Submitted by: Linda Wood, St. John's Lower School, Houston, Texas
Unit: Drawing
Grade Level: 3 through 6 (Examples are 3rd grade)
School Web Site: St. John's Lower School (Click Art Stories - until you see Linda Woods)
Alternate Project: Ceramic animals.
Procedures:
Linda allowed a lot of freedom in this project. A wide variety of responses followed: menorahs, angels, lidded jars with animals on the lids, animal bowls, etc.
Make some sketches of ideas for vessel - select one to construct. Plan methods of construction.
Wedge clay to remove air bubbles
Make base of bowl using pinch pot method - Add coils to make larger by scoring and applying slip.
Make a slab for a lid (if desired). Students then make parts of their vessel including animal head, legs, and ears using the pinch method. The coil and pinch methods are used to make animal to sit on the lid. All pieces are connected first by scoring each edge that is to be connected and applying slip. If the head is hollow, be sure to put a hole in the body of the vessel to allow air to escape. If not, the vessel will probably explode in the kiln.
Make a raised lip for the underside of the lid that will fit inside the bowl of the vessel. This will keep the lid from sliding off the vessel. Don't forget to score where you are connecting the lip and lid as well as add slip.
Make a face for your animal. Create a mouth and nose for the animals such as lions, dogs, cats, bears, rabbits, etc. These are created by pinching and rolling four little balls of clay. A small one goes where the nose will go, and the two biggest ones will be the cheeks and go directly below the nose, side by side with all three balls touching. The ball for the chin goes on the bottom, touching the two cheeks. Score and slip these balls before they are connected, of course. Once the balls are in place, the edges of the balls are rubbed into the clay face, thereby only leaving the hard-edge under the nose and down into an anchor-shape to form the mouth.
Eyes are also sculpted using small balls. Add a small coil of clay above and below the eye balls to form the eye lids. The outer edge of the coils are rubbed into the head and cheek, thereby only leaving the hard-edge next to the eye as the eyelid, while puffing up the lid a bit.
The legs should be reinforced by adding small coils around the point where they join the body. These coils will be rubbed in on both sides of the leg and body. This will make the legs stronger.
Objectives: The learner will
Understand a little about Pueblo native culture - respect for the land and nature. Develop appreciation for Native American Pottery
Exhibit problem solving skills- plan and execute plan for effigy vessel with minimal assistance
Understand ceramic vocabulary
Construct a clay effigy vessel using a variety of hand building techniques
Demonstrate skill and craftsmanship in working with clay and glazing
Materials:
Moist Clay
Canvas Rolls
Rolling Pins
Guide sticks (for slab rolling)
Clay Modeling Tools
Slip
Glazes
Instructional Resources:
Images of Southwest Pottery, images of effigy vessels from other cultures, examples of lidded vessels.
Prints
A pueblo pottery-making
San Ildefonso Pueblo Pottery Print
Pottery
You can buy imitation Pueblo pottery at reasonable prices online. Below is pottery created by real Native American artists.
San Juan Pueblo Black Etched Fetish Bear
Vase Mimbres Turquoise Hand Thrown
Three Mixtec Polychrome Terracotta Effigy Vessels
Books
Storytellers and Other Figurative Pottery
Children of Clay: A Family of Pueblo Potters
From This Earth: The Ancient Art of Pueblo Pottery
Vocabulary:
Slip, score, slab, pinch, coil, bisque, green-ware, bone dry, glaze
Instruction/Motivation:
Present examples of effigy vessels from the Pueblo culture and other cultures. show a variety of vessels with lids
Demonstrate/review wedging clay and forming techniques (student in Linda's classes made pinch pot bird nests in 2nd grade). Review pinch and demonstrate coil method.
Demonstrate various ways to make an animal face, legs, ears etc. - Demonstrate how to attach using Slip
Demonstrate how to make a lid fit the vessel (add a ring to inside of lid)
Demonstrate glazing technique.
Make two pinch pots for body- Score and slip together - smooth seams. Make small hole on bottom for air to escape
Make pinch pot head - make hole in body where head is to attach. Score and slip
Use thick coils for legs - pinch slabs for ears. Score and slip into place
Add details for face - follow steps listed above.
Evaluation:
Did student show an awareness of Pueblo Native American culture?
Did student show initiative in planning an executing an original design?
Did student demonstrate knowledge of forming techniques?
Did student demonstrate skill and craftsmanship in handling clay?
Did student demonstrate skill in glazing
