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.

First Time on the Wheel

Personal Comment: Before I attempted the 6 inch cylinder that was assigned I wanted to try making something much simpler and less ambitious. So I made this small cat dish. I found it difficult but not impossible to work on the wheel. I had a few busts before acually coming out with a usable creation. But now I have no problem centering due to the many attempt I had to practice when making this. After the dish dried I dipped it in white then dripped black glaze on to it. The black turned out to be more of a brown but that okay, I still like the way it looks now.

Coil Pot (Ceramics 1-2)

Person Comment: To make my coil pot I started by rolling out clay with my hands then making individual coils to connect together. The original project was 10 inches tall and looked like a vase  but sadly it was injured before the first firing. Only half of it remained (but at least that's something). To glaze it I dipped the pot into fringe white glaze and let that dry for a day. Then I proceed to spatter blue glaze on the inside and the outside of the pot. The glazing turned out exactly how I wanted it to, resulting in a spotted blue white mesh. I am still disappointed that the pot is not it's original glory but I am very happy with the end result I still have.

Slap Box of Noses (Ceramics 1-2)

Personal Comment:
This is the 7x7 slap box I made. I started by rolling out clay to the correct size then I cut out the slaps and slipped and scored them together. Next I wanted to at first make a face on one side of the box so I started by make the nose, and I ended up liking the nose so much that I made 17 more of them, and decided I would cover the box with them instead of just a plain old face. I dipped the whole box in a white glaze then I drizzled blue dots into the middle of it (not depicted) I didn't want to go into much detail with the glazing because I thought the noses were already interesting enough without over doing it.

Mug (Ceramics 1-2)

Personal Comment: This is the mug I made to represent "Dunder Mifflin" which is the paper company from the NBC show "The Office". I started by rolling out the clay into flat slabs that cut and rolled around a spray bottle to get the main shape of the mug. Then I attached the handle and the base separately. Carving out the logo into the side. I glazed the entire thing in blue glaze then I wiped off the blue from the logo and painted it white resulting in the logo being white and the writing in blue. I am very happy with the end result.