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!!!  

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!!!

Wonderland Flowers

Just in time for Mother's Day, these Wonderland Flowers bloom year round and don't require watering!  These images show several styles of flowers and you should b cr8iv with the shapes, textures and designs of your flowers, but the directions below will give you a basic idea of how to get started.

Start by making a pinch pot (roll a sphere of clay, push in your thumb, pinch around the sides) that is the general size you want your flower to be.  Scratch the entire inside of the pinch pot bowl with a tool.  Now start making your petals with your extra clay.  You can flatten small slabs of clay and cut them into your petal shape, you can roll coils of clay to create more spiny petals or you can slap small pieces of clay onto the table to stretch them into a petal shape--it's up to you, experiment and see what works best!  Now scratch the backs of each of your  petals and attach them into the pinch pot, layering them around as you go.  You can continue to layer them all the way into the center or you can create a small pinch pot and scratch-to-attach it on upside down to create the center of your flower.  Don't forget to experiment with different textures, sizes and shapes for your flowers. When you're finished building them, you'll need to put a hole in the bottom that is slightly larger than the rod you'll attach later.  I use 3/8th" steel rods for my flowers.  Let your flowers rest in bowls to help them  keep their shape as they dry.  Once you have bisque fired, glazed and glaze fired your pieces, you'll want to attach them to your "stems".  Choose your metal rods and clean them well, they will probably have a greasy residue that will need to be cleaned for your adhesive to stick.  I like to use a  putty epoxy for attaching the flower to the rod. It comes in two parts that you knead together, attach to your piece and it hardens in place.  It can be sanded, drilled and painted, so its a great choice for attaching the flowers to the stems.  I like to make a sphere of the putty and push it onto the tip of the rod, then push that into the hollow space of the flower, then I make a coil of the putty and wrap it around where the two come together and blend it in just like its clay.  Let the putty set up and then you can paint it to match your flowers.  You can make a perennial garden where no two flowers are alike!

!!!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!!!

Art Hearts

These simple and fun clay art hearts make the perfect gift for Valentine's Day.  Start with a sphere of clay about the size of a ping pong ball. Pinch the bottom of it into a point and push the middle of the top down with your fingers.  Then use your fingertips to smooth out the shape of the heart.  To make each heart unique, I add on wings, banners, polka dots etc... You can also use rubber stamps to add words, and tools for texture and design on your hearts.  When you are finished making your hearts, use a tool to poke a hole in the bottom of the heart. HINT: Remember that clay shrinks when it's fired, so make the hole a little larger than you think that you need.  Once you have bisque fired, glazed and then fired your hearts, use a two part epoxy to glue in your wooden or metal dowel.  These hearts look great in a bouquet so you can share your love CR8IVLY!! 

Jenni Ward's Art Hearts are available for purchase.

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!!!

Word Magnets

Clay word magnets can be inspirational and educational!
 Have students roll out a slab of clay that is about 3/8" thick.  Then use rubber alphabet and number stamps to create words on the slab of clay.  Use a clay knife to cut around the edge of the word or cut into a shape similar to the word (ie: C-L-O-U-D cut into a cloud shape).  Dry slowly and with a board weighted down on top of the pieces-they tend to curl on the edges and warp if they dry to fast. When they are dry, bisque fire the pieces. When glazing the letters, use a brush to fill the letters with color, then use a damp sponge to wipe away any excess glaze around the edges of the letter.  This will increase the contrast between the letters and the background so they are easy to read.  Glaze fire the pieces and when they are finished glue high strength magnets onto the back of the clay, some may need more that one magnet depending on the size.

!!! B CR8IV!!!

3-D Letters

These 3-D letters can be made using a computer printed font that you trace or by drawing your own design.  Start by rolling out a large slab of clay about 3/8th of an inch thick.  Then draw out the shape of your letter or lay down your paper template and trace it out.  Once you are happy with the letter, cut it out and repeat, so that you have 2 exact letters (one for the top and one for the bottom).  You can add texture to your slabs at this point by pressing into them with stamps, texture plates or tools, be careful not to warp the shape of your letters as you press into them.  Using your scrap pieces of clay cut out strips of clay that are all equal width, these will be used for the side walls of your letter.  I like to use a ruler and cut down both sides of the ruler to quickly cut out strips that are all equal .  The width of the strips will determine how deep your 3-D letter will be.  Once you have a few of the strips cut out, start scratching the edges of all of your pieces.  Then pick one letter that will be the bottom and attach the strips of clay to the scratched edges of the letter to build a wall that will go all the way around the letter.  Take your time to line up the curves and corners of your letter's shape.  Also use a finger to blend the corner and  make sure that the walls are attached securely.  Once you have gone around the entire shape scratch-to-attach the second letter on top of the walls.  If your clay is really wet, the top letter may sag into the bottom one, to solve this, just let your clay dry a little bit more to give it more strength and then the top piece will sit evenly across.  Take time to attach the seam on well, blending the clay with your fingers.  Once the letters are a dry enough to hold their shape you can clean up the seams with a damp sponge and adjust how they will sit or stand up.  Make sure to punch a small hole into the hollow space to keep your letter from exploding in the kiln.  You could make the hole on the back of the letter so that you can hang it on the wall or you can hide it on the bottom if your letter will be free standing.  This is a fun way to spell out a child's name on their bedroom wall or a teacher's name in their classroom.

!!!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!!!

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.

!!!B CR8IV!!!

Ice Cream Bowls

This is a great basic clay project that anyone can enjoy!

Create your very own ice cream bowl using the pinch pot method of building, design patterns & textures and think about the functionality of your bowl; size, shape & texture. 

Sessions:  One 30 min - 1 hour session
Age: Kinder and up

Materials:

Low Fire Clay

A Variety of Clay Tools

Low Fire Glazes & Brushes
Kiln

Steps:

1.  Cut off a piece of clay that is about as big as a baseball. 

2.  Shape it into a sphere by hitting it with curved hands until all flat sides and points are rounded.

3.  Push your thumb into the sphere (be careful not to go all the way through).

4.  Start to squeeze the clay with your thumb on the inside and your fingers on the outside.  Squeeze and turn the clay so the hole that you made with your thumb is stretched out and starts to form a bowl.  This is called making a pinch pot because you are pinching your clay into the shape of a pot/bowl.  Keep squeezing and stretching the clay until it is stretched out to the size that you want your bowl to be.  Hint: If you stretch and squeeze it to much, you clay will become thin and fragile, try to keep it about as thick as a pancake.    

5.  Now you can change the shape of your bowl if you'd like.  It can be anything; oval, heart, triangle.... I'm going with a square shape for this bowl.  You can also use this time to smooth out any cracks or rough areas of clay--your fingers are a great tool for this!  Hint:   You can also use a spray bottle to keep your clay damp--don't overdo it though, your clay will become mush!

6. Now it's time to decorate your bowl, use your clay tools to add design, pattern and texture to your pieces. Experiment with different ideas, if you don't like them, you can always smooth them out and try something different.

7.  Sometimes finding tools that are not really for clay; such as this ballpoint pen, can create a really effective design. 

8.  I like to create the majority of my design and texture on the outside of the piece, this helps keep the bowl easy to clean, especially if its going to be used for food.  

9.  The finished design!

10.  This bowl will now need to dry completely, be fired in a kiln to cone 04 so that it is bisqued, then it will be glazed with a variety of colors and fired again.  Then all that you'll need is ice cream! 

ENJOY!!