Unit 1: Introduction to Clay

Lesson 1: The Basics of Clay

● Ceramics – anything made from clay
● Greenware – clay that hasn't been fired/heated

● Clay is formed naturally. The movement of ice,

water, wind, and tree roots break down rock into the
minerals that form clay.

● A key ingredient of clay comes from granite -

feldspar.
Clay Structure
● Clay is made of microscopic platelets. When clay is
moist, these platelets easily slide back and forth.
Moisture also helps these platelets stick together.

● The ability to hold together while being shaped is

called plasticity.
The Effect of Heat
● Fire or heat stops the platelets from moving. The
clay shape returns to its rock-like state, becoming
permanent.

● When clay is heated quickly, the water expands as it

turns into steam. This rapid expansion is so
powerful, that the clay will explode. Trapped air can
also explode.

● Therefore, when working with clay, you must allow

it to become completely dry (bone dry) before
heating it.
Ancient Clay
● Clay has been used since ancient times.

● Nomads (wandering people) began to settle down

when they learned to make storage containers out of
clay. They also learned to make some foods easier to
eat by cooking them in ceramic dishes.

● Ceramics weren't only functional (objects with a

purpose). Excavations of ancient tombs revealed that
early people also made ceramic figures & animals as
companions for the dead.
Clay Preparation
● Early potters dug clay out of the ground. This clay
had a lot of impurities, like rocks and plant matter.

● In order to get rid of these impurities, they would

dry the clay, smash it up, and pick out the impurities
by hand.

● Once they removed the impurities, they rehydrated

or slaked the clay to return it to a workable state.
Clay Preparation
● Eventually, potters found an easier way to purify
their clay. They would add water to the clay, turning
it into slip (liquid clay).

● They would pour the slip from one container to

another.

● This process, called decanting, causes the coarser

materials to settle to the bottom, while the desired
clay is poured off.
Clay Preparation
● Another traditional way of purifying clay is
levigation. In this process, clay is prepared as a slip
and allowed to flow down a gradual slope.

● At the end of the slope, there is a lip. This blocks

larger particles, but allows the clay to pass through.
Lesson 2: Clay Properties
● Plasticity – clay is able to be formed into shapes; clay can
be made stronger by adding sand, straw, grog (crushed fired
ceramics) or paper pulp.

● Moisture – if clay is too moist, it becomes weak and cannot

hold its shape. Clay dries when exposed to air. However,
only when it is fired has all the moisture been forced out of
the clay.

● Texture – clay can be rough or smooth, depending on what

ingredients were added (grog, for example)

● Shrinkage – clay shrinks as it dries

Clay Properties
● Aging improves the plasticity of clay.

● Early potters passed down their supply of clay onto

their children.

● If the clay had been stored for a long time, it had to

be wedged (by kneading it until it has a uniform
consistency).
Clay Properties:
The Pros & Cons of Drying
● Clay shrinks as it dries. If it shrinks too quickly, it
will crack. Therefore, we control the drying rate by
wrapping the clay in plastic.

● As clay dries, it becomes more able to hold its form.

When clay is leather-hard, pressure can be applied
to the clay and it will not easily collapse.
Elements of Design
● Shape – a two-dimensional image, like the typing
on this screen/page. It has height & width, but no
depth.

● Form – is three-dimensional, like a chair. It was

height, width, and depth.

● Ceramic objects can display both form and shape.

For example, a potter can create a 3D vase, and add
2D patterns on its surface.
Principle of Design
● Unity – when parts of a design combine to create a
sense of harmony and oneness.
● For example, a potter can achieve a unified design
by repeating a colour or a shape.

● Movement – when a design creates a sense of

moving towards something
● For example, you can carve flowing lines into the
surface.
Lesson 3: Relief
● A relief is an image that has been carved or
modelled onto a fixed background.

● Types of Relief:
– High relief – projects from the surface; almost 3D
– Low/Bas relief – is elevated, but remains part of the
surface
– Intaglio – the image is incised or carved into the
surface
Examples of Relief

A Persian mid-relief located in Iran.

May also be called 2 layers of low relief.

"Gates of Paradise" by Ghiberti

Located in Florence, Italy.
Combination of low and high relief
Examples of Relief

High relief from the Classical Greek

Elgin Marbles.
Located in the British Museum

Sunk relief – restricted to Ancient Egyptian art.

A depiction of Pharaoh Akhenaten
with his wife Nefertiti and daughters.
Lesson 4: Traditional Ceramics
● ANCIENT AFRICAN CERAMICS
– Making of pottery in Africa began around 6,000B.C.

– In ancient times, women were responsible for

making pots, as part of food preparation.

– All pots were made by hand, using pinching and coil-

building and basic tools (like corn husks and
rocks).
Ancient African Ceramics
● Pots were often polished, or burnished.

● Ancient potters also decorated their work with

carved geometric designs.

● After drying, the pots were put in a pile and covered

with wood, bark, or dried cow dung and baked in an
open fire.
Ancient African Ceramics

What do you notice about the shape of these vessels?

How would you describe the surface designs?
Japanese Tea Ceramics
● The tea plant is native to southern China, where tea
drinking originated nearly 5,000 years ago.

● Tea drinking was spread by Buddhist monks, who

used it as part of spiritual ceremonies.

● It was adopted by the aristocracy in China and

Japan, and soon became a social custom worldwide.
Japanese Tea Ceramics
● The Japanese aristocracy developed a very elaborate
tea ceremony.

● Their goal was to achieve spiritual enlightenment

and transformation, demonstrated by harmony,
respect, purity, and tranquillity.

● This custom led to a special style for tea ceramics.

Japanese Tea Ceramics
These are some of the standards that Japanese tea masters
used to measure the beauty of a tea bowl:

● Physical – variety of textures ● Drinking point – there should be

one place for the lip to touch
● Visual – looks should match
opposite the decorated front of
physical traits (if it looks heavy,
the bowl
it should feel heavy)
● Interior form – a faint spiral
● Outside form – should fit
relief should let the tea gently
comfortably in the hand, and the
flow into your mouth
foot should provide secure
balance ● Glaze application – should vary,
but should be harmonious with
● Rim – should suggest natural
the form
movement over stones, hills, or
mountains
Examples of Japanese Tea Ceramics
What do you notice about these tea bowls?
Examples of Japanese Tea Ceramics
What do you notice about these tea bowls?
First Nations Ceramics
Ceramics has been around in North and South America for at
least 7500 years.

Clay has been used to create cooking vessels, pipes, funerary

objects (urns, sculptures), ceremonial items, masks, toys, and
sculptures.

Pinch pots and other small objects would be made by hand,

without any tools.

Coil-building was also a common technique (Unit 2).

No pottery wheels before European contact.

First Nations Ceramics
● Paddle-and-anvil technique: the inside of the clay wall was
supported by a mold, and the outside was paddled smooth.

● Rope, fabric, baskets, corncobs, and carved wood were rolled

over wet clay to add decoration.

● Indigenous ceramics were seldom glazed. Instead they were

burnished/ polished with a stone. Grease can also be rubbed
onto the fired pot to add shine.

● Ceramics were usually open-air fired or pit-fired.

Examples of First Nations Ceramics

Carl Beam (born Carl Migwans) – Iroquoian

Canadian Ojibwe
Pinch Pot Project
You will create a series of 3 pinch pots.

Since you are creating a series, your 3 pinch

pots must have a unifying theme. In other
words, they need to look like they go together.

Minimum size for each pinch pot: 4 inches in

diameter.

Make them as thin as you can.

Add surface decoration using the techniques

mentioned in Lesson 5.
Lesson 5: Decorating Clay
1) Incising – carving designs into the surface
2) Impressing – using an object (like a stamp) to press
a design into the clay
3) Combing – marks the surface with uniform lines;
imagine dragging a comb across the clay
4) Burnishing – rubbing and polishing the clay with a
smooth object, like a stone or spoon
5) Piercing – poking holes in the clay
6) Sprigging – attaching a decorative piece of clay
onto the surface of a piece; ex. - adding small flowers
to a teacup
Colouring Clay
1) Oxides - natural minerals found in the earth.

Iron produces red; cobalt produces blue;

copper produces green; rutile produces tan.

These can be applied before or after firing, but must

be fired again to become permanent.

Oxides produce a satin surface.

Colouring Clay
2) Underglazes – a combination of oxides, clay, and
a flux (ingredient that causes melting).

These can be applied before or after firing, but must

be fired to fuse to the clay.

Underglazes create a matte surface.

Colouring Clay
3) Glazes – composed of silica ( forms glass when
heated), flux (a melting agent), and alumina
(stabilizes the glaze so it doesn't run off the object).

Only glaze seals the clay and makes it food-safe.

Glaze is best applied after clay has been fired, but
must be fired again to fuse to the object.

Glaze produces a glossy surface.

CAUTION
● Since oxides, underglazes, and glazes have melting
properties, they will fuse to anything they are
touching when hot.

● When applying oxides, underglazes, or glazes to

your work, keep the bottom clean!

● Wipe the bottom and 1cm up the walls of your piece

with a damp sponge before firing.
Lesson 6: Methods of Applying Colour
1) sponging – using a 4) mishima – placing
sponge to apply the media colour into incised lines

2) brushing – using a brush 5) masking – using stencils

to apply media made of paper or masking
tape to apply designs onto
the clay
3) sgraffito – scratching
designs into a layer of
colour
Reflection: Unit 1
1) Evaluate your Relief Project:
a) Do you think it is a successful artwork? Explain.
b) Were you able to create a sense of
movement? Explain.
c) What would you change if you could?

2) Evaluate your Pinch Pots:

a) Do they look like a series? Why or why
not?
b) Were you able to control the clay
successfully? Explain.
c) What would you change if you could?