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INTRODUCTION - Before attempting any of the projects in this book, it is advisable to have a general orien­tation to ceramic methods and materials. Read this introduction through—it will give you such a background. Only basic tools and materials are recommended, and elementary processes dis­cussed, in order not to confuse the beginner with too much information at the outset.

CERAMIC MATERIALS - CALIFORNIA   BraunCorp.

2260 East 15 Street Los Angeles, California

Braun-Knecht-Heimann Co.

1400 16 Street

San Francisco, California

O. Hommel Co. 4747 East 49 Street Los Angeles, California

COLORADO  Denver Fire Clay Company 3033 Blake Street Denver, Colorado

CONNECTICUT Ettl Studios, Inc. Ettl Lane Glenville, Connecticut

FLORIDA Newton School Equipment Co. P.O. Box 4334 119 West Ashley Jacksonville, Florida

01. HAND SCULPTURE - This exercise will help you get the feel of the clay, but you also will produce a piece of ceramic sculpture. Take a mass of clay as large as you can conveniently hold in one hand, wedge it thoroughly (see Introduction, page 12), and shape it into a ball or egg shape (Figure 1). With both hands, squeeze and press it into a simple form which results from the use of the hands only (Figure 2). Don't lay it down or work on it while it rests on the table. Slowly organize it into a simple rhythmic shape, stressing those lines or contours which seem most pleasing (Figure 3). Use only your fingers and hands for tools.

02. PINCH BOWL - This is about the simplest way to make pottery. You need no tools, just use your hands and fin­gers. It will help you acquire the necessary feel­ing for the clay and develop finger dexterity. Take a small ball of soft, moist clay about 1 ½" in diameter. Wedge the clay thoroughly (see Introduction, page 12). If the clay is not soft, wet the hands and work the clay until it feels as pli­able as dough.

03. CYLINDRICAL VASE - The method of building with coils of clay is one of the simplest and easiest ways of making pot­tery and sculpture, and some of the finest cer­amics in the world have been made by this proc­ess. Technical success depends on the ability to make even coils and to join them efficiently. The beauty of the piece will depend on both sensi­tivity to design and craftsmanship

04. POTTERY - DESIGN. Design is the most important part of any craft. An object which is technically perfect, but has no distinguishing quality of design is lifeless. It is difficult to direct the student to make a good design or even to describe one, because the sensitivity involved is visual and sensual. But a beginner can perhaps be led to conceive in simple values of form, color, and surface decora­tion or texture. For this reason, it is recommended here that the beginner first design with the basic geometric units such as a cylinder, a sphere, an ovoid, or a cone.

05. SIMPLE BIRD - Some simple sculpture forms are made in a way that is very similar to the making of a cylinder or vase. Choose a bird or animal like an owl or seal which can be made in a single unit.

Wedge the clay thoroughly (see Introduction, page 12). To model an owl: Make a coil about ½ in diameter and start the bottom of your sculpture by forming a ring about 3" in diam­eter and joining the ends (Figure 1). Work on a plaster bat (a base of  4" x 6" or larger) so that the piece can be handled easily while working. Add a second coil, but set it a little way from the center, and weld it into place.

06. ANIMAL - The coil method offers an easy and practical means for modeling animals in action. Try first a simple four-footed animal such as a dog or cat, or a wild animal—tiger, leopard, or lion. Have a specific animal, and the action it is to assume, in your mind before starting. You can make a sketch of the approximate size and action if you wish.

07. HUMAN FIGURE - Visualize, and sketch if you wish, the particular pose or action you wish your figure to assume. For example, you may have a standing pose—a cowboy standing with legs apart and his hands on his hips; a boxer; or a man lifting a log, or carrying a box on his back.

Wedge the piece of clay thoroughly (see Intro­duction, page 12). Make a base about 4" square by patting a piece of clay to ¾" thickness.

08. FIGURE GROUPS - A group of figures presents a more difficult prob­lem of composition and a more complex prob­lem of construction than a single figure. You should do the single figure project (at least read the directions) before attempting this one. It is advisable to have your composition well in mind before starting to model it. A rough sketch of the group will be a great advantage.

09. PORTRAIT HEAD - Wedge the clay thoroughly (see Introduction, page 12). A core constructed of coils makes a good foundation for a portrait head. Work on a plaster bat about 6" x 8" so that you can han­dle the piece easily. Make a heavy coil, about 1" in diameter, into a circle 3" in diameter. Build up three or more coils vertically to a height of about 4" to form the neck (Figure 1). The bottom is thickest because it supports the weight of the entire head. Weld the coils together inside and out. Succeeding coils may be ¾" in diameter. Add three more coils, but make each succeeding ring larger and let it step out in front to form the chin.

10. TILE - The making of a tile is an interesting ceramics problem in itself, but it also serves as a basis for making flat-sided pottery, and as a back­ground for exploring the decorative processes.

Wedge the clay thoroughly (see Introduction, page 12). Lay two of the sticks about 7" apart on the cloth which has been wet and stretched out flat on the table. Pat the piece of wedged clay down between the sticks until it is slightly higher than the sticks (Figure 1).

11. ASH TRAY - DESIGN. Pottery with square or flat sides is most easily made by the slab method. This is a means of joining together flat slabs of clay. Slab pot­tery is different in character from that made with coils. The slab method lends itself best to angular forms and shapes based on plane con­struction. One drawback is that the straight edges and flat planes are apt to become too mechanical and often mislead the beginner into making objects that are better suited to metal and wood.

12. BOX - A clay box is made in the same way as the ash tray (see Project XI). First design the size and proportions of the box. It can be made for cigarettes, candy, or jewelry. The size will be determined in part by the use for which it is intended, and in part by the imagination of the designer. Because clay shrinks about 10%, or ⅛" to the inch, this should be taken into consid­eration at the outset. Draw a pattern of the box with bottom, four sides, and cover in actual size. In drawing, make two sides shorter than the actual length to allow for the thickness of the other two sides.

13. CURVED FORMS - Curved or round forms can also be constructed with slabs, but it is advisable to make such forms of coils because it is a freer method and the result is apt to be less mechanical. If slab construction is used to make these forms, the process is similar to that used in making flat-sided objects. The only difference is that the bottom is circular or organic in shape and the slab for the side is made in one continuous piece and fitted to conform to the curve of the bottom (Figures 1 and 2).

14. HANDLES - Useful objects such as pitchers, tea pots, sugar bowls, cookie jars can be made by the coil or slab method, but they present the added prob­lem of making and fitting spouts, covers, and handles.

SPOUTS. Two types of spouts, the triangular (Figure 2), and the tubular tapering spout (Fig­ure 3), serve all purposes.

15. DECORATIVE PROCESSES - The surface of an object may be treated in a number of ways to enrich the design and mate­rial of the object. But the application of the decoration may destroy the design of the pot­tery or sculpture if it is not sensitively or thought­fully applied. Following are several exercises which are recommended to learn the simple decorative processes. They will provide the ex­perience for decorating other ceramic forms. Make five tiles, each to be decorated in a differ­ent way. (See Project X, for directions for mak­ing a tile

16. CERAMIC JEWELRY - Lapel pins, clips, earrings, buttons, and neck­laces can be made by the ceramic process. A special clay, a fine-textured white clay with a high flint content which intensifies the glaze col­ors is best for this purpose. Either gray or terra cotta pottery clay may be used. For jewelry, the gray clay will be more attractive if covered with colored clay slips and a transparent glaze, or if covered with opaque glazes. The terra cotta clay may be partially covered with colored clay slips, fired once and left unglazed, or painted with transparent glaze.

17. TOYS - WHISTLE. One of the most popular whistles or flageolets made by the Chiriqui Indians of Panama, in pre-Columbian times took the form of a bird. Many different kinds of birds were used, size being optional, anywhere from 2" to 6" long, decorated with a slip-painted design, and finished by polishing. The primitives often used the method of polishing with a smooth stone in place of glaze. Similar whistles, in bird, animal, and human forms, have been made by other primitive peoples (see Figures 10 and 11).

18. PLASTER BAT - The plaster bat is an indispensable item of the beginner's equipment and is easily and eco­nomically made. It is used primarily for support­ing a piece while it is being worked on and for keeping it in a moist, plastic state. The bat is kept moist by soaking or dipping it in water according to how much moisture the clay object needs.

Making plaster bats provides a background of experience for casting. Plaster bats can be made in any size, and a variety of sizes are needed.

19. PRESS MOLDS - It may be desirable to make several copies of ceramic jewelry or tiles for gifts or sale, or for the purpose of achieving identical copies, as in the case of earrings, buttons, or tiles for a table. These are best made from a press mold. The first consideration is to make the model simple and well planned in the interest of good design and construction. Simple geometric forms (Figure 4), animal or floral motifs, present good possibilities.

20. 2-PIECE MOLD - Whenever several copies of the same object are desired, it is practical to cast them in a mold. This is also the case when a piece must be hollow, as salt and pepper shakers, or banks. The mold is a construction of plaster (or other material) which receives the impression of the form to be cast, and by means of which identical copies may be reproduced. Casting can be a very complex and difficult process, often requiring a great number of pieces carefully fitted together, es­pecially when intricately modeled sculpture is cast, but for the beginner, a very simple ceramic casting process, requiring only two pieces, is outlined.

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