Art II Artist Inspired Ceramic Plates

Art II researched a contemporary artist of their choice. They traced a plate that they would like to make and then drew and colored a design that reflects the style of the artist they chose. This design does not copy the artist, but is instead a re-creation (in student's own way) of this artist's work.  Once they planned their design, students made their plates by using a real plate as a mold. 

Step 1: 
Roll clay out with a rolling pin on top of newspaper or a plastic bag (plastic bag works better because clay tends to stick to newspaper). Roll clay between two pieces of wood that are the same thickness so that you flatten clay to desired thickness and it is even on all sides. Make sure there are no air bubbles!!

Step 2:
Cover plate with plastic bag, then lift clay and place over the plate. 

Step 3: 
Use pin tool to trim off edges of the plate. Put the extra clay in a pile. 

Step 4: 
Use water and sponge to smooth plate. Pay close attention to the edges and make sure that they are smooth! 

Step 5: 
Let dry over night. Place bag over the plate just a little bit so that it can start to dry but not too quickly. The next day, you can lift the plate and use the sponge to smooth out the bottom  **very important**

Step 6: 
Once plate is smoothed on both top and bottom, let dry out completely so that it can be fired! 

Step 7: 
Once plate is fired, students can sand paper their plate to smooth out any edges that were not completely smooth or that were uneven.

Step 8: 

Once plate is sand papered to desired smoothness, students can begin to draw their design onto their plate. Remember, prior to making their mold, students were to trace the plate they are using onto a piece of paper and draw/color a design that reflects the style of an artist of their choice. Once their plate is ready, they then draw this same design onto their plate! 

A few finished plates (under-glazed and clear glazed)