Organic 2 – Evaluation

Introduction

This project we began is Organic 2, based on 3D work, ceramics and sea life. This project has a duration of 6 weeks, which contains a 3D exploration of Unit 4, and Unit 6.

Unit 4 – Introduction to communication skills in Art and Design. This unit will provide the student with an introduction to the communication skills used in support of art and design. The unit will also develop an understanding of the role that communication skills play in informing and developing ideas.

Unit 6 – Solving 3D creative problems. This unit will develop the students ability to critically analyse and integrate research, contextual understanding, materials, methods and skills to solve 3 dimensional problems in art and design.

The theme of this project is sea life. This theme consisted of continuing to look at organic forms, although this project specifically looked into sea life, and taking inspiration from them for a variety of artworks. We were asked to explore the area of ceramics and develop a 3D vessel in response to the theme. I aimed to discover more ceramic techniques and develop my skills further. As seen in previous projects, I have begun my journey to learning about ceramics. However, I knew very little therefore I was very enthused, curious and excited to continue improving my skills and seeing if I had a good hand with ceramics. I also aimed to develop a skill at creating realistic artworks.

I approached the organic 2 theme: Sea Life, with an open mind, as I didn’t have a passion for many aquatic organisms, but I wanted to relight a passion I once had as a child. By spending time in and out of lessons researching various different sea life forms, I began to recover the interests I used to have. I specifically began to gain an interest in octopus’ and their movement. Along with this, I approached this project with curiosity as to what else there is involved with sea life, apart from fish and large aquatic mammals. I developed an understanding of crustaceans and the organisms that fall into that category.

ilimpet001p4

I aimed to improve and develop all of my skills. As mentioned before, I wanted to develop my skills in ceramics, and knowledge of sea life. However, I continued to want to develop my communication skills on my blog, by improving and increasing my range of key artistic terms. I wanted to contribute more in class discussions by giving my opinion when asked for it, and adding in knowledge that I know which may help. I wanted to keep my attendance up as high as possible and keep my focus on my work. I aimed to improve my time keeping skills, compared to the last project, as I spent a lot of Organic 1 falling behind with my blog work as I was so focused on my practical work. Throughout Organic 2, I managed to start focusing better in lessons therefore I was completing my blog work in the same lessons it was set. Therefore not falling behind with either my blog or practical work.

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Summary of research

After we explored and discussed the brief, we began to do secondary research. This secondary research included finding images online that represent sea life and their textures/forms. We also did our own primary research by creating 5 thumbnail drawings recording the surface textures of a variety of sea life. Along with this, we also did experimental drawings and took our own photos. I believe it is quite important to do our own research and photographs. I think this because when we put ourselves through the effort of finding research, we then take in more due to making the most of the effort we put in. When taking photos, I experience my surroundings and analyse them in more detail as I am viewing the subject for a long period of time.

Throughout this project we have looked at a variety of artists and designers. These artists are Amy Daniels and Carolyn Genders. Firstly, I liked looking at Amy Daniels because of the amount of precision that goes into giving her work detail. She goes out to local places and researches quite heavily into how metal decays. She will look at its form and observe how it is structured, therefore being able to recreate the same structures and decay on her pieces. The reason why I liked this is because it shows how professional artists do a lot of primary research to being able to create a very realistic piece.

The second artist I chose was Carolyn Genders. The reason why I chose her is because I like the scale Genders works in, along with the abstract pattern on the surface of her vessels. Firstly, I like what she does with her scale because even though the pots are functional, they are large and very noticeable. Secondly, I like how she uses the abstract patterns and colours. This is because they stand out and have a very unique look.

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Experimentation and development

I think it is extremely important to use drawing as an initial process of getting down my ideas before starting the practical work because drawing is a much quicker technique to portray what I am thinking, compared to creating a test piece out of the desired material. I also think it is important to use drawing for my initial ideas before practical work because it shows the development throughout the whole process of all my start ideas, which I can use for future reference if I need to refer back to my original ideas.

Drawing my designs first helps me to picture my piece before starting practical work as drawing it out shows me what does and does not look correct, as well as how the piece needs to be structured as I can see what, and where, parts connect and fit together. This therefore helps me to execute my practical work as I can collect the correct equipment required to create the piece, along with being aware of how the piece should be built in certain forms and structures.

It is important to create a Final Proposal drawing because this continues to show the process of planning, as well as it helps the artist to refer back to what they are creating. I also believe it is important to create a final proposal drawing because then there is an actual plan that can be visually seen, and altered when necessary. This helps the artist to create their final piece as they can follow a design that they know works well, as they can see it on the proposal.

Throughout the whole project I took part in a variety of workshops. These workshops are; viewfinder thumbnail drawing task, experimental natural form drawing, ceramic texture test tiles, jewellery pieces, pinch pots, decorative eggs, coil pots, and decoration techniques such as glazes.

Throughout this project, when working with ceramics, I developed a large range of my skills. In our Identity Project I briefly used my ceramics skills, which were very limited at that time. After doing the Organic 2 project, I increased my knowledge and skill base, by not only being taught techniques in a workshop, but also finding out on my own by testing out techniques with clay. Some of these skills/tehniques were; coiling, pinch pots, and impressing.

Throughout a lot of the workshops, I experienced things that went wrong. In the coil pots workshop, I found creating round coils didn’t create an even surface or strong wall for the pot. The issue with this was, there were weak joints between each coil due to there being a lack or adhering surface space. This therefore created a weak wall for the pot. To fix this I decided to create more cuboid shaped coils, therefore having flat faces. These flat faces meant the coils sat on top of each other really well, with large surface faces that would adhere together with slip and scoring. Another thing that went wrong in one of the workshops was during the pinch pots workshop. Whilst creating my second pot, which would be the top of the egg, I made the rim of the pot too wide, therefore it didn’t match up in diameter with the first pot. To fix this, rather than creating another pot, I made the first pot slightly wider, and then also cut out some of the second pot to make the edges meet up.

I enjoyed the coil pots workshop most because it was a technique I’ve seen done before, and I wanted to try it myself. Even though my test pot didn’t turn out so well, I learnt from the problems I had, and put the techniques into practice when I created my final piece.

Reflection

My final piece did turn out to look like my final proposal, in the fact that the design was the same. However I altered the height of my piece, and the amount of suckers that were on each octopus arm.

I met all the deadlines throughout the whole project. I worked really well in lessons and completed more in each lessons than I did last term. This is because I was able to focus better with a new seating plan.

What I most enjoyed about this project was creating my final vessel. This is because once I had created my coil pot, and the decoration began to develop, I was really proud of how realistic it looked. I also got lots of good reviews from my course members which really boosted my confidence with creating the rest of my vessel. I also enjoyed seeing my skills with ceramics develop and finding my own techniques to creating a successful piece.

I think I managed my time both in and out of lessons exceptionally well. During lessons I focused hard on my work at hand, not allowing myself to get distracted so much that I fell behind. This therefore meant that I finished my work almost every time in a lesson. When I didn’t finish my work, I would make sure I completed it by either spending extra time in college, or I would finish it as soon as I got home.

If I had to do this project again, I would create my coil pot with cuboid shaped coils from start to finish. This is because I was part way through my final coil pot when I realised I needed to change the shape of the coils. I would also, spent more time in college, outside of lessons, testing different techniques with the clay so that I could’ve perfected my techniques before creating my final piece.

Selling my own artwork

Today we had a class discussion about selling our own art and design work, and what factors and techniques we have to think about.

Pop up shop

A key word to describe a pop up shop is temporary. It is an instant shop, set up in a location that is rented out by the artist themselves. A pop up shop offers opportunities to artists who cannot afford their own shops or studios to sell their own work in. As each pop up shop is only available and running for a short amount of time, they are usually stylized in such a way that catches the eyes of passing potential customers. To make them eye catching, they are usually colourful with unique forms and structures. To also bring in customers, there are usually sales or samples advertised outside the shop. As it is an instant and easy to put up, they are also easy to put away.

Pricing work

We spoke as a class about how to price work. There are a variety of factors that have to be thought about such as; materials, delivery, labour, and skill. We talked about how it costs to get materials, equipment, and for delivery, therefore the piece created has to be sold for more than what those cost the artist, if a profit is desired. Although labour and skill don’t cost, usually the effort put into creating the piece desires a charge as well.

Along with these, the artist should research into other pieces of similar art on the market and take note of what prices they are. This helps them to get a general idea of what other artists charge. In addition to these, the artist also takes into consideration mistakes and accidents creating the piece that may put them back on creating it, and what it costs to run their studio and equipment.

Selling work online

There are ways of selling work online such as using shops like Ebay, Etsy, Folksy, and Not on the Highstreet. By using Ebay, the artist can see people bidding on their work, and sites such as Etsy and Folksy allows the artist to release their work to a wide range of audiences worldwide. Although these sites are not only specified for artists, therefore there is a large range of other topics that can distract customers from the art. So artists can have an issue with competing to get their work seen or advertised.

Below are some images that show websites such as Folksy, Etsy and Not on the Highstreet:

Photo libraries

Photo libraries are a place for clients to go online and find images they want to buy for their businesses. Photographers work with these online libraries to sell their work, sharing the sale price of each image with the website owners. Images can be sold more than once, or only once if the images and its copyrights are handed over. This can be a really tricky game for photographers, if they do not read the contract properly, they could possibly hand over the ownership and rights to their images. Some photographers may intend to do this, and some may not.

Photographers are also competing to have their images discovered, because on one site alone, Alamy, there are already over 60,000 photos on there which are trying to be sold. Another site like Alamy is Shutterstock.

Own website shop

We also looked at an artist, Emma Lonsdale, who is an illustrator and surface pattern artist. She has a website which she uses to promote and sell her art. The home page of her website is very clear and simple. It shows her work as there is a very easy layout. She defines at the top that all her work is ‘Hand made in the UK’. The layout is clear, simple and easy to follow. It also shows her success as she displays businesses that she is involved in. The colour and patterns are very basic and have a limited palette. However this works well in her favour, because it shows off her work and allows her work to pop out because of some of the bright colours she uses. I think it is very refined.

She uses 2 styles of typography. My favourite one is a handwritten style. This has a personal touch which I really like. It works well and is fits in with the overall design. The other font used is a very clear and simple font which is easy to read, formal and has a professional look to it. The logo for her website she has created using inspiration from her dog. It is simple and she even writes a small anecdote to explain where the logo came from. I like this because not only is there a personal purpose for the logo, but she also releases something personal from herself, to her followers/customers.

Lonsdale also uses other social medias to further push out her work. These are; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. All of these are links on her website to her profiles on each site. Shops also approach Emma to get her to sell her work through their websites, Not on the HIghstreet is one of these shops.

Comparison Sheet

Today we took a small amount of time out of our afternoon blogging session to go over communication methods within the project, their pros and cons, and a personal target for myself for each method. The communication methods were; blogging, peer reviews, group debates/discussions/questioning, reflect and progress, end of project powerpoint presentation, exhibitions and final evaluations.

Here is the sheet I filled out:

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Why is it important to reflect on your own progress and performance?

I think it is important to reflect on my own progress and performance because I can learn to notice and pick out what I have done wrong, and develop my skills on improving and correcting my work. I also learn to notice and be proud of what I have done right and the work I have done successfully. Reflecting helps me to become a more rounded and sculpted artist as I remove potential pitfalls, whilst at the same time I become aware of my strengths.

Do you think reflecting on your own progress and performance pushes your work further in the future?

Yes, I think it does. This is because as I analyse and reflect upon my progress and performance I begin to develop further ideas which could turn into goals and aspirations in my later work. Although some may not work out as they may be random, at least I find inspiration from them. Also when I am reflecting I become aware of previous issues and mistakes, therefore I begin to think about how I can avoid making them again. In addition to this, I remember what worked well, and apply the same techniques and knowledge into my future work.

When setting targets and goals, why is it important to set SMART targets?

SMART targets allow you to precisely set specific and detailed targets, being guided by them. This is because SMART targets cover all aspects of targets as they help you to cover information such as dates and times, along with accurately finding the in depth detail of the targets.

Making my final piece

Today we started to create our final ceramic vessels. By using my final proposal sheet, I gathered the equipment I needed for today.

Equipment list:

• Apron
• Slip
• Clay
• Rolling Pin
• Wooden Board
• Guides

I also collected a piece of newsprint to put down on the desk, as a protection from the clay on the clean worktops. I then put on an apron to protect my clothes.

I started my vessel, by creating the base. The base had a diameter of 9 centimeters, which I intended to keep the whole inside of the vessel as close to 9 centimeters as possible. Using a compass, I cut out the base. I then created a couple rolls to put one on top of the other, as I was using the coil pot method. As I put them on top of each other, I scored the attaching surfaces and used slip to adhere the coils to the base, and then the additional ones on top of themselves. I used my fingers and a palette knife to blend the joints between the coils, which creates a stronger and more endurable structure. The images below support these stages in creating my vessel:

After I had begun to build up a significant amount of height of my vessel, I then realised that the walls were beginning to expand and have a larger diameter than 9 centimeters. To fix this, I had to cut out small triangle out of the walls of my piece, which allows me to pull the walls back in to an even and level width. I forgot to take pictures whilst I was doing this with my vessel, so here is an image from a previous workshop where I use this technique to pull in the edges:

After I corrected the width, and made sure the walls were of an even thickness (shaving and adding clay to even out the thickness), I then decided to change my coiling technique. I was finding that the sausage shapes coils were causing my piece to become uneven, and they also took much longer to build up a considerable amount of height, so I decided to make cuboid shaped coils instead. This helped massively as they were thick and sturdy, which allowed each coil to neatly sit on top of one another. They also helped build up the height of the walls quicker. The egdes of each coil then lined up perfectly, so the inner and outer surface became much smoother and of a constant & even thickness. Here is an image that shows the cuboid shaped coil:

As the height began to increase much quicker, I then had to create a cylindrical guide. This was a piece of cartridge paper, rolled into a hollow tube, with a 9 centimeter diameter. I did this because it helped me hugely to keep my piece building upwards in a fairly straight process. I cut the paper tube so it had a height of 25 centimeters, and then I made a pencil line all the way around it to represent 20 centimeters. I did this because I wanted my piece to be around about 20 centimeters in height. It wasn’t until I got to about 10/15 centimeters in height that I realised my piece was going to be exceptionally large, too large to be a toothbrush holder. This then created the question of what could the piece become now. After much discussion with both my tutors, I decided I would still make it so that it is themed to go in a bathroom, and then it can be a pot of various use. Once I came to this decision I chose to stop building the height as it was, and chose to move onto the decoration. The final height was 18.4 centimeters. The images below show the pot with the guide in, and out:

Then it was time to create the decoration. For the decoration, I chose to create 8 octopus arms, all with suckers, wrapping around the vessel one after the other. I used the 2 images below to inspire my decoration:

I started the octopus arms by collecting a fresh and very damp lump of clay. I did this because I knew I was going to be shaping and creating quite delicate pieces. I then used some of the clay and rolled it out so that it was thick on one end and gradually going thinner towards the other end. Although I didn’t want the thin end to be too small. I didn’t put much thought into how long or thick each octopus arm would be, until I made the first one. This happened to turn out to be a pretty much perfect sized arm as when I put it up against the side of the vessel and shaped it into a curving arm, it wasn’t too big or small.  Below is an image of the first octopus arm I created:

After I made the first arm, I then made individual suckers to go on it. I created large ones, and the gradually got smaller. I did this because as the arm gets thinner, the actual suckers get smaller. To create the suckers, I would pull off a small amount of clay from the spare very damp clay I had, and would roll it into a ball then flatten it. If I didn’t use very wet clay, then the suckers would crack when I flattened them. This happened with a lot of my suckers anyways. To fix this, I used water and rubbed the clay until it smoothed out and got rid of a lot of the cracks.

For the first arm, I rolled out each sucker and applied them to the arm. This gave me an idea about how many suckers I was going to put on each arm. There are 2 rows of 13 suckers on each one. To apply the suckers, I would score the base of each sucker, and the surface of the arm, then using slip I’d add the suckers. Then using a etching tool, I would poke a hole in the center of each sucker, which gave a bit of detail to the suckers themselves. Overall, I created 208 suckers for all 8 arms. Below there are some images that show the process of adding the suckers:

I would create a couple arms at a time, then attach them to the vessel itself. I did this because, if I created all the arms at once, they would dry out too much as I’m working with each one individually and then they wouldn’t be as easy to work with. To attach the arms, I would score into the underneath surface of the arms and into the surface of the vessel then add slip and hold the arm against it until they begin to dry and adhere together. Here are some images that show how the arms were attached:

Here are some more images which show the development of my piece as the arms were applied:

As I created each arm, I estimated whether all 8 would fit around the vessel. I realised that I had created some large gaps between the first arms I added which were going to cause some problems when it came to my design and fitting the rest on the vessel. I had added 3 of the arms on one day, then left my piece over night, so when I came back to it the next day, it had slightly dried, not fully, but too much for me to pull them off and move them around. I had to attach the rest of the arms with more precise positioning so that they were tighter together and allowed enough room for them all to fit on. After I attached all the arms, I realised there was a significant difference between the older arms and the newer ones, therefore I decided that I wanted a front and a back to my vessel, and the more spaced out arms will be on the front.

After I had finished attaching all the arms, I smoothed out the surfaces, by applying water with a paint brush. This slightly dampened the surface so that the clay would smudge back together making a neat and visually smart surface.

Below are some images of the final vessel:

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• Brushes
• Carving and cutting tools
• Glazes, underglazes and oxides

Final Proposal

After creating our initial ideas planning sheet, we were then asked to create a Final Proposal. This is another planning sheet which pulls together all our favourite ideas from yesterdays task, and creates our final piece. My favourite parts about yesterdays task were the cylindrical form for the vessel, the idea of octopus arms wrapping around the vessel, complimentary colour palette and working in relief.

I chose to do the octopus arms as I wanted to follow the continuous theme that I already had which featured octopus suckers.

Initially I drew out the outline of my vessel, and also drew it to a similar scale to which I wanted to create it. I want my piece to be about 20cm in height and have an even diameter all the way round of 9cm from the base to the top. I then thought about what I wanted to do with my octopus theme. I wanted to feature the arms either wrapping around the outside or coming out of the inside of the vessel. I decided it would be too busy on the inside if I wanted my vessel to have a functional purpose, so I chose to put the arms on the outside of the vessel. By adding the arms to the outside of the vessel, this would add further width to its scale, therefore expanding to a possible 12cm-15cm. I wanted to feature all eight legs of an octopus so I began to ask myself how I was going to arrange them without them being too clustered. At first I thought I could just over lap and twist a lot of the arms, but then I thought having some organisation would contrast with the usual behaviour of an octopus which can be quite hectic and messy. So instead I decided I would arrange them so there is a repetition of the arms, being evenly spread around the outside of the vessel.

I am going to create the vessel itself, then the arms with the suckers on separately. This is because I know adding the arms onto the vessel then adding the suckers will be extremely difficult to get right into all the tight gaps.

I then began to think about the specific functional purpose of the vessel. I thought of vases, pen pots, mugs etc. Then I thought about toothbrushes. As it had a sea theme, it would link to a bathroom. The inside would be able to hold a couple toothbrushes and toothpaste.

I then decided I would make an equipment list to show what I wanted to use when creating my piece. Here is my equipment list:

• Apron
• Slip
• Clay
• Rolling Pin
• Wooden Board
• Guides
• Brushes
• Carving and cutting tools
• Glazes, underglazes and oxides

Glazes I wished to use would be blue, maroon and white underglaze, and a clear glaze on the top for protection. Blue for the background and main body of the vessel, Maroon for the top of the octopus arms, and white for the inside of the vessel and the bottom of the octopus arms.

I did note the artists we have looked at so far in this project as the artists who have inspired me, as they are the only ones who have inspired me so far. These artists are; Kate Malone, Carolyn Genders and Amy Davis.

Initial design ideas

Today we began our initial design ideas planning sheet. We were set this task as the start of following the design cycle. We had to create between 5-10 different designs, or segment the different ideas we had on a page. There had to be a range of different designs and ideas.

I decided I wanted to segment my page, drawing different; vessel shapes, decorative patterns, colour schemes, carving techniques and inspiration I had for a vessel. I started out by drawing the shapes of 7 different vessel forms. I did this because I wanted to draw out a range of various forms and be able to work out which ones would and wouldn’t be functional. I then moved onto surface pattern. I didn’t have many ideas for this part, so I looked online at a range of sealife forms. These were the images I took inspirations from for my 4 surface patterns:

After doing the surface patterns, I then began to look into whether I would like to build outwards in relief or to carve and impress into the vessel. Although I already knew that I would rather work in relief as it wouldn’t alter the actual shape or structural strength of my vessel.

I then began to make notes about scale, palette colours, glazes and the purpose of my vessel. I wanted the scale the have a reasonable size as I wanted to feel like I had something bulky and strong to work on, not small and intricate. I decided I would like a neutral and subtle palette with complimentary washed down colours. The glazes I wished to use would appear in small sections of vibrant bold colour, and the rest would be washed over. I also want to use matte glazes. The purpose of my vessel was unknown at this point, although I knew I wanted it to have a decorative outside and functional inside like a bowl or vase.

As I began to look into colour schemes further, I realised that I wouldn’t be able to use a small amount of glaze, as I don’t want any of the ceramic to be showing. Therefore I would have to create a background. So for this, I created a small selection of different complimentary colours I could use to fill in the background yet keep it somewhat neutral and subtle. As it has a sea theme, I looked at browns and greens (coral/seaweed), and then blues for water.

After deciding my colour palette, I then applied light patched of colour to my surface pattern drawings to give them a bit more of a realistic look. Once I had done that, I put yellow/orange stars beside all the ideas that I had noted down that I really liked and wanted to use for my final piece.

Here is the initial ideas planning sheet:

Artist link – Amy Daniels

Amy Daniels is a ceramicist creating sculptures inspired by industrial decay and rusting. She frequently visits scrapyards to inspire her work, often taking pieces of metal back to her studio. She captures the intricate detail of deteriorating metal surfaces, just like rusting scrap metal. However she creates this effect through using glazes and oxides rather than allowing rusting to happen itself.

As can be seen by her pieces, she builds outwards by working with layers. The scales of her pieces sometimes range but it is almost always on the larger end of the scale for a ceramic piece. She works in spherical form and using complimentary colours on each item. Her sculptures have a very decorative purpose, as they have no way of containing objects. They are made for display in garden settings. Using oxides and crackle glaze, she will create the rusting effect on the surface of her pieces.

When she is not making her sculptures, she spends time teaching and assisting GCSE students to improve their work which goes towards their GCSE portfolio. She is currently working from a studio at the school, as an artist in Residence.

I really like the process of working in layers and building up the shape and form of a piece. Therefore I was really drawn in by her pieces and found I could relate to the passion she may have toward her work. I also like how she has used her surrounds, but not something simple like nature or wildlife, she has actually got out of her way and found something that really interests her which pulls out her interest in the process of rusting and deterioration.

Initially to me, her pieces looked like bath bombs, as the colours and surface textures are extremely similar. However once I saw images of these sculptures that show their scale and much closer up detail, I then saw the actual structure and intended affect of rusting, and realised what they really were.

The colours are complimentary specific to each sculpture. I like how she used these colours, and there is no vibrant pieces or contrasts. I think she may have taken inspiration from the metals that were rusting, and used those colours for her pieces. I like how she keeps a link to the rusting and adds no abstract or contrasting colours or forms.

Introduction to Glazes

Today we were introduced to the different types of glazes used in ceramics. As a class we discussed what we already knew about glazes and were then informed further about what we didn’t know. Ceramic glazes come in a variety of purposes and effects when they are applied to a ceramic form. There are Underglazes, Glazes, Oxides and Lustres.

Underglazes – “paint for ceramics”

• Underglaze as a term, means any decoration that is applied before glaze itself.
• Underglaze mainly provides colour for an item. The more layers of Underglaze applied, the more saturated the colours are. Applying more layers also creates a more opaque surface on the item.
• Underglazes almost always come in a fluid form.
• It is always matte not shiny like glaze.
• Applied with a brush, although it has to be taken into consideration that whatever marks are made, e.g with a brush, will be visible on the item.
• The colour always stays the same before and after firing as heating up the Underglaze does not affect its colour.
• Underglaze is applied after the piece has been bisque fired.
• It is suggested to always apply at least 2 coats of Underglaze to create a bold colour and opaque surface.

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Glazes – “Liquid glass”

• A layer of protective coating applied after the piece has been bisque fired. The glaze will protect the piece by making it waterproof and defending it from being eroded by foods.
• Glaze is different to underglaze, as glaze has silica in it.
• The colour glaze is when its painted on a piece, is different to the colour it comes out as once it has been fired.
• Can be applied with a brush and the strokes will not be visible.
• Different glazes will melt at different temperatures

NOTE: DO NOT apply glaze to the base of the piece, as the glaze will run onto the kiln shelf, therefore adhering itself to the shelf. This will damage both the shelf and ceramic piece.

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Oxides

• Oxides have a large range of colours.
• Common colourants include; iron oxides, cobalt oxides, chromium oxides, copper oxides and copper carbonate.
• The colours can alter massively depending on the amount of oxygen present when it is being fired.
• They are applied after the item has been bisque fired.
• When creating a mix of oxides. Always apply the powder to the water. This reduces risks of dust being forced into the air.
• Oxides create a matte affect

new 025

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Lustres

• Lustres are a metallic glaze. They are a very thin layer of metal on the surface.
• They are applied onto already fired glazes, then they are re-fired.
• The Lustre is extremely fragile and easily scratched.
• They are to be used in a well ventilated room due to the fumes and dust particals. All glazes in dust form are extremely dangerous. And when made into fluid form, the fumes can also be dangerous as when they dry, they can crack apart and create very fine shards of sharp metal.

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Health and Safety

• Immediately clean up spillages
• Surfaces need to be cleaned up and wiped down properly
• Used packages should be disposed
• Copper shouldn’t be applied to surfaces that are going to come into contact with food
• Eyes and skin should be protected when using glazes
• Dry material should be applied to wet material. E.g. glaze powder applied into water

Key Ceramic Terms

In ceramics there are a bulk of key terms which can help to explain the description and process of creating the structures and details of a ceramic piece. Here are a list of some terms and definitions in ceramics:

• Bisque – A bisque item is a fired ceramic piece, that has a hard porous surface that is ready to be painted.
• Functional – A functional ceramic vessel is a piece capable to hold an object. It will have a purpose such as an umbrella stand, a cup or a bowl.
• Decorative – A decorative ceramic piece is made to satisfy and please the viewers eye. It is not made to hold or support objects, it is only to be looked at.
• Greenware – Greenware is a description given to sculpted and shaped clay objects which have not yet been fired. This covers all the ranges between wet clay, to bone dry.
• Potters Wheel – A horizontal flat revolving disc, used to shape and mould clay into various vessel forms. It is usually used to create more even and symmetrical form, such as a bowl or plate. This is because the revolving movement allows smooth and fast precision for the potter to create a piece.
• Ceramic Shrinkage –  The rate at which the body of a clay item shrinks during drying and firing.
• Hand built ceramics – Items created by hand using very basic and simple tools which are not on the pottery wheel. 3 basic techniques to create pieces by hand, are pinch pots, coil pots and slab techniques.
• Slip – A thick mixture of water and clay, which creates an alternative to glue. This is used to help attach 2 pieces of clay without trapping air bubbles in between.
• Glaze – This is a substance fused to a ceramic body through firing. It is used for various reasons such as; for colour, decoration or waterproof.
• Under Glaze – This is a method of decorating ceramic pieces before the surface is glazed.
• Luster – Is a metallic salt applied over an already fired glaze which is then refired. This results in an extremely thin layer of metal on the surface of the glaze. This is easily scratched as it is very fragile.
• Sgraffito – This is a technique in ceramics which is applying, to an unfired ceramic body, two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then scratching to produce an outline drawing.

Introduction to the Kiln

What is a kiln?

A kiln is a heating chamber used to transform materials at high temperatures. It is capable of holding hot fires and maintaining the heat to remove almost all of the moisture out of the objects in it. There are specific hazards and risks that can be created when using the kiln. Firstly there is heating up the kiln too fast. This stops the moisture from escaping, as it can’t gradually escape. Therefore causing the objects and sculptures in the kiln to potentially blow up. To stop this from happening, the kiln haas to be heated up slowly to its maximum/desired temperatures over a period of about 24 hours.

Our college kiln has:

• Heating elements
• A program board – to turn the kiln on and off, and to control the temperature
• A Temperature gage – to view the temperature and ensure it is safe to use the kiln
• Convection
• Bolts – to secure the kiln
• Fire bricks – to absorb the heat in the kiln
• Kiln shelves – to stack up pieces of work
• Kiln post – to hold up the shelves
• Cage – to stop unauthorised people accessing the kiln whilst it is active

The college kiln can reach a maximum 1500 degrees celsius.

 

What is firing?

Firing is the process of converting greenware* into a strong durable form. Pieces are usually fired twice, bisque fired and glaze fired. Bisque firing reaches its top temperature of 1000 degrees celsius.

*Greenware is the name for unfired clay, that has been moulded and dried itself out.

 

Temperatures:

• All clays and glazes are made to mature at certain temperatures
• Firing clay at too high temperatures can cause the pieces inside to deform, or melt. Temperatures too low and the piece will not become durable
• Firing glazes at too high temperatures can cause run-off on the pot. Temperatures too low and they will be rough and dry.

 

Health and Safety: