- What is Art and why does it matter?
- How do you evaluate your artwork (find, see and select problems), explore the options for solutions or change and then use a creative approach to solve them?
- How does culture influence how you use the Elements and Principles of design to be creative?
- How does imagination, persistence and determination affect your artwork?
- What role does visual arts play in your life?
- How do you appreciate the importance of the arts in expressing the human experience?
- How do you use skills to interact with materials and tools to be creative?
Showing posts with label Advanced Ceramics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advanced Ceramics. Show all posts
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Essential Questions
What are the Essential Questions?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Basic Ceramic Vocabulary
Content Specific Vocabulary for Ceramics/Pottery
Clay: Mainly comes in red or white, clay is particles of decomposd rock combined with water to create a plastic, malleable body which is then fired in a kiln to fuse the particles back into a stone-like status.
Slip: A thick, creamy mixture of clay and water (and sometimes vinegar) used to join clay parts together or to decorate the surface. It is applied before firing, when the clay is still wet. Slip can also be mixed with colorants for pouring, brushing, dipping and trailing to create a great variety of decorative processes.
Plastic: Clay that is soft, pliable and easy to work with.
Leather-Hard: Clay that has been allowed to dry slightly, making it stiffer and able to support its weight, but can still be worked on and have parts attached.
Greenware: refers to any clay stage that takes place BEFORE the first kiln firing. This clay has not gone through the chemical change in the kiln yet. Greenware refers to clay that is in the leatherhard or plastic stage.
Bone Dry: Clay that has dried so that it is no longer cool or damp to the touch. The clay is at its most fragile stage and can break or crack easily if not handled carefully. The clay is now ready to be fired in the kiln for the first time. This is the last stage that the clay would be able to be returned to its plastic/leather-hard stage.
Bisque: Clay after it has been fired for the first time. The first firing removes all of the water and carbon. The fusing of the particles has begun, yet the clay is still porous to allow for glaze absorption. The clay can no longer be returned to its original, plastic stage after this point but it is now ready to have the glaze applied. Fired at Cone 06 - 1873 degrees. This first initial firing drives out chemically combined water thereby transforming the clay into a permanent material.
Glazeware: The second firing of the clay with a coating of glaze upon its surface. It is fired to a higher temperature than the bisque and therefore fuses the particles into a solid, non-porous state. Fired at Cone 05 - 1943 degrees
Kiln: A structure used to fire ceramic ware.
Foot: The bottom of a ceramic piece
Dry Foot: The bottom and about 1/8 to 1/4 inch up the sides of a piece kept free from glaze so the piece will not adhere to the kiln shelf when the piece is fired.
Glaze: A mixture of powdered ceramic materials, clay, glass, fluxes and colorants with water. It is applied to bisqueware pieces and then refired to a higher temperature (usually). Glaze is used to decorate, protect and make clay pieces food-safe. DO NOT apply glaze to the bottom surface of the work or any part that may rest upon or touch the kiln shelf.
Underglaze: A commercially prepared mixture of "ceramic paint" that can be applied to wet, dry or bisqued clay. The pre-fired color of the "paint" stays true through the firing but it is not shiny. A coating of clear glaze has to be applied in order to create a shine and seal the piece.
Stamp: Any device that can be pressed or rolled into clay to create an imprinted design. It can be made of clay, plaster, wood or any other type of found object.
Coil: A building technique using solid tubes of clay stacked in layers upon one another to create a vessel or form.
Pinch: The process of starting with a ball of clay, inserting your thumb and "pinching" the clay between your thumb and fingers, gradually expanding and shaping the wall into a bowl-like form.
Slab: Using thin sheets of clay to build a structure, the sheets can be either rolled or stretched out. They can be manipulated while in the plastic stage and formed around molds (soft slab) or when leather-hard and have forms constructed from shapes cut from the sheet (hard slab).
Kiln: A furnace made of refactory (non-melting) materials constructed to fire clay. They are usually fueled by electricity, gas or wood, but may also be fired using coal and oil.
Firing: The process of conversion involving heat of at least 1875 degrees f. The process where the clay material is converted into a stone like material, unaffected by water.
Grog: Ground up bits of fired clay used to temper a clay body, reduce shrinking and cracking or add texture or "tooth". It comes in grades from very fine to extra coarse.
Score and Slip: The method for joining pieces of clay where the two surfaces are scratched up and slip (or water) is added like a "glue" to create a strong, melded bond. It is an essential step in ceramic construction because clay will stick to itself when wet, but will then fall apart when all the water is removed. Texturing the surface gives the clay some grip, almost like Velcro.
Pug Mill: A mixing machine for clay - the clay is mixed up and then extruded as a large round coil. This process helps to extract the air bubbles from the clay.
Sgraffito: A decorative method of scratching through a layer of slip, glaze or oxide to the layer below.
Burnishing: A finishing method for when the clay is in the leather-hard or bone dry stage. Using a spoon or a small rounded, smooth stone, pressure is applied to the surface of the clay resulting in a smooth, shiny finish as the clay particles are packed down together.
Wax Resist: A method of decorating pottery by brushing on a design with a hot melted wax emulsion; this will prevent an applied stain or glaze from adhering to the decorated areas.
Wedging: Kneading and mixing clay with the fingers and heels of th hands in a rocking, spiral motion which forces out trapped air pockets and develops a uniform texture to remove air bubbles before hand building or wheel throwing.
Burnishing: A form of pottery treatment in which the surface of the pot is polished, using a hard smooth surface such as a wooden or bone spatula, smooth stones, plastic, or even glass bulbs, while it still is in a leathery 'green' state, i.e. before firing. After firing, the surface is extremely shiny.
Two Methods of Wedging
1. Ram's Head: Pushing the clay down and out releasing trapped air, eliminating lumps and making the clay homogeneous. the clay resembles a ram's head after each motion.
2. Spiral: Using a slight twist of the hands opens up all parts of the clay ball, allowing any air bubbles to escape. Spiral wedging also lines up the clay particles.
Stages of the Clay
1. Slip: Watered down clay in a muddy form
2. Plastic: Workable stage - molding stage, can recycle, can join to other pieces
3. Leather-Hard: Stiff and will hold its shape, join to other pieces, carve into, recycle
4. Greenware: Bone dry, can be carved into, very fragile, can recycle
5. Bisqueware: Fired once in the kiln, cannot be recycled, ready to glaze
6. Earthenware (Glazeware): A piece that was fired for the second time - low fire (cone 05), cannot be recycled.
7. Stoneware (Glazeware): A piece that was fired for the second time - high fire (cone 5), cannot be recycled.
Clay: Mainly comes in red or white, clay is particles of decomposd rock combined with water to create a plastic, malleable body which is then fired in a kiln to fuse the particles back into a stone-like status.
Slip: A thick, creamy mixture of clay and water (and sometimes vinegar) used to join clay parts together or to decorate the surface. It is applied before firing, when the clay is still wet. Slip can also be mixed with colorants for pouring, brushing, dipping and trailing to create a great variety of decorative processes.
Plastic: Clay that is soft, pliable and easy to work with.
Leather-Hard: Clay that has been allowed to dry slightly, making it stiffer and able to support its weight, but can still be worked on and have parts attached.
Greenware: refers to any clay stage that takes place BEFORE the first kiln firing. This clay has not gone through the chemical change in the kiln yet. Greenware refers to clay that is in the leatherhard or plastic stage.
Bone Dry: Clay that has dried so that it is no longer cool or damp to the touch. The clay is at its most fragile stage and can break or crack easily if not handled carefully. The clay is now ready to be fired in the kiln for the first time. This is the last stage that the clay would be able to be returned to its plastic/leather-hard stage.
Bisque: Clay after it has been fired for the first time. The first firing removes all of the water and carbon. The fusing of the particles has begun, yet the clay is still porous to allow for glaze absorption. The clay can no longer be returned to its original, plastic stage after this point but it is now ready to have the glaze applied. Fired at Cone 06 - 1873 degrees. This first initial firing drives out chemically combined water thereby transforming the clay into a permanent material.
Glazeware: The second firing of the clay with a coating of glaze upon its surface. It is fired to a higher temperature than the bisque and therefore fuses the particles into a solid, non-porous state. Fired at Cone 05 - 1943 degrees
Kiln: A structure used to fire ceramic ware.
Foot: The bottom of a ceramic piece
Dry Foot: The bottom and about 1/8 to 1/4 inch up the sides of a piece kept free from glaze so the piece will not adhere to the kiln shelf when the piece is fired.
Glaze: A mixture of powdered ceramic materials, clay, glass, fluxes and colorants with water. It is applied to bisqueware pieces and then refired to a higher temperature (usually). Glaze is used to decorate, protect and make clay pieces food-safe. DO NOT apply glaze to the bottom surface of the work or any part that may rest upon or touch the kiln shelf.
Underglaze: A commercially prepared mixture of "ceramic paint" that can be applied to wet, dry or bisqued clay. The pre-fired color of the "paint" stays true through the firing but it is not shiny. A coating of clear glaze has to be applied in order to create a shine and seal the piece.
Stamp: Any device that can be pressed or rolled into clay to create an imprinted design. It can be made of clay, plaster, wood or any other type of found object.
Coil: A building technique using solid tubes of clay stacked in layers upon one another to create a vessel or form.
Pinch: The process of starting with a ball of clay, inserting your thumb and "pinching" the clay between your thumb and fingers, gradually expanding and shaping the wall into a bowl-like form.
Slab: Using thin sheets of clay to build a structure, the sheets can be either rolled or stretched out. They can be manipulated while in the plastic stage and formed around molds (soft slab) or when leather-hard and have forms constructed from shapes cut from the sheet (hard slab).
Kiln: A furnace made of refactory (non-melting) materials constructed to fire clay. They are usually fueled by electricity, gas or wood, but may also be fired using coal and oil.
Firing: The process of conversion involving heat of at least 1875 degrees f. The process where the clay material is converted into a stone like material, unaffected by water.
Grog: Ground up bits of fired clay used to temper a clay body, reduce shrinking and cracking or add texture or "tooth". It comes in grades from very fine to extra coarse.
Score and Slip: The method for joining pieces of clay where the two surfaces are scratched up and slip (or water) is added like a "glue" to create a strong, melded bond. It is an essential step in ceramic construction because clay will stick to itself when wet, but will then fall apart when all the water is removed. Texturing the surface gives the clay some grip, almost like Velcro.
Pug Mill: A mixing machine for clay - the clay is mixed up and then extruded as a large round coil. This process helps to extract the air bubbles from the clay.
Sgraffito: A decorative method of scratching through a layer of slip, glaze or oxide to the layer below.
Burnishing: A finishing method for when the clay is in the leather-hard or bone dry stage. Using a spoon or a small rounded, smooth stone, pressure is applied to the surface of the clay resulting in a smooth, shiny finish as the clay particles are packed down together.
Wax Resist: A method of decorating pottery by brushing on a design with a hot melted wax emulsion; this will prevent an applied stain or glaze from adhering to the decorated areas.
Wedging: Kneading and mixing clay with the fingers and heels of th hands in a rocking, spiral motion which forces out trapped air pockets and develops a uniform texture to remove air bubbles before hand building or wheel throwing.
Burnishing: A form of pottery treatment in which the surface of the pot is polished, using a hard smooth surface such as a wooden or bone spatula, smooth stones, plastic, or even glass bulbs, while it still is in a leathery 'green' state, i.e. before firing. After firing, the surface is extremely shiny.
Two Methods of Wedging
1. Ram's Head: Pushing the clay down and out releasing trapped air, eliminating lumps and making the clay homogeneous. the clay resembles a ram's head after each motion.
2. Spiral: Using a slight twist of the hands opens up all parts of the clay ball, allowing any air bubbles to escape. Spiral wedging also lines up the clay particles.
Stages of the Clay
1. Slip: Watered down clay in a muddy form
2. Plastic: Workable stage - molding stage, can recycle, can join to other pieces
3. Leather-Hard: Stiff and will hold its shape, join to other pieces, carve into, recycle
4. Greenware: Bone dry, can be carved into, very fragile, can recycle
5. Bisqueware: Fired once in the kiln, cannot be recycled, ready to glaze
6. Earthenware (Glazeware): A piece that was fired for the second time - low fire (cone 05), cannot be recycled.
7. Stoneware (Glazeware): A piece that was fired for the second time - high fire (cone 5), cannot be recycled.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
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