Textured Box

These sweet and simple boxes are a great way to introduce texture to young artists.  I love using the textured rubbing plates from Dick Blick Art Supplies for this project.

Start by rolling out a flat piece of clay that is about 3/8ths of an inch thick (or about as thick as a pancake), then make sure that the surface is smooth.  Next choose your textured rubbing plate and lay it on top starting at one end of your clay.  Using a rolling pin, roll over the texture plate pushing down evenly as you go.  You can peel up one corner to check if you have pushed hard enough, if not roll some more, if it looks good peel up the rubbing plate.  If your clay is larger than your rubbing plate, you'll need to lay the rubbing plate down again in the blank clay area and roll in the texture again until the entire piece of clay is covered with your texture.

Next have your students cut out one square of clay (you can give paper templates for this if you think they need them).  Once they have one square cut out, have them lay it down on top of their clay in a new area and trace the first square so that the second one is exactly the same size.  Continue doing this until each student has 6 squares. If you run out of room on your clay to continue cutting out squares, squish all the small scrap pieces together, roll it out flat again and put the texture in again.  Now its time to assemble the box.

Pick one square that will be the lid and put it to the side.  Pick the square that will be the bottom and use a scratching tool to scratch all the edges, then scratch 3 sides of the remaining 4 squares.  Now that everything is scratched,  pick the first wall and attach it to the bottom of the box- it may be a little wobbly at first.  Next, attach the second wall to the bottom square and then squeeze the corners together being careful to not smooth out your textures.  Continue until all the walls are up.  Using your extra clay, create a knob for the lid and scratch-to-attach it on top.  You can also cut out a smaller square and attach it to the bottom of your lid so that it won't slid off the box.  These boxes make great gifts and are ready to hold special treasures!

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Hand Soapdishes

These hand soap dishes are a two part project that will teach students the concept of positive and negative space.  You'll want to cover your tables with newspaper to make clean up easier.  To make the hands, each student needs to hold a small amount of plaster in their hand until it hardens.  I recommend doing only one hand since they have to sit still for 10 min while it hardens.  

Once students are ready, mix up a small batch of plaster and put it into palm of the students hands, make sure to cover the entire top surface but DO NOT get plaster underneath the hand or their hand will be trapped in the hardened plaster!  Once their hand is full, have them hold still until the plaster hardens (about 10 min).  The stiller they can be holding the plaster, the less chances of major cracking or breakage off the mold.  While the plaster starts to harden I explain to students how this will be the negative space of their hands and that we will use it like a stamp to create the positive space of their hand in clay.  You can show examples of positive and negative space in art too.

HINT: You may need to mix up multiple batches depending on the size of your class, try not to mix up to much at one time or it will harden before you get to pour it into their hand.  If you have never worked with plaster before, I recommend trying it out on your own before attempting with a class--it's a very manageable classroom material if you know what to expect!  

Once the plaster is hard, have students remove their hand slowly, small pieces will break off of the edges.  Write their name on the plaster and put aside to dry completely (12- 24 hours).  All of the crumbles of plaster should be wrapped up in the newspaper that you used to cover the tables and thrown away.  Make sure students wash their hands in a bucket not at the sink --plaster will clog up your sink!

For step two, you'll use the students plaster hand molds as a stamp and press clay into the mold.  I have students flatten out a piece of clay about the size of a large hamburger and lay that over the plaster mold.  Press the clay gently but firmly into every contour of the mold and then gently peel the clay away.  You should have a perfect positive of the mold with every detail showing.  You can use tools to trim and clean up the edges, make sure that you write each students name on the bottom of the clay hand (they will all look alike!)  Let them dry, bisque fire, glaze with a translucent glaze and glaze fire.  These hands make great soap holders or business card holders and make great Mother's and Father's Day gifts too!

!!! B CR8IV!!!  

Mad Hatter Tea Cups

Inspired by Alice in Wonderland's the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, these cups are also a lesson in texture.  Students needed to create 3 different textures one for each of their cups, they could push texture in, add texture on or a combination of both.  I give lots of examples of texture before we start building.  


To make the cups, start by rolling out a slab of clay that is about 10" x 5" long and about 3/8th's of an inch thick.  You can give students a template for cutting out the basic rectangle or let them decide on the size. For these smaller cups, I cut out an arced rectangle that is about 8" long on the high side and 6" long on the bottom side x 2" tall.  The short edges of the rectangle need to be scratched and then it is wrapped up into a cylinder, attaching the edges together.  To create the bottom, you'll need another slab of clay.  If you have enough clay left over from your rectangle, use that, if not re-roll out all of your scrap pieces of clay.  Then take the cylinder and put it on top of the slab of clay and using a pointy tool or a knife, trace around the perimeter of the cylinder to get the exact size needed for the cup.  Once it's cut out, go ahead and scratch-to-attach it on, I find it's easier to do this when the cup is upside down or if you put on hand on the inside of the cylinder and connect it with the other hand on the outside.  HINT: Make sure that you don't leave any holes when your attaching the parts of the cylinder together--your tea will leak out!!  This creates a basic cup shape which could be used for a variety of projects but since we're making tea cups, the next step is to add a handle.  

Using the extra clay that you have, roll out a coil of clay that is about as thick as a pencil.  Fold the top of the coil over so that from the side it looks like half of a heart shape.  Scratch-to-attach the top and bottom of the heart shape and the top and bottom of your cup.  Press the handle on using your fingers on the inside and outside of your cup making sure it's secure. (Don't pick it up by the handle until its fired!!)   

Your cup is complete and you're ready to decorate with textures.  You can use the extra pieces of clay to create strips or polka dots to add on (remember to scratch-to-attach!) or you can use tools to push in the texture. Be sure to cover the entire surface of your cups.  

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Mother's Day Picture Frames

I've been making these Mother's Day gifts with my students in the studio this week.  Its very sweet to see each students' work differ based on what they think their moms will like on their frame.

I have students roll out a slab of clay about 12" square-ish and about 3/8th's of an inch thick.  Then they cut the outside shape of their frame, which can be any shape they desire.  Next have them cut the whole for the picture which also can be any shape.  Now they are ready to decorate their frame.  I encourage students to push in textures and designs with tools as well as add on pieces.  In this example the mermaids hair, sea weed and the seashells are added on which give dimension & texture to the frame.  Some students added on flowers, their mom's name or animals their mom likes.  Make sure that all the parts you add on are scratched to attached on well.  Rubber stamps are also a great way to push in texture or spell out words with ABC stamps.  When you are finished designing the frame, use a tool to push two holes through the top of the frame so that it can be hung on the wall.  Once the pieces have been bisque fired, glazed and fired again, add a ribbon or twine to hang the frame by and tape a picture of the student in the back.  You can also have students wrap them up and make a card to go with their gift, so they're all ready to give out on Mother's Day!

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Coil Pot Challenge

I challenge my students to make the tallest coil pot in one class period as a fun way to show off their skills.  This student thought big spirals attached vertically would get them there faster, I'm not sure if that's true, but it did make a very nice design on the finished piece.

All students start by rolling out a coil of clay that is about as thick as a marker and about 10" long.  Scratch the length of that coil and then wrap it up like a snail shell and blend in the end.  This piece will become the bottom of the coil pot.  Roll out your next coil of clay, same thickness but however long you want.  Scratch around the edge of the bottom piece and scratch the length of the coil you made. Start attaching the coil of clay to the base piece, gently pushing it down as you wrap around the bottom.  When you make a full circle, continue wrapping the clay on top of the previous one until you run out.  Roll out your next coil, scratch it, scratch the top of the last coil you attached and start wrapping it around.  Continue this process until you get as tall as you want to go.  You can gently shape and squeeze the cylinder as it gets taller and more wobbly.  You can also challenge your students to create a design of sprials and "S" curves as a part of their cylinder too.  HINT: If you have a small kiln, make sure your students work will fit!  Good Luck on the Challenge!!

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Paper Bead Necklaces

In a tent city called Delmas 33 in Port au Prince Haiti, workers were busy creating beads from garbage papers they had found.  On a recent trip there, HOPE Art was lucky enough to learn how to make them and watch as they turned trash into necklaces, bracelets and earrings to be sold in the states which would in turn provide income and employment to Haitians.  I made the ones in the picture using a combination of magazines, postcards and food packaging.  


Collect your materials and  cut them into long skinny triangles.  The widest width of the triangle will be how wide your bead is and the length will determine thickness of your beads.  The thickness of the material you're using will also change the thickness of the bead.  Experiment with a few different sizes to gauge what kind of beads you want to make.  Next using a skewer, start to wrap the paper around the skewer tightly, starting with the widest part of the triangle.  When you get to the end, use a bit of glue to keep the bead from unwrapping.  Continue making your beads this way, you can keep them on the skewer if that's easier.  Once you have all your beads made you'll want to coat them with a clear lacquer to protect the paper, you can use clear spray paint, clear nail polish, modpodge, what ever you've got on hand.  You'll probably want to do a few coats and just keep the beads on the skewer the whole time until they dry.  Once dry, use some fishing line and other colorful beads to assemble your found art jewelry.   

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Tiki Heads

These fun tiki heads are a perfect lesson in symmetry for students. I show my students lots of examples of symmetry in art and nature before we start this project.  I also have them sketch out a plan on paper of what shapes they will use to create their clay tiki head.

Start by rolling out a 3/8ths of an inch slab of clay and cut out a rectangle that is about 5" x 10".  Wrap the rectangle up into a cylinder and scratch-to-attach the edges together.  Trace the bottom of the cylinder onto another slab of clay and scratch-to-attach the circle onto the bottom of the cylinder. Now its time to start building the tiki face.

Take your scrap flat pieces of clay and roll them out a little thinner with a rolling pin.  Use a knife to cut out each of the shapes that you need to build the face and scratch-to-attach them onto the cylinder.  I challenged my students to choose at least 6 completely different shapes and to use at least 15 pieces to build their tiki faces.  I also challenged them to create two unique faces, one on each side of the cylinder.  You can adjust the challenge for your students ability and age level.  Dry your pieces, bisque fire them and then glaze.  You can also challenge students to use at least 10 different colors on their pieces if you'd like to get some super rainbow tiki heads! Once they are fired you can also put plants in your tiki heads to make them grow hair!

!!! B CR8IV!!!

Pouring Vessel

I love to teach my students about the functionality of the things that they make and how a seemingly simple object can also have complex design needs. For this project, we discuss the anatomy of pouring vessel; the body, handle, throat, rim, foot & spout and how each of these parts needs to be assembled well for the vessel to actually pour.  To ensure success for my students, I provide them with two paper templates to make their vessels, one for the body and one for the spout.

Start by rolling out a slab of clay that is about 3/8ths of an inch thick and large enough to accommodate a rectangular paper template that is about 4" x 10" ( you can always make yours smaller or larger as desired!).  Cut out the rectangle and form it into a cylinder, scratch-to-attach the edges together and smooth the seam.  Then place the cylinder on top of a slab of clay and trace around it to create the right size circle for the bottom then scratch-to-attach it on well.  Now using a paper template for the spout, which is basically a triangle with  the bottom side rounded outward, cut out the spout, curve it and scratch-to-attach it onto the side of the cylinder. Then cut away the part of the cylinder where the spout is attached and smooth out the throat of the spout so that it is continuous and the liquid won't hit any bumps on its way out.  Make sure to keep the lip of the spout  straight edged on the end or your liquids will drip down the sides when you pour.  Next cut out a long and thin rectangle that you'll use for the handle, it will need to be about an inch and a half wide by about 8 inches long (if its too long, you can always trim it).  Bend the rectangle into a half heart shape and scratch-to-attach it on opposite the spout.  Now you can decorate your slab built pouring vessel however you like, let it dry and bisque fire it.  Be sure to glaze the entire surface to keep it sealed for liquids, fire it and then see if its functional!

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Nesting Bowls

Pinch pots are simple to make, but nesting them is a great challenge for students to get them just right!  I ask students to create 6 nested bowls in whatever shape they'd like (hearts, circles ovals etc..) using just the pinch pot technique to create them.

Have students start by making 6 spheres of clay that gradually get smaller and smaller (the first one can be about the size of a grapefruit). Starting with the largest sphere, have students stick their thumbs into the sphere and squeeze around the sides until all the clay is stretched out into a bowl shape.  Form the bowl into the desired shape and start on the next one, as each bowl is stretched out test it for fitting into the larger one.  Once they are all nested let them dry and bisque fire them.  I gave a color theory lesson on tones and tints for students to think about when painting their bowls.  You could also have students create a pattern of colors or use only warm/cool colors when glazing.

!!! B CR8IV!!! 

Heart Boxes

A fun Valentine's gift and easy to make!  Start by rolling out a slab of clay that is about 3/8ths of an inch thick and cut out two identical hearts, one will be the lid and one will be the bottom.  HINT: I let my younger students use cookie cutters.  Next cut a strip of clay that will become the wall of the box, I used a ruler and cut down both sides to create a strip of clay that is even and about 1.5 inches thick.  Then scratch to attach the edge of one of the hearts and one edge of the strip of clay and attach them together.  Use a tool or your finger along the inside of the box to smooth out the connection.   Now decorate your heart box using tools, stamps and textures.  If you add any parts on, be sure to scratch to attach them on well.  These are great to fill with candy and give to the one you love on Valentine's Day!

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Bird houses

Birdhouses to hang outside are a fun all year round project, you can tie this into a science lesson too by monitoring the types of birds that visit your houses and chart their migration habits.  To build these houses, I gave students a paper template for the walls.  The side walls are about 4" x 4" square, the front and back walls are 4" x 4" square plus the additional triangle to create the peak of the roof which is about 2" taller.  Have your students cut out 2 of each template shape and scratch-to-attach the walls together just like you would for a box.  Next trace the shape of the bottom of your house onto another piece of flat clay, cut it out and scratch-to-attach it on.  Then drape a flat piece of clay over the peaks of your roof, decide how big you want it and how much of it you'd like to have hanging over the edges, then using a knife or pointy tool, cut off the excess.  Once the roof is the correct size, scratch-to-attach it on to the walls.  Cut a hole for the birds to get it and now you have your basic house shape. 

I gave my students a challenge to add on at least 10 different items to different areas of their bird houses and to create at least 5 different textures on the surfaces.  Remind students to scratch-to-attach all of their parts on well.  The image of the birdhouse on top was named the lovebird house and was themed with hearts and flowers while the bottom image is the monster bird house with the opening to the house being the mouth of the monster and the perch is the arms.  These houses are two very different approaches to the project, but both follow the rules.  I also used high temperature wire in this project, for decoration, for the perch and as a loop in the top of the house to eventually hang your birdhouse by. 

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Textured Box

These sweet and simple boxes are a great way to introduce texture to young artists.  I love using the textured rubbing plates from Dick Blick Art Supplies for this project. 

Start by rolling out a flat piece of clay that is about 3/8ths of an inch thick (or about as thick as a pancake), then make sure that the surface is smooth.  Next choose your textured rubbing plate and lay it on top starting at one end of your clay.  Using a rolling pin, roll over the texture plate pushing down evenly as you go.  You can peel up one corner to check if you have pushed hard enough, if not roll some more, if it looks good peel up the rubbing plate.  If your clay is larger than your rubbing plate, you'll need to lay the rubbing plate down again in the blank clay area and roll in the texture again until the entire piece of clay is covered with your texture. 

Next have your students cut out one square of clay (you can give paper templates for this if you think they need them).  Once they have one square cut out, have them lay it down on top of their clay in a new area and trace the first square so that the second one is exactly the same size.  Continue doing this until each student has 6 squares. If you run out of room on your clay to continue cutting out squares, squish all the small scrap pieces together, roll it out flat again and put the texture in again.  Now its time to assemble the box. 

Pick one square that will be the lid and put it to the side.  Pick the square that will be the bottom and use a scratching tool to scratch all the edges, then scratch 3 sides of the remaining 4 squares.  Now that everything is scratched,  pick the first wall and attach it to the bottom of the box- it may be a little wobbly at first.  Next, attach the second wall to the bottom square and then squeeze the corners together being careful to not smooth out your textures.  Continue until all the walls are up.  Using your extra clay, create a knob for the lid and scratch-to-attach it on top.  You can also cut out a smaller square and attach it to the bottom of your lid so that it won't slid off the box.  These boxes make great gifts and are ready to hold special treasures!

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Bookmark Feet

I found an example of these bookmarks with the Wicked Witch's feet poking out of a book and thought my students would enjoy making their version of someone being squished in a book.  They loved the idea of creating monster feet or animal feet. 

Start with a cylinder of clay and bend the cylinder into an L shape for the feet.  Using small clay tools, design details like toes, shoes, pant legs etc.  Remember that if you are adding any parts on, you need to scratch-to-attach them on.  When you are done forming your legs, use a knife to cut a slot perpendicular to the feet about half an inch deep into the legs.  As your clay dries be careful to keep the space in that slot open, if it gets flattened, you won't be able to attach your cardboard bookmark.  Let your clay dry and bisque fire it, then glaze your pieces as desired and fire again. 

When the clay parts are finished, cut a piece of cardboard that is about 1 1/2" wide by about 5" long.  Put a small amount of glue into the slot and slide in the cardboard.  Let dry while you start reading your favorite book! 

!!B CR8IV!!

Tea Bowls

The Japanese have mastered the art of the tea bowl, which can range in style from a perfectly symmetrical shape or an exquisitely organic form.  This is a great project to talk about the anatomy of a pot with your students; the lip, body and foot are all essential elements to the parts of a tea bowl.  There are a few options to build the body of the bowl, one is to make a pinch-pot with high sides to it, or if you have access to a potters wheel, throwing a bowl is an option, the other choice which I have done here is to use a slab of clay.  I rolled out my clay flat and used a paper template to cut a small cylindrical shape, you can cut out rectangular paper templates for your students too.  Once the shape is cut out, its rolled into a cylinder and the edges are scratched-to-attached together.  The bottom is made narrower by cutting 4 V-shaped notches or darts, one on each side.  Then scratch the inside edge of those V-shaped cuts and fold them in together.  This may leave a small square hole in the very bottom of your tea bowl, if it does, just cut a small flat square to scratch-to-attach on and cover the hole.  This procedure is a little bit tricky but it shapes the body of your tea bowl to be wider towards the top and narrower towards the foot, which is the traditional shape of a tea bowl.  Design and pattern can be added to the outside now using tools or stamps and the lip of the bowl should be smoothed out with your finger.  Next, roll out a coil of clay and wrap it up to make a small donut shape that will fit onto the bottom of your tea bowl to create the foot.  Make sure to scratch-to-attach both parts together and also add some surface decoration to the foot.  To learn more about the tradition of tea bowls and the Japanese Tea Ceremony, click here.  

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Mugs with Mugs

Start by rolling out a slab of clay that is about 10" x 5" long and about 3/8th's of an inch thick.  You can give students a template for cutting out the basic rectangle or let them decide on the size. For this smaller mug, I cut out a rectangle that is about 9 x 4.  The short edges of the rectangle need to be scratched and then it is wrapped up into a cylinder, attaching the edges together.  To create the bottom, you'll need another slab of clay.  If you have enough clay left over from your rectangle, use that, if not re-roll out all of your scrap pieces of clay.  Then take the cylinder and put it on top of the slab of clay and using a pointy tool or a knife, trace around the perimeter of the cylinder to get the exact size needed for the mug.  Once it's cut out, go ahead and scratch-to-attach it on, I find it's easier to do this when the mug is upside down or if you put on hand on the inside of the cylinder and connect it with the other hand on the outside.  HINT: Make sure that you don't leave any holes when your attaching the parts of the cylinder together--your hot chocolate will leak out!!  This creates a basic cup shape which could be used for a variety of projects but since we're making mugs, the next step is to add a handle. 

Using the extra clay that you have, cut out a long thin rectangle, about a inch wide by 4" long.  Fold the top of the rectangle over so that from the side it looks like half of a heart shape.  Scratch-to-attach the top and bottom of the heart shape and the top and bottom of your mug.  Press the handle on using your fingers on the inside and outside of your mug making sure it's secure. (Don't pick it up by the handle until its fired!!)  

Your mug is complete and you're ready to decorate with the faces.  I like to make 6 spheres, flatten them into a pancake shape and scratch-to-attach them onto the mug.  Then using clay tools and some examples of different emotions, I challenge students to come up with 6 different emotions using just dots and lines.  This challenge helps keep the faces simple and helps students focus on just the expression. Sometimes students like to put a face on the inside bottom of their mugs so that when you drink, you get a surprise face at the bottom!   ; ) 

!!! B CR8IV!!!

Patterned Pencil Holder

These slab-built pencil holders are easy for any age and make great gifts.  Start by rolling out a slab of clay that is about 3/8ths of an inch thick and about 5" wide by 9" long.  You can give students a rectangular paper template to help them cut out the right size.  Determining the size is a great opportunity to talk about the functional aspects of our pencil holders- too short or wide and the pencils will fall out, to tall and you won't be able to reach them.  Sometimes, I have students test their pieces with a pencil and if they don't pass the "pencil test", they need to rethink the size or shape of their pieces. 

Once you have the slab of clay the correct size, cut out your rectangle (about 5"x 9").  Wrap the rectangle into a cylinder and scratch-to-attach the edges together.  Next, use your extra clay to roll out another slab of clay (same thickness) so we can trace the cylinder to make the bottom.  If you trace the cylinder, you know that it will fit exactly onto the bottom.  Scratch-to-attach the bottom of the cylinder and the edge of the circle you've cut out.  I like to flip my whole cylinder over to attach on the bottom and blend in the edges.  You can also reach inside the cylinder with one hand and use the other on the outside to blend the two pieces together.  

Now you're ready to create your patterns!  I give students a lot of examples of patterns they could use on their pieces and I also encourage them to experiment with the clay tools, sometimes using the back of a tool will create an interesting shape in the clay.  Also using other objects such as pen caps, beads or natural materials will create an interesting mark too.  Encourage students to cover the surface of their clay in at least 5 different patterns.  Once they are finished, let the pencil holders dry completely, bisque fire them, glaze them and then glaze fire them.  

!!!B CR8IV!!! 

Carved Drywall Stamps and Textured Boxes

This project happens in two parts.  First you'll need a section of drywall (it's great to grab scraps from anyone who's doing a remodel project).  Then you need to get the paper off of one side of the drywall, if you soak it in a shallow container of water for about an hour, you should be able to peel the paper right off.  Next, you're ready for the carving.  I use clay tools to carve into the drywall and its rather easy to carve if its still wet from the soaking process.  HINT:  Make sure you clean your tools well before using them in clay again, plaster can make your clay explode in the kiln! 

Start by dividing up your drywall into sections so that that you have 6-8 different shaped areas, then choose a different texture to carve into each area.  When you've finished carving, let the drywall dry and if you get lots of little crumbs stuck from carving, use a paintbrush to clean them out. These carvings can be very interesting in their own right and can be painted with watercolors if you wish or you can use them as handmade texture stamps for clay.

Now for the second part, roll out a slab of clay that is about 3/8ths of an inch thick (about as thick as a pancake) and about 12"x 12" across. Lay your clay on top of your textured drywall and gently press the clay into the texture, if you need to move the clay to texture another area, just peel it off, move it and press again until your clay is completely textured.  This is when students will see the negative and postive shapes of their carving.  Any spot that they carved deep in the drywall will be popping out of their clay.  HINT:  The drywall may crack if you put uneven pressure on it but the paper backing will hold it together and your stamp will still work fine.  HINT:  If you see lots of pieces of plaster in your clay, you'll need to pick them out carefully with a tool, as they can make your clay explode in the kiln! 

I give students a paper template to trace and cut out the 4 walls for their textured box, this helps make sure that their walls will be straight.  The boxes that I'm showing here are about 6" tall by 3" wide, but you can make your box any shape you'd like. HINT:  Shorter cube shaped boxes are easier for small hands!  If you run out of room on your slab of clay to cut all your pieces, just combine all the little pieces together, roll out another slab, texture it and continue cutting the pieces.  Scratch-to-Attach all of the edges of your walls and carefully start to build them together making sure that the corners are attached really well here.  To make the bottom and the lid, trace the perimeter of your box on top of your slab and cut out one of these shapes for the bottom and one for the lid.  Scratch-to Attach the bottom on making sure that the edges are well attached.  Using your extra clay pieces create a handle for your lid (any shape or size you'd like) and scratch-to attach it onto the lid. 

Let the boxes completely dry, then bisque fire.  When you're ready to glaze, I like to put a glaze on and then use a sponge to wipe some of the glaze off of the surface which really enhances the texture.  The glaze will pool and be deeper colored in the texture and lighter on the surface.  

!!!B CR8IV!!!  

Textured Picture Frames

These textured picture frames are simple to build and make great gifts!  Start by rolling out a slab of clay that is about 3/8ths of an inch thick (about as thick as a pancake) and a little larger than you'd like your picture frame to be.

The next step is adding texture to the clay and there are so many choices!  You can use found objects such as leaves, buttons or shells.  Rubber stamps work great in clay and ABC stamps can help personalize a frame.  The bottom of shoes have great designs for texture and the kids love stepping on their clay!  This frame was textured with rubbing plates that were pushed into the surface with a rolling pin.  Blick Art Supplies has a huge selection of textured rubbing plates to choose from.  Once you've decided on your texture, cover your clay with it. 



Cut out the outside shape of your picture frame, this one is about 5" square.  Then cut the hole where your picture will show through, be careful not to cut to close to the outside edge, you want to keep at least an inch of thickness all the way around your frame.  Save the inside square that you've cut out!  Next, carefully turn your frame over to attach the stand onto the back.  Using the inside square that you saved, cut it diagonally into 2 triangles, then scratch-to-attach them onto the bottom sides of your frame. 

Let your frame dry laying down. Once dry, the triangle stands should support the frame upright.  Bisque fire, glaze, glaze fire, tape on your photo and you're all set to give out a great handmade gift!

!!!B CR8IV!!! 

Ceramic House Numbers

These house numbers are easy to make and are a great house warming gift!  Start by printing out your desired numbers in the font and size of your choice.  Make sure that you haven't chosen a font that is to thin in any area as it will be fragile when you make it in clay.  Roll out a slab of clay that is about 3/8 of an inch thick and smooth the surface of it.  Then lay the paper with your printed out numbers on top of your clay, make sure that they fit easily onto the clay slab.  Use a pointy tool start to trace the outside lines of your numbers gently pressing without cutting into the paper.  Once you have traced all the lines, lift up your paper and you should see an indent in the clay outlining your numbers.  I like to use an x-acto knife to cut the clay but if students are cutting these out you may want to stick to a pointy tool or a clay fettling knife.  Carefully cut out each of your numbers and remove the excess clay.  Use a hole cutter to punch out holes so that you can hang your numbers with screws later, smooth out the edges and you're done!  You could of course add texture to these pieces too using rubber stamps or texture plates.  HINT:  Flat pieces of clay tend to warp when the dry, try putting a heavy board on top of your house numbers as they dry, it will take longer for them to dry but they will stay flat and will be easy to hang up.  HINT:  Once they have been bisque fired, and you are ready to glaze them, it is a good idea to glaze all surfaces and seal the clay completely if they are going to be used outside, they will be less likely to absorb water and hence less likely to break if the temperature drops below freezing.  OPTION:  You can follow this exact process to create letters, like a child's name for their wall or a teacher's name for a classroom.

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Clay Planter Heads

Clay Planter Heads Project
To create these expressive planter heads we started by talking about 3-D shapes and discussed how to build a cylinder from a flat piece of clay.  Students rolled out their clay in an even and large flat slabs using rolling pins or a slab roller if you have one then they cut out a large rectangle. You can use a paper template for them to trace and help make a uniform size (they can be large or mini pots).  Next wrap up the rectangles into a cylinder and scratch-to-attach the edges together.  To make the bottom of the planters, students trace their cylinder onto another slab of clay, cut it out and scratch it onto the bottom.  Now for the creative building!  Students were encouraged to be creative and use their extra clay pieces to add on facial parts, hair and accessories. Think about the entire piece (not just the face), turn your sculpture around and make sure that it is interesting to look at from all sides.   Remember that anything added on needs to be scratched on so it doesn't fall off when the clay dries.  You can use this project to discuss human facial proportions or mask making.  Once the pieces are dried, fired, glazed and fired again they can be planted to have grassy hair or a spiky cactus growing out the tops of them.  

B CR8IV!!