Working With Clay

by Peterson, Susan

• ISBN13: 9780131963931
• ISBN10: 0131963937
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Spiral Bound
• Copyright: 2019-12-06
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

Written by a world-renowned ceramist and leading expert in the field, this introductory book describes the initial processes of handbuilding, wheel throwing, plaster mold making, decoration, glaze application and firing techniques in a simple, easy-to-follow narrative. The text offers rich pictorial guidance throughout, both inspiring and instructing students with over 650 color illustrations. It includes a pictorial timeline of ceramic art history; and exposes students to a gallery of ceramic art, from traditional to avant-garde. The third edition is thoroughly updated throughout.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Third Edition	p. 8
The Safety Aspect	p. 11
The World of Ceramics	p. 13
Introduction	p. 13
Clay and Pottery	p. 13
History's Influence on the Ceramic Art of Today	p. 14
Functional vs Sculptural	p. 19
Types of Ceramic Wares	p. 19
Earthenware	p. 19
Stoneware	p. 21
Porcelain	p. 23
What is Clay?	p. 24
What is a Clay Body?	p. 25
Paperclay	p. 26
Alternative clays and additions	p. 28
Why Mix Your Own Clay Body?	p. 32
Methods of Mixing Clay Bodies	p. 32
Storing the Clay	p. 33
How important is fired shrinkage and absorption?	p. 33
How to reclaim scrap clay	p. 34
What is Glaze?	p. 34
Firing Ceramics	p. 35
The Craft of Working with Clay by Hand	p. 37
Getting Started	p. 37
Tools for Working	p. 39
Wedging Clay	p. 39
Building by Hand: Introduction	p. 40
Hand-building Techniques	p. 42
Pinching clay	p. 42
Coil method, smooth or textured	p. 43
Slab-building	p. 47
Learning from Techniques used by Indigenous Peoples	p. 54
Methods of forming	p. 54
Altering While Building	p. 54
Changing clay surface	p. 54
Coloring with mineral/ vegetable matter	p. 55
Working with Plaster	p. 57
How to make a mold	p. 58
Casting Slip into Molds	p. 59
Make Your Own Casting Slip or Buy It Ready-made	p. 60
How to Mix Plaster and Pour a Form	p. 63
Throwing on the Potter's Wheel	p. 67
Anyone can Learn to Throw...	p. 67
To the Beginner	p. 68
Steps in Throwing on the Potter's Wheel	p. 69
Wedging	p. 69
Position at the wheel	p. 70
Centering	p. 70
Opening the ball	p. 71
Practice These Five Shapes	p. 72
Pull up and shape a cylinder	p. 72
Half-spherical shape	p. 74
Full spherical shape	p. 76
Sphere and cylinder combined	p. 78
Low open form	p. 78
Other Shapes are Variations	p. 79
Pitcher	p. 79
Handles	p. 80
Casserole	p. 81
Lids and flanges	p. 81
Teapot, coffee pot	p. 83
Sets	p. 84
Closed form	p. 84
Do-nut	p. 84
Throwing off-the-hump	p. 84
Trimming Feet	p. 84
Large Forms from the Wheel	p. 85
Ceramic Sculpture	p. 97
What is Ceramic Sculpture?	p. 97
Using an armature	p. 101
Drape in a hammock	p. 102
Over-the-hump slab building	p. 102
Categories of Sculpture	p. 103
Sculpture Tools	p. 108
Materials	p. 108
Scale	p. 109
Fabrication Techniques	p. 111
Drying	p. 114
Coloring	p. 114
Firing	p. 115
Firing for a large sculpture	p. 115
Finishing Touches	p. 117
Enhancing the Clay Form	p. 117
Decorating with Clay	p. 118
Texture	p. 118
Adding clay to clay	p. 119
Engobes	p. 121
Engobe techniques	p. 121
Testing and Using Glazes	p. 125
Glaze composition	p. 125
Calculating glaze formulas	p. 125
Why Make Your Own Glaze?	p. 125
Coloring Glazes	p. 126
Glaze stains and oxides	p. 126
Basic glaze batches for low, medium, high temperatures	p. 127
Reds, yellows, and oranges	p. 128
Amaco glaze tests	p. 131
Duncan glaze tests	p. 133
Hobby-Carrobia (Germany)
glaze tests	p. 134
Mayco glaze tests	p. 134
Spectrum glaze tests	p. 134
Spectrum Multi-color series	p. 134
Mixing and Storing Glazes	p. 135
Glaze Application	p. 135
Methods	p. 136
Decorating with Glaze	p. 137
Sample Commercial Glazes	p. 141
Glass is a Ceramic Material	p. 142
Keep records	p. 145
Experimentation	p. 147
Line blends	p. 147
Glaze Improvizations	p. 147
Firing Ceramics	p. 155
Heat Principles	p. 155
Kilns	p. 156
Gas kilns	p. 157
Electric kilns	p. 158
Commercial Ready-made Kilns	p. 158
Paperclay Kilns	p. 161
Why Build Your Own Kiln?	p. 162
Firing Principles	p. 163
Temperature Indicators	p. 163
Guide-posts for temperature	p. 164
Pyrometric Temperature Devices	p. 164
Oxidation and Reduction Atmospheres	p. 165
Copper reds	p. 166
Iron celadons and tenmokus	p. 167
Stacking and Firing Kilns	p. 167
Bisque firing	p. 167
Glaze firing	p. 168
Alternative Firings	p. 169
Pit firing	p. 169
Raku firing	p. 169
Salku firing	p. 172
Salt firing	p. 172
Soda firing	p. 173
Wood firing	p. 173
Glaze and Firing Problems	p. 177
The Art of Ceramics	p. 179
From Idea to Art	p. 179
Pots and plates	p. 180
Birds and animals	p. 182
Figures and heads	p. 184
Walls	p. 189
Mixed media	p. 194
Sculpture	p. 196
Installations	p. 200
The Timeless World History of Ceramic Art	p. 206
Compendium	p. 214
Suggested Projects for Individual Work	p. 214
Decide on general procedure	p. 214
Basically functional	p. 214
Basically sculptural	p. 216
Suggested Projects for Beginning Hand-building	p. 216
Progression of Individual Steps in Throwing Projects	p. 217
Suggested Projects for Clay, Glaze, and Decoration Experiments	p. 218
Body and glaze development	p. 218
Decoration	p. 218
Design standards to keep in mind	p. 218
Experimenting with Material Additions to a Base Glaze	p. 218
Glaze Improvizations	p. 219
Glaze "Line-blend" Test	p. 219
Special Low-fire Information	p. 220
Egyptian paste	p. 220
Colors for Egyptian paste	p. 220
Mosaic cement	p. 220
Low-fire engobe	p. 221
Some Suggestions for Taking Photographs of your Artwork	p. 221
Example of a Pottery Studio	p. 221
Terms Easily Mixed Up	p. 222
Temperature Equivalents of Orton Cones	p. 223
Temperature Equivalents of Seger Cones	p. 223
Glossary	p. 224
List of Artists	p. 227
Residencies	p. 231
Information Sources	p. 233
Bibliography	p. 235
Photo Credits	p. 236
Index	p. 237
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.