Ceramics

(Intro to Ceramics & Ceramics 1)

Intro to Ceramics

Construction Deadline: Fri. Nov. 15th
ALL construction MUST be finished
by this date.
(this does not include glazing)

There is something therapeutic about taking a lump of earth and creating something useful and/or beautiful out of it. In this class, most of our time will be spent creating projects out of clay. There is some preparatory information we will need to go over first, but once we begin building with clay, that will take up most of our class time.

Intro to Ceramics is a beginning ceramics class. This class will prepare students for more advanced ceramics classes here (Ceramics 1) and in high school. We will learn several basic building and glazing techniques, as well as important principles of art. (Keep scrolling down for info about Ceramics 1)

Class Materials List

Beginning Canvas Tutorial

Important Documents

Glazing Dos and Don'ts

Projects

Note: You may use the following images to get ideas for your own projects, but do not copy them exactly. It is expected that you will come up with your own unique ideas and work.

Below are some examples of Who and Fairy Houses. You may use them to get ideas, but you are not to copy any one of them exactly. You need to come up with your own designs.

Basic Class Information

Grades are based on the following weighted scale:

Assignment % of grade

Projects 70 %

Out-of-Class Hours 10 %

Quizzes 10 %

Participation 10 %

Student work is graded based on:

following directions
showing effort
completing work on time

Students will expand upon previous art knowledge and fundamental art skills within these four basic areas:

Aesthetics (I like it/I hate it)
Art Criticism (It's good art/It's bad art)
Art History (artists, genres, advancements in art)
Art Production (making art)

Late Work?

Because of the nature of ceramics, it takes time to plan, build, dry, fire, glaze, and then fire the pieces again. Therefore, all deadlines are final. I cannot guarantee that late work will dry and be fired in time.

Class Rules Specific to Ceramics

There are things about working with clay and clay tools that don't apply to other art classes. As a result, some rules differ from those classes. Be sure you read and understand them See the link below.

Ceramics Class Rules

Out-of-Class Hours

For all of my art classes, I require students to complete 8 hours of out-of-class practice per term. This is ideally a way to practice what is being learned in class, but in ceramics, it's a little different because you can't take clay home. Drawing is a great way to build your creativity skills. There are other activities that will also count for hours, and they are listed on the hours log near the bottom. If it's not on that list, it will not count.

The time spent practicing will be recorded on a practice log, which will be handed out in class. This counts for 10% of a student's grade. To see a sample log, please click on the blue button below. Note the arrows, indicating some very important requirements for this assignment.

Please take the time to read through this document carefully to make sure it is completed properly for full credit. Note that there are many activities that are listed at the bottom of the sheet that will count for these hours, as well as some that will not. Pay close attention to deadlines.

Make sure the log has:

the student’s name (first and last, printed clearly)
the proper items filled in legibly
the hours totaled correctly
the hours signed by a parent

Out-of-Class Hours Log (example)

If Disaster Strikes

Some Other Important Information About Hours:

If something unforeseen happens, or circumstances (either of your own doing or not) prevent you from completing the final project, below is an optional alternative assignment that you can do to make up some of the points you missed. This will NOT count for the entire amount of points, but it will make up for some of them. This only applies to the final project and must be turned in by the due date (determined by the teacher).

Alternative Assignment

1. Unsigned hours will not be accepted.

2. If I have any question about the authenticity of a parent signature, I will call home to confirm that it was signed by the person indicated. If it has been determined that the signature has been forged, the assignment will receive a zero.

3. The first 4 hrs. are due at midterm. If they are not turned in by the deadline, this assignment will not show up on their midterm grade, but students may turn it in late for partial credit.

4. The second 4 hrs. (the ones with the deadline at the end of the term) will not be accepted late FOR ANY REASON. Dates are posted on the class calendar, on the board in my classroom, on the hours log, and on this web page. I will also remind students in class leading up to the deadline. Turning them in early is possible and highly encouraged.

5. I will only accept the hard copy of the Out-of-Class Hours log that you receive at the beginning of the term. I will not accept notebook paper, phone calls, photos, scans, or e-mails. If you lose your Hours Log, please come and get a new one from the classroom.

Taking the Class a Second Time?

I have had quite a few students who enjoyed this class so much that they wanted to take it again. If you would like to do this, you are more than welcome to. The projects you do will have the same basic format, but you will have a lot more freedom to explore your creativity. Limitations like size, shape, and design are relaxed, and you can push your ideas to the next level. This is a great way to prepare yourself for the higher-level ceramics classes offered at the high school.

Ceramics 1

Ceramics 1 is an intermediate ceramics class for students who've taken Intro to Ceramics. It assumes they already know the basic building and glazing techniques. Students will have a lot of creative freedom in this class. They will get to decide what kind of projects they make, within some specific parameters. We will decide as Emphasis will be on different building and decorating techniques. This class is more rigourous than Intro to Ceramics, and students are expected to be diligently working on their projects and putting forth their best effort. Examples of some of the possible projects we do can be seen in the poster to the left.

Other information for this class, including practice

hours, rules, and grading information are the same

as for Intro to Ceramics and can be found above.

Important Items:

Art Class Rules

Disclosure Document

Beginning Student Calendar

Advanced Student Calendar

Projects:

Note: You may use the following images to get ideas for your pieces, but do not copy them exactly. It is expected that you will always come up with your own unique work.

Luminary Project

A Pretty Good Ceramics Website

The link below will take you to a pretty good ceramics website. Please don't copy exactly what you see. You may use the images as inspiration, but you need to come up with your own ideas. I can vouch for this site, but not any other links found on the page. You click on them at your own risk.