To begln my Ceramlcs class, l am Leachlng a unlL devoLed Lo Lhe ldea of lnsplraLlon.

1hroughouL Lhls
unlL, sLudenLs wlll be learnlng Lhe baslc skllls of ceramlc bulldlng. We are focuslng on lnsplraLlon as Lhe
8lg ldea" of Lhls unlL because sLudenLs ofLen have a hard Llme assoclaLlng ceramlcs wlLh creaLlvlLy ln
arL, lnsLead, focus falls on Lhe skllls and Lechnlques of clay bulldlng. 1hls blg ldea wlll help sLudenLs
connecL lnsplraLlon lnLo oLher faceLs of Lhelr llfe- furLher bulldlng Lhelr creaLlve sklll seL. uue Lo Lhe
facL LhaL Lhls course ls a Ceramlcs 1, we wlll be sLarLlng aL Lhe very orlgln of clay bulldlng and Lhen work
Lowards more complex pro[ecLs.

Thls unlL has many lmporLanL goals. A ma[or ob[ecLlve ls for Lhe sLudenLs for
develop an undersLandlng of clay, how lL works, how lL doesn'L work, how lL can
funcLlon, and how Lhey can bulld forms wlLh lL. Cur pro[ecLs wlll be bulldlng up
and worklng Lowards Lhese goals. AnoLher slgnlflcanL ob[ecLlve ls for Lhe sLudenLs
Lo undersLand Lhe Lheme of lnsplraLlon. 1hrough bralnsLormlng and acLlvlLles Lo
geL mlnds worklng, l hope Lo develop a sense of lnsplraLlon ln my class. lnsplraLlon
has many meanlngs- Lhls ls someLhlng l hope Lo hlghllghL LhroughouL my lessons.
1hroughouL Lhls unlL, sLudenLs wlll explore lnsplraLlon as a way Lo make Lhe world a beLLer place,
lnsplraLlon ln Lerms of Lhelr self-ldenLlLy and expresslon, and uslng bralnsLormlng Lo flnd lnsplraLlon ln
Lhelr world of arL hlsLory. LasLly, sLudenLs wlll be learnlng baslc clay bulldlng Lechnlques. We wlll sLarL
Lhe unlL wlLh poL bulldlng Lechnlques, plnch, coll, and slab. 1he pro[ecLs wlll mosLly focus on Lhese
bulldlng sLraLegles as we move lnLo Llle maklng and Lhen creaLlng a seL/serles of pleces.
uemonsLraLlons, vldeos, and experlmenLlng wlLh Lhe clay body wlll be whaL deepen Lhe sLudenL's
knowledge of ceramlcs. Powever Lrlvlal, Lhese Lechnlques are necessary for Lhem Lo move on Lo more
complex ceramlcs courses and lengLhen Lhelr arLlsLlc llLeracy.

My assessmenL plans for Lhls lesson are boLh
summaLlve and formaLlve. lor each pro[ecL, Lhe
sLudenLs wlll recelve a compleLed rubrlc ouLllnlng Lhelr
polnLs earned along wlLh commenLs. arL of Lhls rubrlc
ls Lhelr parLlclpaLlon, whlch l wlll glve Lhem a dally
grade. 1hls grade ls based on Lhelr focus and
engagemenL on Lhe pro[ecL aL hand. lor varlous
pro[ecLs, sLudenLs wlll be requlred Lo flll ouL self-
evaluaLlons LhaL l wlll Lake lnLo conslderaLlon as l make
Lhe flnal grades.

unl1 LAn #3

Ceramics

Big Idea:
!"#$%&'(%)" whlle learnlng Lhe baslcs of worklng wlLh clay

For sLudenLs Lo learn and pracLlce Lhe baslc ceramlc bulldlng Lechnlques, we wlll sLarL wlLh Lhe !"#$%
'()*+ ,-(./0$. 1hroughouL Lhls servlce-learnlng pro[ecL, sLudenLs wlll make four dlfferenL bowls-
masLerlng Lhe plnch poL, coll bowl, and slab bowl bulldlng Lechnlques. lnsplred by Lhe wlll of maklng
Lhe world a beLLer place, sLudenLs wlll hosL an LmpLy 8owls evenL ln whlch Lhey wlll fundralse for food
banks/charlLles of Lhelr chooslng. AfLer Lhls very llLeral pro[ecL, we wlll swlLch gears Lo an 12+$-10$
#3/0/. SLudenLs wlll choose Lhelr favorlLe genre of muslc and Lhen creaLe a sculpLure lnsplred from lL.
We wlll Lalk abouL communlcaLlon and symbols, buL encourage sLudenLs Lo use Lhelr own creaLlvlLy
and noL rely on recognlzable ob[ecLs, buL lnsLead form, shape, llne, color, eLc. Lo communlcaLe Lhelr
lnsplraLlon. AfLer Lhls very absLracL pro[ecL, sLudenLs' wlll learn a llLLle blL abouL prlnLmaklng and Lhe
,(# 4-$ movemenL as Lhey make a $3*/ 5+367 368 $-16+9/--/: 3"17/. 1he lmage wlll be up Lo Lhem, buL
lL musL be someLhlng LhaL lnLeresLs Lhem or LhaL represenLs Lhem. AfLer Lhls self-expressed
lnsplraLlon, sLudenLs wlll look aL Lhe world of arL hlsLory Lo choose an 1-$ "(;/"/6$ (- 91"(5+ 1-$3+$
LhaL lnsplres Lhem and Lhen creaLe a +/-3/+ (9 $<-// #3/0/+, all relaLlng and slmllar. 1hls flnal serles
pro[ecL wlll be an accumulaLlon of all prevlous skllls, Lhemes, and bulldlng Lechnlques LhaL we've done
LhroughouL Lhls unlL.







Preparation, continued
2. Assign students the task of finding a
photograph of themselves or a pop icon that
they want to use.
2. Divide clay using a wire clay cutter; need
approximately 2 lbs per student.
4. Cover tables with unprimed canvas to keep
clay from sticking.
Process
1. Make copies of the photograph by ink-
jet printing or photocopying (not
laserprinting). It is helpful if
the image is digitally
"posterized" first by
making copies of
copies to remove
multiples levels of gray. A
separate copy will be
needed for multiple tiles. Four
identical images can be printed
onto an 8-1/2" x 11" sheet of paper.
2. With a watersoluble marker or gel pen, draw
over the lines of the image that you want to
transfer to the clay, see (A).
3. Roll slabs of clay, no thinner than 1/4" thick.
Clay thickness strips positioned on either side
of the rolling pin will facilitate the creation of
even slabs. Roll in both directions to align the
clay particles and reduce the possibility of
warping. Carefully lift the slab from one end
and move it to a plywood board for the
remainder of the project.
4. Lay the image face down
on the slab and smooth
the back side with
fingers to ensure good
contact. After about 30
seconds, lift a corner to
see if the image has
transferred to the clay. If
not, allow up to a minute
for the transfer to occur, then carefully lift the
image from the clay, see (B).
5. While the clay is still soft, use a ruler to cut it
into a tile, leaving a border around the image.
Wet fingers and smooth sides. Do not lift the
tile after cutting, as this can cause warping.
6. After the tile has dried slightly, carve or incise
the dark lines of the transfer by:
Using a triangular-shaped mini-ribbon tool
or other small modeling tool.
Placing a clear plastic bag over the image
and tracing the lines with a ballpoint pen.
This results in a smooth line.
Experiment with a variety of depths and
thicknesses of the carved lines on a scrap
piece of clay.
7. After carving, sponge lightly over the surface
to smooth rough edges and remove the
remaining transfer. Dry slowly on the board,
turning the tiles occasionally to ensure even
drying.
8. Bisque fire the tiles to cone 04 or 1915 F.
9. After the tiles are bisque fired, its time to
experiment with color!
Apply ceramic underglazes (or acrylic
paints, see below). Brush Black into the
carved lines first, then sponge the
underglaze away from the surface of the
tile. Then, add other colors to the surface,
starting with the lightest shades. Avoid
applying other colors to the Black in the
lines. After the underglazes are applied, the
tile must be re-fired to bisque temperature.
Another color option is acrylic paint. Apply
Black to the carved lines, then sponge off
the surface of the tile. Finish with additional
acrylic colors; recommend Blick

Artists
Acrylics, 6-color basic sets (00624-1029) and
Sargent Art

Metallic Acrylics, 8-oz, assorted

colors (00730-)
2. DickBlick.com 1-800-447-8192
(A)
(B)