mugs

In ceramics club we have been making mugs/beakers. We used rolled slabs formed around tubes. After bisque firing, yesterday we glazed them and today they are being fired for a final time. Fingers crossed that they don't split (or leak when used!).

ceramics

Our y2's are in the throes of making rice bowls (to tie with their studies about China). They've been bisque fired and are awaiting glazing tomorrow.

Meanwhile, we've got some new ceramics pens in school so I thought I'd try them out on an old IKEA plate. Just got to put them in the kiln when it's on a 'drying' program to fix them.

3d supporter

Tried making one of the footy supporters that I've recently sketched. The first pic is after bisque firing, the second is with glaze applied. 

 

It might be a week or so before he gets the final firing as both I and the children need to make other stuff to ensure a full kiln.

YAY!

The first firing in anger was a success - nothing cracked or exploded! This was the sight on opening the kiln.

 

Some of the bowls have a lovely mottled glazing effect - purely by accident rather than design.

glazed

Today in y2 we decorated our rice bowls. They had already been underglazed both inside and out in white so we added patterns using a dark blue glaze.

 

Here are some of the bowls before their final firing;

 

We're keeping everything crossed. It's the first time we've tried anything like this and I've warned the children that some bowls may still crack under the intense heat!

rice bowls

Today y2 made a start on their rice bowls. We used the tried and trusted thumb pot method.

 

We enlarged the hole using thumbs and fingers.

We smoothed and shaped until we arrived at a bowl shape.

We even added a foot from a sausage of clay.

All fingers and toes are now crossed so that they don't explode, crack or fall apart in the kiln. They are on a drying programme at the moment and then will be bisque fired ready for decorating next week.

first 'proper' firing

The new kiln was 'burnt-in' before xmas and this week I had the chance to play around with some proper clay (not the air-drying stuff) and have a go with the glazes. The first pic is a 'before firing'. All of the glazes are gloss, hence the reflections in the second pic.

 



Some lovely colours. I've marked them up so that we can see what each glaze will turn out like.

The first project will probably be to make some rice bowls with the y2 children that we will glaze with FN-001 (opaque white foundation) and decorate with SC76 (the mid blue). The glazes are non-toxic and food-safe so I'm hoping the children will be actually be able to use them! Excited!!

timeline

Today I've been busy putting up an art timeline around the room. I've tried to place the artists according to the timespan during which they were active - its not precise! Its simply to inform the children of the approximate era in which certain well-known artists plied their trade.

 

The timeline stretches around 3 sides of the room beginning with the Romans at 0! I'm not going to extend it BC but am putting up pictures that represent Greek, Egyptian and 'cave' art in the windows on the 4th side, immediately prior to the timeline start (if that makes sense).
It all took far longer than I thought it would - having to print out each artists label, find suitable artworks, print them out, trim them and then finally blu-tack it all in place! Tomorrow I'm planning to unpack, assemble and become familiar with the new kiln!