Rattle

Personal Comment: For this project I started by making two pinch pots, inside one of the pots I put small balls of clay wrapped in newspaper, this was so that once it was fired the ball the way would make project rattle when shaken. To form the basic structure I blended the two pinch pots together to make a hollow egg shape. My design was of a cartoon bear, so I added the limbs and head to the initial structure. Then after it was first fired I used low fire glazes (brown, red, white, and black) to give it color. If I were to do this project again I would probably work on making it look more realistic, the way it is now sort of looks like a bear but then again it also looks like a Muppet.

Harry Truman's Head

 Personal Comment: For this project the instructions were to make a bust of a real human person. I chose to make Harry Truman, the 33rd president of the United States. I started by forming the shape of the head and shoulders with newspaper and tape. Then I wraped cellophane around it so that it would be easier to remove once the clay was dry. Over that I lay layers of clay, then using tools and my hands I shaped the face and added layers of clay where I saw fit. To make the suit I rolled clay out and cut it to the right shape then layered it over the shoulders. I even added a little American flag pin, to make it more official. Normally he had glasses on however I was going to add those on after firing so that they would be less likely to break off during the process. I am overly happy with how this project turned out, I believe it is one of my best ceramic projects so far. I would not have done anything different.

Bowl on the Wheel

Personal Comment: This is the bowl I made on the Wheel. I started with a ball of clay, then on the wheel I formed the cylinder shape, then slowly worked the sides out so that the cylinder became a bowl. It turned out okay, however I diddly check how deep the bottom was so it turned out to have a really thick base. I colored it with lavender glaze then dripped a dark blue glaze on the inside to create the pattern/design shown on the right. Next time I need to trim the outside sooner so that I can shape it easier. Overall I am okay with how it turned out and I use it as a key dish.

6 inch Cylinder

Personal Comment: This was our first assignment on the wheel, the instructions were to make a 6 inch cylinder. I started with a wedged ball of clay then on the wheel I centered it, then raised the clay into the cylinder shape. Then once it was fired I used a copper glaze and dripped fridge white glaze in the middle. It didn't work quite work out as I hoped but I got more or less the general shape right. Next time I need to use more water on the clay when I am shaping it so that it turns out even on all sides.