Ceramic art takes form: middle school.

Purpose

How to sculpt human proportions in clay

Materials

Each student is given five pounds of white, earthenware clay (firing to cone 05). Ceramic tools (popsicle sticks can be substituted), and slip (a creamy mixture of clay and water).

Instructions

Students ate instructed to divide the clay into two equal pieces, keeping each half wrapped in a wet cloth and in a plastic bag while not in use. The clay is properly wedged and checked for air bubbles. (Wedging is a technique of kneading the clay to expel the air pockets. Slicing the clay helps check that there are not air bubbles, and that it is safe to sculpt with.)

I choose a student to be a model. This student sits on a stool, on top of a desk, and must remain still for the duration of the class. The student takes a pose that offers interest to the viewer.

To start the sculpture process, a one pound chunk is used form the stool shape. Students are made aware of body proportions, the bone structure, and that bending can only occur at the joints Constant reference is made to the comparing the accuracy of proportions in the posed model and the day sculptures.

Modeling of the figure usually occurs in this order: stool, legs, feet, buttocks, torso, arras, hands, neck, head. Hair, face, and clothing are added last. When adding body parts, students score and apply slip to both pieces. When working on features, wet rags can be draped over the figures to maintain the moisture. Between sessions, the unfinished sculptures are draped with damp cloths and stored in sealed plastic bags.

When completed, the clay figures are loosely covered with dry cleaning bags and allowed to dry slowly, to avoid cracking I allow them to air dry for several weeks before firing in the kiln--especially since the stool is a solid block of clay. The white bisque fired pieces do not need to be painted or glazed.

ClipCard submitted by Vicky Kemmler, an art teacher in Queens, New York.