Well, then, here's the link to my young students' work -
The projects from the spring session disappeared so fast that I didn't get a chance to take shots of those.
The first project is always either a dug-out box or patchwork bowl. This allows them to become familiar with the clay.
Some of the other projects we tackle are:
Soft-slab cylinders Hard-slab boxes Pinch pots, bowls and enclosed forms Wind chimes Simple sculptures Paddled pillow boxes
We do a lot of texturing. The patchwork bowls are nothing more than highly textured slabs that are randomly torn apart (not cut, but torn) and laid into a form (I use wooden bowls) then the inside smoothed over and the "seams" sealed with a rubber rib, and feet added.
Colored slips and stains for resist patterns are really fun - I encourage them to bring leaves or paper cut-outs to use. Roll the leaves/cut-outs lightly into the slabs and 'paint' over with colored slip then pull up whatever they used to resist it and slump it into a form and add feet when it's firm enough to do so.
I give them the basics - we make specific projects but WHAT they choose to do with what I've given them is up to them. For instance, a dug-out box doesn't have to be square - this last session I had a volcano, a wedge of cheese, a rhino with a bird on it's back, a lady-bug, a pyramid, a set of kopechi dolls, a turtle - children are simply amazing!
Elizabeth's box was a nice surprise - I hadn't shown them how to make lids for their boxes - she figured it out on her own then added the sprigs using a Sculpey push mold for all the faces.
We all enjoy ourselves and learn from each other. There's no greater joy than when they come in early, go to the cupboard to get their tool buckets and dive right in.
For the returning students, I ask them for a list of projects they want to accomplish and provide the assistance when they run into a problem.
As for the glazing, they do all that themselves. That's when they finally understand the ninth commandment in the document we have posted all over the studio:
The Ten Commandments for Potters
- Thou shalt NOT make dust.
- Thou shalt NOT pick up greenware by the lip, handle or other fragile area.
- Thou shalt NOT touch projects that do not belong to thee.
- Thou shalt put all supplies back WHERE THEY BELONG AND CLEAN THE AREA (Refer to #1) before departing.
- Thou shalt let stain dry thoroughly before glazing.
- Thou shalt practice on the wheel at least once a week for more than
- Thou shalt CARVE THY INITIALS OR MARK in the bottom of thy projects.
- Thou shalt place glazed ware in kiln room on the proper shelf.
- Thou shalt believe thy teacher that the silly pink glaze or stain on thy pot will fire blue.
- Thou shalt trust thy teacher.
Hope this helps!
Take care,
Lori