Ceramic Creatures of the Channel Islands

This project involves students creating hand-built ceramic object with animal features.

Students will learn ceramic building techniques: wedging, attaching clay with the four s's, slab, coil, pinch, as well as, focusing on surface quality.

Ceramic Animal

  • Pick any animal (sea creature, land animal, avian animal, insect, etc.) native to the Channel Islands
  • Animal Face (3 sets of features)

Sculptural

  • Three dimensional form
  • Hollow (no more than 3/4 in thick)
  • Added Dimension (stuff sticks out or goes in)
  • Textures (2 added textures in addition to smooth)
  • ​Symmetry (right and left sides mirror each other)
  • Name (carved into the back or base)

Function

  • Wall hanging planter
  • Phone holder
  • Tea Light Lantern 
  • Lamp
  • Cup with Lid

Plastic & Leatherhard Clay

All of the building happens during the Plastic stage, when the clay is wet and pliable.
The carving of the textures happen during the leatherhard stage, when the clay is less flexible, but still changeable.

Bisqueware

Once the clay is completely dry, it is fired in the kiln. When it comes back from the kiln, it is hard and permanently changed. It will no longer reconstitute back into malleable clay.

Glazed

Finishing your sculpture with painted details and a gloss finish. Ceramicists would glaze their ceramic sculptures by coating the bisqueware in powdered glass and other chemicals that react to the heat in the kiln.

Puffer Fish

  • Facial Features: Eyes, mouth, gills
​
  • Textures: Impressed scales, Added eye rings, lips, Carved fins

  • Planter Features: Flat stomach, Open top with hollow opening, Keyhole for hanging on a screw, nail, or hook

Research

Find an animal you like that is native to the Channel Islands

Ceramic Animal Requirements

SCULPTING REQUIREMENTS
  • ANIMAL FACE (3 sets of features: ex. eyes, ears, nose, horns, fangs, etc.)
  • ADDED DIMENSION (added clay to create parts that stick out)
  • TEXTURED SURFACES (2+ different applied textures - in addition to smooth)
  • SYMMETRY (symmetric balance - mostly the same on both sides)
  • FUNCTION (wall hanging planter, phone holder, tea light lantern, sculpture, lamp, cup with lid)
  • HOLLOW (no parts are more than 3/4 of an inch thick)
  • STAYS TOGETHER (wedged clay, scored, used slip, smoothed joints, doesn't blow up in the kiln)
  • NAME (carved name in back / bottom)
GLAZING REQUIREMENTS
  • TWO or more glaze colors
  • NO glaze on standing/resting surface (wherever it touches the kiln shelf)
  • COMPLETELY COVERED except for bottom or resting surfaces

Rough Sketch - 3 Views

• Front View
    3+ Facial features
    Textures are noted
• 3/4 or Side View
    Shows opening on top
    Protrusions on face
• Back or Bottom View
    Keyhole and Name 

Day One

Base Form
​& Keyhole + Name

Day Two

Add main shape pieces to match the animal

Day Three

Add Facial Features

Day Four

Add Textures

Steps for Day One

Roll out the clay 1/4" thick
Cut the clay in two with one side about a third the size of the whole.
Use the smaller piece as the back of the base form. Score around a ball of newspaper.
Use slip to join pieces of clay. Slather slip over your score marks.
Lay the larger clay over the newspaper ball and push down onto the base clay. Cut through the joined pieces of clay.

Documenting

Take four photos of  your sculpture
  • One photo - front view
  • One photo - 3/4 view
  • One photo - side view
  • One photo - in use
Send an email sharing your work with an important adult following the email instructions