, I want something similar to the reference picture, a nice ocean color.

Outcome:

I slab rolled a thick piece e of clay and scored and slipped it together to make a cylinder. I cut out a circle for the bottom and the same for the top. I cut holes in the top for the strainer part. I rolled out a handle and attached it to the side. I fired it in the kiln and once it came out, I glazed it with a midfire glaze (sapphire). It came out of the midfire kiln after.

Critique:

I absolutely love the color. What I don't like is that the handle is too thin and the lid should've been smaller.

Wall Hanging

Plan:

This piece is for my boyfriend to hang his gaming headphones on. I am going to slab roll the clay and attach a hook. I want it to be a theme of one of his favorite artists.

Outcome: I slab rolled clay and attached more for it to be layered and I attached a hook by scoring and slipping. I couldn't figure out what artist to do, so I tried out the cool crystal exploding glaze on his piece. It came out good, but the glaze looks like puke.

Critique:

Next time, I should've made the hook rougher than smooth because I've been told it looks like a tongue. I also would make the glaze a solid color.

Progress:

Jewelry Wall Hangings

Reference:

Progress:

Plan:

I want to make a jewelry holder with earring holes, necklace hooks, and bowls for rings. The theme will be cute flowers, and one will be the ocean. I will do this be slab rolling clay, scoring and slipping the hooks and the bowls.

Outcome:

I slab rolled the clay and I did attach the hooks and bowls with holes. I let it fire once, and then I glazed the first one with spring colors.

Critique: I wish I glazed the flowers in a different pattern, otherwise I love it.

Plan:

For the second one, I want to make it sea themed with a fish and enenomes.

Outcome:

I slab rolled the clay and attached the enenomes and their little arms, along with the bowls and the fish. I fired the piece and then began glazing. I left the piece on the shelf, unfinished for next class to continue, when I came back it was fired on the cart. The glaze was patchy achy and the fish was unfinished. I glazed it again until it was done. It came out patchy still.

Critique:

I don't like how the glaze came out patchy.

Final Piece
Pie Dish

Plan:

For my final, I want to make a pie dish with sunflowers on the sides for the handles. For the foot, I'm going to make a raised flower so I can glaze the bottom since I won't be glazing the inside. All of the flowers will be underglazed so the foot can be colored.

Outcome:

I used a metal pie dish with newspaper laid in it for the base of the dish. I smoothed the clay by scratching it with a scoring tool then smoothing with a plastic rib. I let the dish set in there for a few days, then I took it out so it could stand and keep form by itself. I scored and slipped the flowers on the handles and I added clay to the bottom to make the raised flower. I fired it once, then I underglazed the flowers and I midfire glazed the bottom with cherry blossom and oatmeal.

Critique:

I love how everything turned out, but I thought the glaze on the bottom would turn out more pink. Next time, I'll add more layers or choose another color.

Progress:

Lidded Box

Reference:

Plan:

I want to make a lidded box with a chunky lid. I want to make this style of bok but instead of floral, I want to make a nighttime themed one with a moon and puppy or cat on it.

Outcome:

I slab rolled the clay, kind of think, and I cut them all 4 by 4. I scored and slipped them together and made the lid out of the scrap clay. I sculpted the moon from a rolled-out clay piece and the dog from a little ball of clay. I then scored and lipped them on. After the bisque firing, I glazed the piece sapphire float, and I underglazed the dog and moon. To be fired. . .