The tradition of handmade pottery has evolved all over the world as people felt the need for utensils as cooking and storage vessels, sculpture to represent spiritual needs, and decorative architectural elements. An ancient pot seen in a museum in China appears to be a basket encased in clay that became scorched in a fire. Perhaps it was an accidental discovery that clay would make a basket waterproof, and that, if the clay-covered basket were put in a fire, it would last longer. Students may be fascinated about the long history of pottery, and how archaeologists can tell a great deal about a civilization just from the pieces of broken pottery they dig up. Most knowledge of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations comes from paintings on pottery. One can deduce how people lived by their artifacts.
In this section, introductory projects are given that will expose students to several methods of working with clay. Because ceramics is a universal art form, any of these techniques could be adapted to fit almost any culture. Decorative designs on pots also appear to be universal, with identical motifs from nature, geometric designs, spirals, and curved lines found on pottery in cultures throughout the world.
These projects could easily complement a study unit in another subject such as science or social studies. Take advantage of the units or themes being covered at individual grade levels, and you will find students informed, eager, and enthusiastic about what they are making. Because some schools do not have access to a kiln, you can adapt some of these projects to use self-hardening or modeling clay.
If you ask students what their favorite activity is in art, many will answer that they love ceramics most. Perhaps it is because the opportunity to do ceramics is not offered so frequently as other media. With careful planning, even with a large student body, each student can do at least one ceramic project a year. As with other techniques, the more opportunities students have to work in a given medium, the more proficient they will become. Results will vary depending on the age and skill-level of the students. Some of these pieces will be found on tables in the parents' homes long after the students are grown.
Students will need to be taught and reminded that clay is very fragile and breakable. As clay begins to dry, it becomes more and more fragile and must be handled with care. For example, picking up a greenware ceramic mug by the handle will result in the mug falling to the floor and only the handle in your grasp. After the pieces are fired, emphasize that they are stronger, but if dropped to the floor, they will definitely break. It is best to make students aware of this in advance to limit tears from accidents.
Methods include pinch pots, coil building, or slab building. Sculptural methods can be additive (built up) or subtractive (taking portions away from a general form). Within these methods, an infinite number of possibilities are available for elementary and middle school teachers. Working in ceramics is a skill-building process. Some beginning students are first taught how to make a pinch pots or simple small sculpture before moving on to coil or slab building. Any one of these processes is entirely appropriate at any age level.
Clay is normally purchased in large blocks. Pull a wire or piece of string through the clay to divide the block into the appropriate number of pieces, then lightly mist the cut pieces with a spray bottle and store back in the original bag until class time. Collect plastic bags in advance to give each student so the unused portion of clay is kept damp while the student is working.
Clay must be wedged before use to eliminate air bubbles. Air inside the finished artwork can cause the piece to explode in firing. If you are wedging larger quantities yourself, place the clay on canvas and use a kneading motion. Check for air bubbles by cutting apart with a string or wire. Students can wedge clay by forming a ball and pushing and turning the clay on a piece of newsprint paper or cloth, so that the clay does not stick to the table. About 2–3 minutes of wedging should be enough. It is best to have students stand to wedge their clay, so they have enough downward pressure on the clay.
Although you can buy powdered clay by the sack and add water, very few teachers choose to do this. Occasionally, pre-mixed clay might already be too dry to use when it is delivered. To condition clay, use a wooden brush handle to punch deep holes and fill these with water. Cover and store the clay overnight, and it will absorb the water. If the clay is totally dry, it can be put into a barrel or bucket and covered with water until it becomes soft enough to work, then excess water poured off. The water-logged clay can be put on Masonite or plaster bats. (Bats are made by pouring plaster of Paris into aluminum pie tins.) Remember, clay is ancient soil. The only clay that can't be reconditioned with water is that which has been fired; however, small amounts of fired clay can be pulverized to make grog (clay stiffener). If you are using recycled clay, it is advised that you wedge the clay and form it into individual balls (stored in a plastic bag) for distribution.
Test clay for elasticity by rolling a ½”-thick coil. If this can easily be bent around a finger without cracking, it is ideal for work. It is far easier to have the clay at the correct consistency than to have students using bowls of water at their tables to smooth the outside. Avoid using water to smooth the surface, because the outside dries more quickly and tends to crack. It should be used only if no further smoothing can be done with their fingers. A large sponge could be cut to make smaller sponges (1” × 1” × 1”) that could be dampened to smooth the surface.
Depending on the ages of your students, you will probably prefer to write the student's first and last names, grade, and classroom teacher's initials on the bottom of the work upon collecting it. For very young children, it would be lovely to have a parent or older student–aide helping in this crucial step of identification.
With primary classes in particular, make every effort to complete the project in one working period. To store unfinished work, dampen paper towels and loosely wrap them around the work-in-progress. Wrap the work completely in plastic, then store. As students are working, place a piece of masking tape at each person's work area and print their name with a Sharpie marker. At the end of class, students can take the tape off the table and place on their plastic bag.
Ideally you would have closed drying cabinets, but reality says you will be fortunate if you can set aside a section of a counter. You should have a place where the artwork can safely dry slowly, be easily identified by class name, and easily retrievable by each student. Work can be stored by class on large pieces of Masonite and moved.
Control the natural tendency of children to find out they can make small balls of clay to throw. At almost any age, one or two students per class will think of this. It may never become a problem if you explain that if you see any sign of it, that student's clay will be put away for the day. With older students, the student who throws clay may be invited to stay with you after school and wipe down surfaces in the entire room.
Squares (approximately 12”) of linoleum tile or Masonite placed on newspaper make great individual work surfaces. When the students have finished, they can scrape excess clay into the paper and throw it away, wiping the surface with a paper towel and stacking the square for another class. Burlap, canvas squares, or wallpaper samples are also good work surfaces. If the clay is in good working condition, even newsprint can be used for a work surface.
Purchased tool sets are lovely, but rarely available in sufficient quantity for classroom use. Substitutes are wood craft sticks (evenly trimmed flat with a knife), pencils, needles stuck in a cork (as a substitute for needle tools), sharpened ¼” dowels, 1” × 12” dowel “rolling pins,” garlic press in place of a Klay Gun®, clay extruder (for making hair), stainless steel or plastic spoons and knives, and used dental tools. For teacher use, you will need one or two wire cutters attached between 2” sections of ½” dowels for cutting through large quantities of clay. These are available from art supply companies.
Start early enough to leave the surfaces as clean as possible. Have enough sponges so tables can be wiped down twice, then they should be dried with paper towels. Keep a bucket where students can reach it to rinse sponges and to avoid washing quantities of clay down the sink. The clay settles to the bottom of the bucket and can be recycled.
Make sure the artwork is completely dry. If it feels cool when you hold it against your cheek, it may still be damp. In the first (bisque) firing, pieces can touch. Make sure glazed pieces do not touch. After glazes have been added, make sure the bottom of the piece is clean, or place it on stilts. Turn the kiln on its lowest setting and lid propped slightly open for the first hour before closing. Then turn the kiln to higher settings gradually during the day. Many schools have digital kilns. If you do not have the directions for use, look the kiln up on the Internet for firing settings. Once a year, vacuum the kiln (with a shop-vac) or sweep with a small broom and dustpan to get rid of small particles. Paint the shelves with kiln wash to cover glaze drips and prevent work from sticking.
A certain percentage of student work will break. If it breaks before the piece is completely dry, soak the two broken edges in damp paper towels until they are approximately the same consistency, then put together with slip, or slip with vinegar added. If the piece breaks during the bisque firing, glaze applied to both parts of the break might hold it together during the final firing. When a broken fired piece still has recognizable parts (not too many!), it can be glued, filled in with plaster of Paris, and painted. Two different colors of spray paint can cover a multitude of mistakes. And sometimes you just have to prepare students that there will be some breaks to deal with after the firing. Clay is very fragile!
Most elementary and middle school teachers use purchased glazes rather than mixing their own. Underglazes can be applied to greenware (before a first firing), then a clear glaze applied for a second firing. Purchased glazes can be combined by over-painting for some interesting effects. All glazes should have the consistency of cream for best results. Shake vigorously with the jar turned upside down before opening. If the glaze is too thick, add water slowly and stir to the bottom of the jar with a clean paintbrush. Students should apply three coats of glaze (of a creamy consistency) to bisque ware. If they start at the same place for each coat, the glaze will have a chance to dry slightly between coats. Remind them that the bottoms of the pieces must be clean, unless you are able to stilt each piece in the kiln. Take note of the cone number to which the chosen glazes should be fired. This information will be on the label of the glaze jar. Most glazes require firing to cone 05–06 (1850–1940F). However, some are high-fire glazes, to cone 5–6. (2160–2230F) Be sure your kiln and the clay itself can handle a high-fire glaze setting without adverse effects.
Note: Glazes do not always enhance clay pieces. Colors can often look garish and cheapen the beauty of ceramics. Unfortunately, there are many more glazes on the market that will disappoint than those than are visually pleasing in the end. Make samples of glazes that appeal to you for your projects, buying only one or two jars. If the result is successful, then buy more of your favorites. Many teachers prepare sample test fires on small squares of fired clay, so they can show classes how the glazes will look after firing. Glaze, as it appears in the jar, is entirely different from how it looks after the glaze fire. Limiting students to a small selection of those glazes you find to be successful is much smarter than a wide selection of many that might disappoint. The following text provides more suggestions for finishing techniques that offer more rustic and subtle finishes.
Painting: After one firing (bisque ware), Ceramic pieces could be finished by wiping shoe polish on and off, spray painted, or painted with acrylic paint, with the excess washed off, so that the color goes into markings and depressions in the piece. Other options include iron oxide washes, available from art supply catalogs. These are also painted on with the excess sponged off for the best effect. Acrylic paint cannot be re-fired in the kiln, as it will burn away. However, iron oxide does need to be fired again for permanence. Another option is to glaze the piece with clear gloss glaze, then use permanent markers for minimal color in places. This method works nicely for primary students.