Ceramics

Ceramic art refers to art forms made from clay. There are many different types of clay and ways of building.

The simplest and easiest way to create a form using clay is to use hand building techniques (pinch pot and coil building)

 

Coil Building

• Roll a coil of clay (an elongated sausage shape)
• Spiral the coil in order to create a flat circle – this is the base
• Roll another coil
• Score and slip the base and the edge of the coil
• Wrap the coil around the perimeter of the base and press down, attaching the coil to the base
• Roll another coil and add it to the top
• Continue this process until you have reached your desired height and width
  
   

Pinch Pot

• Roll a lump of clay into a ball
• Hold it in the palm of your hand and press your thumb into the centre     
• Squeeze the clay between your thumb and index finger while rotating the ball in your palm     
• Try to keep the walls an even thickness all the way around
  
   

Score and Slip

Anytime you attach one piece of clay to another piece you must score (incise cross hatched lines) and add a slip (watery clay that acts like a glue) to both pieces