Ella Engelman Ceramics 1 Period 3 by Ella Engelman

In ceramics I most enjoyed stepping out of my comfort zone and trying a class at school completely different from anything I have done. This is my first fine arts class I have found ceramics to be a great stress reliever in the middle of my day. I love being able to make something unique and something I can be proud of.

262engelmane2_1 — 2024-12-09 16:46:47 UTC

Some advice I would give to future ceramic students is to ask for help when needed. I have found this class to be lots of trial and error to perfect my pieces, and I now realize that, while I was unsure of how to ask for help when I first began the class, I can know learn lots from my peers. Asking for help or for opinions can help you see your creations from an outside perspective and further your skills simultanously.

262engelmane2_1 — 2024-12-09 16:49:16 UTC

Sketch for my animal

262engelmane2_1 — 2024-12-09 16:51:58 UTC

Animal in progress

262engelmane2_1 — 2024-12-09 17:05:37 UTC

In the animal project, I learned that large amounts of clay can not be completely solid and that hollow clay needs to have a hole to breath so that it does not burst in the kiln. To fix this error, I used various tools to hollow out the body of my cow and carved a hole in between the 4 legs so that air would not be trapped inside.

Completed pinch pot

262engelmane2_1 — 2024-12-09 17:08:14 UTC

In this project I learned that some glazes are more translucent than others and allow you to see carvings/designs more clearly. I used a more solid glaze so that my carvings were more subtle and covered by color (I was not thrilled with my surface designs and appreciated the thick glazes hiding these imperfections). Because the carving near the rim of my pot was very deep, however, that carving was still visible which put emphasis on this design.

Monster in progress

262engelmane2_1 — 2024-12-09 17:08:40 UTC

Completed monster

262engelmane2_1 — 2024-12-10 16:35:19 UTC

In this project I learned more about scoring and slipping to effectively attach separate pieces of clay to one another. I was able to use this method to add horns, legs, feat, an eye, teeth, hair spikes, and other features to the body of my monster to make it unique.

Raku coil vessel in progress

262engelmane2_1 — 2024-12-10 16:36:43 UTC

Sketch for my jomon jar

262engelmane2_1 — 2024-12-10 16:37:33 UTC

Jomon jar in progress

262engelmane2_1 — 2024-12-10 16:43:25 UTC

Completed raku vessel

262engelmane2_1 — 2024-12-10 17:02:10 UTC

In this project I learned how to roll coils and use them to build and change shape of a figure. I learned how combine the coils together by spreading the clay from each then smoothing it out. I now understand that this process needs to be done on the inside and outside of the vessel to assure stability and that it will not crack. Lastly, I learned the process of horse hair firing, which was a completely different experience from the glazing I had done previously.

Completed Jomon jar

262engelmane2_1 — 2024-12-16 16:53:04 UTC

In this project I learned how to use the coil extractor when building the physical structure to make even coils more efficiently. By making coils faster, I was able to build wider and taller and could also spend more time on smoothing the surface and using shaping tools such as the wooden spatula.