sink

Bowls – Hump,
texture the
outside…. :O)
Van Gogh Ceramic Landscape
Van Gogh was known for his thickly painted landscapes, so
you can replicate the look with clay and kiln and glazes.
1. Give each student about a baseball-size piece of clay, and
have them form a smooth ball. Show them how to press the
ball into a thick pancake, using a roller if possible.
2. Give each student a stick or stylus, and have them etch a
drawing into the clay. It's good to start with a horizon line,
and then add a road, grass and sky.
3. Fire the clay plates, glaze paint, and fire again. Vibrant
Van Gogh-ish colors are essential!
 Roll Coils
Roll coils in a circular fashion.

Make Pattern
Line up two rolls as seen here.
Then fill the space between the rolls with coils for the full length of the two pieces of rolls.

Fill Gaps
Press a ball of clay in each gap that you
can see through.

Scrape and Smooth

Scrape all the coils together. Don't worry about the
other side, your coil pattern will still be visible.

Straighten Edges
After the coils have been scraped and smoothed, you might want to
straighten the edges by tapping a yard stick against the edge.
Your piece is now like a slab, however, your coil pattern will still be visible
on the other side.

Lift
Carefully lift your coil slab.
Make Bottom
Cut out a shape for your bottom.
I used a cup as a guide for my bottom.

Bend and attach to the bottom.

 Carefully bend the coil slab around the bottom you cut out.

Smooth Bottom
Flip over your piece then scrape and smooth the bottom.
A finger that has been dipped in water works great for smoothing.

Finishing Touches

On the area where the coil slab was

put to-gether use a pencil and draw the coil pattern
back onto the piece.

Finishing Touches - Smooth Top

Edge

Smooth out the top and your piece is ready to dry slowly.
It is important to dry the piece slowly because the grooves from
the coils will crack if drying occurs too quickly.
 Sand Clay Recipe Materials:
4 cups sand
2 cups cornstarch
1 1/2 Tbs. cream of tartar
3 cups water
food coloring or paint
large pot
molds for casting dough

Heat 3 cups of water in a large pot.

While the water is heating, mix the sand, cornstarch and cream of tartar thoroughly in a large
bowl.
You can use colored sand from the hobby store for this project if you want to.

Slowly mix the dry ingredients and coloring with the water, stirring constantly.
Continue to stir the mixture over medium heat until the water is almost gone.

When the dough starts to form and is too stiff to stir any more, remove it from the pot.
Set the dough aside to cool.

The dough will stay workable for a few days as long as you keep in an airtight container or plastic
bag.

There are all sorts of options when it comes to molding your dough.
Try pushing a variety of small containers, shells or anything with an interesting shape into your
dough.
I like to put rocks or other objects in small containers before adding dough to embed them in the
final product.

You can also put the dough in a pie pan or other flat container and use it to make handprint
sculptures.

When your creation is complete, let it air dry for a couple of days.
It should be hard as a rock and you will have your very own masterpiece!
Submitted by Cindy Erickson
Lesson : Draped Slab Bowls
Grade Level: All grades
When we make drape bowls (I usually do it with
5th graders) we take a rolled out slab of clay and
cut the edges into an odd-interesting pattern then
mold the bowl over the students bent kneecap-you
sort of throw it on there and then shape it. The
students love this and think it is very fun! You
can put clear wrap over their jeans or if you are
brave just slap it right on the jeans or on a bare
kneecap for artwork you can really get into! You
can build a foot to put on the bottom out of a coil
of clay.

We let them dry on the shelf upside down over a wadded up ball of newspaper. It is also
interesting to show the difference between a "natural" bowl made from rough edged clay
and a "styled" bowl made when you trim the edge with a knife in a more controlled
manner. Most students are naturally attracted to the cut-precise style and it is a learning
experience for them to think about the edges just being natural. Some like to put
something on their kneecap to add texture - like wadded up clear wrap, burlap, bags that
fruit come in, lace etc. Example shown has pine needle textures.

Pinch Pot Pets from Dana Loffland (upper elementary - grade 6)

Pinch Pot Pets. The process is so simple and all of the creatures come out differently. Students
begin by forming a small pinch pot. The sides are then squeezed in so that the opening of the pot
kind of resembles an 8. The top of the 8 will form two front legs. The bottom of the 8 will form two
back legs. Now, turn it over. The bottom of the pot now becomes the back of the pet. By pinching and
pulling, students "find" the head and tail of their animal. I tell the kids the animal will show them what
it wants to be. We have had horses, dogs, dinosaurs, dragons, cats, etc. Students get ideas from
each other and some students put a lot of effort into details. I caution them about having details that
are too small (fragile, dry and fall off). After firing, Students paint their animals with acrylic paint.
Some paint realistically, while others paint fantasy animals.
Ceramic Cupcakes

I found this project over on Artsonia.com awhile ago,

and it's been a huge hit. I fortunately have access to a kiln, but you could just air dry the clay and
paint it with acrylics to get much of the same effect.
1. There are new silicone cupcake holders that make this entire project possible. I found mine in the
food dept at Michael's Arts & Crafts.
2. Give each student one cupcake holder and enough clay to make a 2" wide ball. Show them how to
make a smooth ball which is then pressed into the rubber holder. The center should be pressed down
the most so the sides come up to form a kind of bowl.
3. Give each student another piece of clay, the same size as the first. They are to make a ball and in
effect, turn it into a small "pinch pot" which will sit upside down on the bowl.
4. Lastly, a small cherry is formed. Before attaching it to the pinch pot top, rough up both spots that
will make contact. Smooth surfaces tend to come apart when dry. Let dry and either fire with a kiln or
cover with acrylic paint.
This cupcake was make by a 4th grader.
 How to Make a Clay
Tile Puzzle Clay Tile Puzzle Technique

Lay the cloth on a flat surface. Form the clay into a ball. If the clay is store-
bought, it will take some kneading to make it pliable. Place the clay ball on
the table and use the rolling pin to make an even and flat slab.

Use the ruler to measure the exterior square of the puzzle. A workable size
would be to have an 8x8 square from which you can cut four squares. Make
the square bigger or smaller for your own clay tile puzzle. Divide the square
into four even pieces (or more) using the ruler and a cutting tool.

Once the square clay puzzle tiles are cut, remove the excess clay from the
outside and store in a plastic bag. Lift each clay puzzle tile carefully and
smooth down the edges with your fingers.

For kiln users, follow your kiln directions and decorate when the tiles have
had ample cooling time. For self-hardening clay puzzle tiles, let the tiles dry
for a minimum of two days. True drying time will depend on the climate and
weather where you live.

Once the tiles are dry, use a dry but rough sponge to smooth out any edges
or imperfections. Carefully wipe or blow off any dust created from the
smoothing process. Now you are ready to paint and decorate them.

To make a true clay tile puzzle, place the tiles next to each other, forming
the same square you had in the beginning. Paint the four tiles as if they still
connected. For example, if painting a flower, center the flower in the middle
of the big square, which is really the corners of the tiles. Or paint an
abstract design. You could also carve a design into the wet clay using the
cutting tool, a toothpick or other fine-edged item.