Transcript Ceramics Notes

Ceramics
Notes
Mrs. Jones’s Classes
Define what clay is:
 Clay
is firm, plastic (capable of being
molded), fine-grained earth.
 Red clay comes form the southern U.S.
(no Glaciers) and Gray comes from the
Northern U.S. (Glaciers).
Define the term ceramics:
Ceramics is the general term for clay that
has been fired to create a more durable
surface.
Explain the difference between
high fire and low fire clay.
 High
fire clay is more durable, it can be
baked, put on the stove, microwaved,
and washed in a dishwasher. The colors
are usually less vibrant. It is fired at very
high temperatures.
 Low fire clay is more decorative with more
bright colors available. It has to be hand
washed.
Explain what the kiln is:
The Kiln is an oven in which clay is fired to
make it hard.
Explain what it means to fire
clay:
 Firing
clay is “baking” it.
 Our clay is low fire cone
06 and it is fired for 6
hours at about 2000°.
Describe ceramic glaze and
what it does:
 Ceramic
glaze is
a chemical
compound
containing glass
that is used to
decorate,
waterproof, and
protect clay
objects.
Explain the difference
between wet and leather
hard clay:
 Wet
clay is easy to model (mold and
manipulate) but hard to carve because it
is so soft.
 Leather hard clay is easy to carve but
cracks and breaks if modeled.
 Leather hard clay is also cooler and
smoother to the touch.
Explain what Greenware
or Bone dry clay is:




Greenware or bone dry clay
is clay that is completely dry
but unfired.
It feels room temperature
and it is very fragile.
It cannot be manipulated or
modeled. If it is wetted it
tends to melt.
It should not be sanded as it
created dust, which is a
safety hazard.
Explain what Bisqueware is:
 Bisqueware
is
clay that has
been fired
once.
Explain what Glazeware is:
 Glazeware
is clay
that has a glaze on
it and has been
fired.
Define and explain what
wedging is:
 Wedging
is the process of
removing air bubbles
(that would explode in
the kiln) from clay. The
clay is kneaded like
bread dough to twist out
or pop the air bubbles.
Explain what slipping and
scoring are:
 Slipping
is adding very wet
clay to two pieces of clay
leather hard that will be
connected to each other.
 Scoring is adding lines with
a fettling knife to the clay
(this creates more surface
area to the clay).
 It is done to make added
clay stick together better.
Explain what a pinch pot is
and how one is made:
A
pinch pot is a pot that is made out of a
single ball of clay.
 To make a pinch pot: roll a ball of clay,
push your thumb into the center of it,
pinch starting at the bottom all the way
round the ball, and continue pinching up
the sides until you have formed the
desired shape.
Explain what a coil is and how
it can be used to create a
pot:
A
coil is a “snake” of clay that has been rolled on a
table or in between your hands. Coils can be
scored together in many ways to form a pot.
Explain what a slab is and how
it can be used to create a
pot:
A
slab is clay that has been rolled thin
using a rolling pin.
 Slabs can be cut into any shape and
slipped and scored together when they
are leather hard.
Explain what a pressed mold is
and how it can be used to
make a pot:
A
pressed mold is a plaster (or other)
shape that a slab of clay is pushed into to
the mold to make a specific shape.
Explain what throwing is and how
it can be used to make a pot:
 Throwing
is making a pot using a potter’s
wheel.
 Clay is: wedged, centered, opened,
raised, shaped, trimmed, reshaped and
cut off of the wheel.
 It is then allowed to dry and is centered,
trimmed, footed, and smoothed.
Explain the dug out method
and how it can be used to
make a pot:
 The
dug out method is hollowing out an
irregular solid shape so that it will not
explode in the kiln.
Explain what a fettling knife
does:
A
fettling knife cuts and scores clay.
Explain what wooden tools do:
 Wooden
tools shape and smooth clay.
Explain what wire loop tools
do:
 Wire
loop tools cut away extra clay. They
are also used to trim thrown pots on the
potter’s wheel.
Explain what a rolling pin does:
 Rolling
pins flatten clay into slabs.
Explain what an elephant ear
sponge does:
 Elephant
ear
sponges are
used to wet
and smooth
clay.
Explain what a rib tool does:
A
rib shapes and smoothes clay in specific
ways. They are also used to clean a
potter’s wheel.
Explain what appliqué is:
 Appliqué
is adding small cut out slabs to
the surface of a clay piece.
 Done to leather hard clay.
Explain what pressed texture is:
 Pressed
texture is
when objects are
pushed or rolled on
clay to create a
design or texture.
 Done to wet clay.
Explain what sgraffito is:
 Sgraffito
is a
design that is
scratched
(drawn) into
clay using a
sharp tool.
 Done to leather
hard clay.
Explain what piercing is:
 Piercing
is cutting
out open shapes
through the side
of a piece. Done
to leather hard
clay.
Explain what lip refers to on a
pot:
 The
lip is the open top of
a pot.
Explain what foot refers to on
a pot:
A
foot what a pot sits on.
 It is added as a coil or trimmed into a pot
to keep it level after firing (the clay will
sometimes warp while being fired and not
sit flat if it does not have a foot attached
to it.)
Explain what body refers to on
a pot:
 The
body of the pot is everything in between the lip
and the foot.
Explain what a gloss glaze
looks like:
 Gloss
glaze is very shiny.
Explain what a matte glaze
looks like:
 Matte
shiny.
glaze is not
Explain what an underglaze is:
 An
underglaze is a
glaze that is applied to
clay that has not been
bisqued.
Explain an opaque glaze looks
like:
 An
Opaque glaze does not
allow and of the color of the
clay to show through.
Explain what a transparent
glaze looks like:
A
transparent glaze allows the color of the
clay to show through.
Explain what a
translucent glaze
looks like:
 Translucent
glass allows
some of the clay color to
show through.