Marina
At first, I did not know that much about ceramics. I knew the basics, pinch pots glazing and coils. I most appreciate learning about sgraffito and turning something we thought of basic, into something really cool. This knowledge is really helpful, because it teaches me if you think something is basic, you can make it amazing. Working with clay was really fun. My favorite thing was to do sgraffito, but I also liked making the coil pot.
Rocket
When I started this class, I wasn’t really sure what I would get out of it; I had only done ceramics outside of school once or twice, but I enjoyed it. I did know enough of the basics to get myself started, albeit I made some beginner’s mistakes. But one thing that was nice about being surrounded by people of all different skill levels was that it helped me realize that if I don’t end up knowing as much as I think I do, that’s okay because you can always learn more. Everyone is always going to be at different skill levels; you just need to ask for help or suggestions from your peers to get yourself through the situations when you don’t know a lot.
I’d say that the most valuable thing that I learned this quarter was sgraffito. I didn’t know that you could use underglaze and then sgraffito to get a white design indentation that contrasts with the muted color of underglaze, and how you can even coat the underglaze with a clear glaze to give it a shiny effect. Sgraffito is a really useful technique that I’ll definitely use going forward with other clay projects in the future.
Overall I really enjoyed working with clay this quarter, I had a lot of fun experimenting with different glazes and different techniques for hand building that I hadn’t tried before. I liked getting more experience with slabs, and learning more about glazing. Mostly, I just really enjoyed being surrounded by people who were all helping each other to make fun things out of clay.
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Joe
My level of confidence in clay at the beginning of this class was about a 3 out of 5. I was confident that I could work with clay and glaze it as well. I knew that my skills were not very good, and needed improvement. I think over the course of this quarter, I have learned more skills and ways to work with clay. Working on multiple pieces with different techniques for each really boosted my confidence that I could create a decent looking item from clay. The sgraffito especially helped me learn how to care for the small details of the clay.
I think that later in my life, if I decide to continue doing clay work, this class has helped further me along towards being able to do clay as a profession. All the different things we learned also would help me have lots of options of what to learn more about or continue making.
I was not a huge fan of clay at the beginning of this class, I still do not really enjoy working with clay, however, I have now learned more about it and now might consider it as an option for a career. I still am not happy with my clay skills, I hope that in the future I can refine my skill so I can make really good clay pieces.
I think that later in my life, if I decide to continue doing clay work, this class has helped further me along towards being able to do clay as a profession. All the different things we learned also would help me have lots of options of what to learn more about or continue making.
I was not a huge fan of clay at the beginning of this class, I still do not really enjoy working with clay, however, I have now learned more about it and now might consider it as an option for a career. I still am not happy with my clay skills, I hope that in the future I can refine my skill so I can make really good clay pieces.
Jessica
I knew quite a bit about clay before the start of this class. I put myself at a 3 out of 5 at the beginning, and that is quite true, but I probably could have been a 3.5/5. I most appreciate learning about sgraffito, the stages of clay, and glazing because I think that is the most useful and sgraffito is a very cool technique that I had never heard of before. The concept of scratching away the underglaze to reveal the white clay underneath is very cool. The stages of clay are good to know because if you are taking a tutorial it would be good to know the stages so you know what they are talking about. Glaze tips and tricks are just generally good to know. Overall I loved this class and wish it was a 3 day class. It was my favorite class for the quarter and I really like how the projects I did turned out.
Sophia
At the start of this class, I knew how to make the basics with clay. Like pinch and coil pots. I signed up for the class because I remember when I was little, I loved making things with clay and I thought it would be fun and interesting to see when your older the different things you can do and make with clay. At the start of the quarter I was not very confident with clay. On a scale from 1-5, I was a two and now I’m around a four.
During this quarter, I learned how to do this cool technique called sgraffito. When you use this technique, you make something out of clay and wait for it to get to the leather hard stage, after the clay is to that stage, you paint the clay with underglaze and then you take tools and carve your design into your clay shape. I learned how can use scratch and attach and slip to put different pieces of clay together and to make sure they don’t break in the kiln. When we were working on projects for more than a day, we learned how to wrap the clay up with plastic bags, so that the clay would not dry up. We also revisited pinch and coil pots, but this time we learned how you could make more than just a pot, you could make animals, vases, rattles, ring dishes, and anything you could think of. Lastly we learned about the stages of clay and how to use teamwork to clean up.
I most appreciate learning about slip because it really helps keep the clay together so it won’t break. I think this knowledge about clay could be useful going forward for other clay projects, because even the little things you learn, can make a big difference in the future. My overall thoughts about working with clay this quarter are that it’s really fun, but also relaxing, and when you take extra time working on your piece it will look amazing.
During this quarter, I learned how to do this cool technique called sgraffito. When you use this technique, you make something out of clay and wait for it to get to the leather hard stage, after the clay is to that stage, you paint the clay with underglaze and then you take tools and carve your design into your clay shape. I learned how can use scratch and attach and slip to put different pieces of clay together and to make sure they don’t break in the kiln. When we were working on projects for more than a day, we learned how to wrap the clay up with plastic bags, so that the clay would not dry up. We also revisited pinch and coil pots, but this time we learned how you could make more than just a pot, you could make animals, vases, rattles, ring dishes, and anything you could think of. Lastly we learned about the stages of clay and how to use teamwork to clean up.
I most appreciate learning about slip because it really helps keep the clay together so it won’t break. I think this knowledge about clay could be useful going forward for other clay projects, because even the little things you learn, can make a big difference in the future. My overall thoughts about working with clay this quarter are that it’s really fun, but also relaxing, and when you take extra time working on your piece it will look amazing.
Stephanie
Ceramics has been one of the highlights of my third quarter. This class has challenged me and also rewarded me in many ways. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun making pottery with my classmates and friends. This is a review on my overall thoughts of this ceramics class.
I didn’t feel that confident in ceramics before this class started. On a scale from one to five, I would have ranked myself about a two. But over this quarter of ceramics I have gained more skills and confidence. There are some areas of ceramics where I feel I need to work at it more and practice (which mainly includes glazing). But there are other areas where I feel very confident (like making my pinch pot, which I really enjoyed doing). I understand most of the terms of clay and how to do certain techniques but I just need to practice more working with the actual clay.
I really enjoyed sgraffito, although I did feel a little rushed to get my sgraffito box done. I thought it was a very cool technique and could make many cool ceramic pieces. While working with sgraffito, we also learned about underglaze, which is something I had never heard of before. After working with it, I thought it had a cool look. These two things that I learned, to me, were what I most appreciated learning. They were techniques that if I do more sgraffito, I definitely want to use more and work on my skills with them. If I do more advanced ceramics, like in high school, I will definitely use underglaze going forward in ceramics, it can be useful in so many ways.
I really enjoyed this quarter of ceramics and am disappointed it's coming to an end. I have learned quite a few new techniques that I will for sure use in the future. I am really glad I took this class and it helped me realize how much fun making ceramics could be. The only thing I wish was different having more time to make each piece and doing the glaze. Overall I thought this class was really fun and our great art teacher, Deb, made my experience even more enjoyable.
I didn’t feel that confident in ceramics before this class started. On a scale from one to five, I would have ranked myself about a two. But over this quarter of ceramics I have gained more skills and confidence. There are some areas of ceramics where I feel I need to work at it more and practice (which mainly includes glazing). But there are other areas where I feel very confident (like making my pinch pot, which I really enjoyed doing). I understand most of the terms of clay and how to do certain techniques but I just need to practice more working with the actual clay.
I really enjoyed sgraffito, although I did feel a little rushed to get my sgraffito box done. I thought it was a very cool technique and could make many cool ceramic pieces. While working with sgraffito, we also learned about underglaze, which is something I had never heard of before. After working with it, I thought it had a cool look. These two things that I learned, to me, were what I most appreciated learning. They were techniques that if I do more sgraffito, I definitely want to use more and work on my skills with them. If I do more advanced ceramics, like in high school, I will definitely use underglaze going forward in ceramics, it can be useful in so many ways.
I really enjoyed this quarter of ceramics and am disappointed it's coming to an end. I have learned quite a few new techniques that I will for sure use in the future. I am really glad I took this class and it helped me realize how much fun making ceramics could be. The only thing I wish was different having more time to make each piece and doing the glaze. Overall I thought this class was really fun and our great art teacher, Deb, made my experience even more enjoyable.
Naomi
At the beginning of the course I probably would’ve said I was like a 1.5 maybe 2 out of 5 in confidence with my ceramics skills. Some of the things we learned about like pinch pots and the basics of glazing, I already knew, but most of the other things that we learned I wasn’t very familiar with. I think what I enjoyed learning most was how underglaze, glaze, clear glaze, and mixing different glazes all worked, and what happened with the different layers and when you mixed certain things. It was also cool to learn about more of the tools that are used in ceramics and how they are used. Going forward I think this knowledge will be helpful in understanding and appreciating art in general. It’s cool to be able to know everything that goes into making something you might use/see daily. This class was actually a lot more fun than I expected, and it’s really exciting to see how all of my work turned out!
Charlotte
If I am being honest, I was quite cocky. I walked into the classroom thinking “I am super experienced! My pots are going to be the absolute best!” Haha. No. I made two pinch pots when I was In second grade. On a scale of 1-10 I thought I was a solid 8 but now at the end of class was humbled by my “failures” and now I think I am a solid 5, because I still have so much to learn, experience and improve.
At the beginning of this quarter and had no idea what the heck “slip” was or “plastic” or pretty much anything about the different stages of clay or what to do when clay is in one of those stages. The only thing I came into this class knowing was scratch and attach to make it stick” and “don’t let the clay dry out” so let’s just say I learned A LOT.
I really appreciate this whole experience! I always try and avoid using my hands when working on messy projects, I don’t know why getting my hands dirty me so uncomfortable it just...Did? So this was a great way or it to click in my head that “in order to make something your proud of you have to get your hands dirty” and I really appreciate that now.
Overall I appreciate this whole experience! I look forward to showing my friends and family what I learned and created, and since I enjoyed using clay so much this quarter that I put ceramics as number one on my high school elective sheet.
At the beginning of this quarter and had no idea what the heck “slip” was or “plastic” or pretty much anything about the different stages of clay or what to do when clay is in one of those stages. The only thing I came into this class knowing was scratch and attach to make it stick” and “don’t let the clay dry out” so let’s just say I learned A LOT.
I really appreciate this whole experience! I always try and avoid using my hands when working on messy projects, I don’t know why getting my hands dirty me so uncomfortable it just...Did? So this was a great way or it to click in my head that “in order to make something your proud of you have to get your hands dirty” and I really appreciate that now.
Overall I appreciate this whole experience! I look forward to showing my friends and family what I learned and created, and since I enjoyed using clay so much this quarter that I put ceramics as number one on my high school elective sheet.
Maggie
Robin
Cody
At the beginning of this quarter I said I was a 3, now I would rank myself as a 4.5. Before this class I had no idea what underglaze or sgraffito were. You apply three coats of underglaze onto a piece while it is the leather hard stage and then scratch a pattern or image. In the future I can tell others how to sgraffito and use it myself. I really enjoyed this class and working with the clay. The only thing I wish we had done was throw clay on a wheel.
Maddy
This quarter I took ceramics, I ended up making four different pots in the class. I made a boot out of coils, two pinch pots, and a sgraffito pot. I glazed each one with different glazes. The big idea for me was to create pots that I was happy with, and I did, but there’s not really a theme to it. Also, I didn’t title any of my pieces. A challenge I faced was the boot. It was really hard and time consuming to make all the coils, and to make it not look weird. In the end, I’m proud of how it turned out but I pictured it differently in my head. My goals for this quarter were to learn things about clay that I didn’t know before, and I definitely succeeded in doing that. I learned about slip, and how to roll coils, how to store pots, and how to use underglaze, (I also did some experimenting with layering underglaze and normal glaze). Overall I’m proud of my work this quarter. I applied myself, learned things, and accomplished things I was doubtful of my ability to create.
Cecelia
At the start of the class, I think I was about a 2 out of 5. I knew some things about coil pots and pinch pots and glaze, but not very much about them. I think I most appreciate having learned how to do sgraffito because it adds so much more detail and interest to your pot. We learned to use underglaze and then use a tool (I used a ribbon tool) to scratch off the glaze in a design. You can put it in the kiln and after, you can either put regular glaze over the sgraffito/underglaze, or you can leave it the way it is. Whatever you end up doing, it usually comes out looking pretty and more complicated than a normal pot. This knowledge could be useful going forward if I wanted to make my pots or slabs (or anything) have more designs and look more complicated. Also it’s good to know how to do it because it is really fun and satisfying! I really enjoyed ceramics this quarter. I definitely learned a lot. At the beginning, I had no idea what the stages of clay even were. I didn’t know how to make pretty much everything we made. It was a really enjoyable class and it was also calming and useful.
Tess
My experience with clay before this elective was definitely on the lower end of the spectrum. I had worked with clay before this briefly in past clay classes, but I had never learned a lot about ceramics in detail. I didn’t feel very confident in clay, but throughout the quarter I think my skill and confidence has grown.
During this quarter I most appreciated learning about glazing. For me, this includes glaze and underglaze. Before, I didn’t know much about this topic, but now I know all of the tricks and techniques to glazing, like the amount of layers you need and mixing the glazes. Glazes are so versatile and fun to play with because of the layering and mixing. This could be useful going forward because I now know which sorts of colors create other shades and how the glazes work together. Working with clay this quarter was definitely more fun than I would have thought. I don’t exactly consider myself to be artistic, so this class really pushed my boundaries. I was worried about this at first, but I learned a lot not just in clay, but in my self-confidence. I think it’s easy to compare yourself to other people, and I definitely went into this class with the mindset of, “I’ll try, but I probably won’t do very well.” I think I learned to look past this and really try and really push what I thought I could do. Overall, I had a lot of fun in this class. |
Marisa
Devi
I didn't know anything about ceramics except coiling and pinch pots. After this class, I learned more. I learned what sgrafitto is, and I learned how to make a box out of clay. I also learned how to make the glazing look better, and when my pieces got out of the kiln, I thought the glazing looked pretty good. This could help me in the future if I had ceramics classes in high school or further on. I thought this class helped me a lot.
Elliot
Gillian
At the start of this class, I would put myself at about a level two/five of understanding and confidence in ceramics. I was pretty excited about learning about sgraffito this quarter. I think it’s a very interesting technique that I would love to use on my future endeavors with ceramics. This quarter, I also became way more confident making coils. I’ve always had tons of trouble getting my coils smooth and satisfactory, but I finally learned how to decently make a coil. Ceramics has been quite fun, since I’ve got to experiment and mess around with the glazes, textures, and shapings of my pieces. I wish I got to work with clay more.
Willow
A few things I learned:
Underglaze. Before this class, I’d never heard of it, but it's actually really cool! It was nice having a glaze that was a little more watery of a texture, so that it was more like you were painting your piece instead of the usually thicker glaze. And, once you put the clear glaze over it, the color of the underglaze really showed through way better than I expected. Don't be afraid to put a lot of clear on, you want a decent amount.
Glaze. Everyone thinks of using glaze when they do clay projects, and you really want to put enough layers of glaze on that it comes out even and not thin or splotchy. However, on one of my projects I was just going haywire with the glaze and my piece came out with such a thick layer of glaze on it, that I couldn’t really see the nice design of the coils. I think that 3-4 layers is the perfect amount, after all.
Underglaze. Before this class, I’d never heard of it, but it's actually really cool! It was nice having a glaze that was a little more watery of a texture, so that it was more like you were painting your piece instead of the usually thicker glaze. And, once you put the clear glaze over it, the color of the underglaze really showed through way better than I expected. Don't be afraid to put a lot of clear on, you want a decent amount.
Glaze. Everyone thinks of using glaze when they do clay projects, and you really want to put enough layers of glaze on that it comes out even and not thin or splotchy. However, on one of my projects I was just going haywire with the glaze and my piece came out with such a thick layer of glaze on it, that I couldn’t really see the nice design of the coils. I think that 3-4 layers is the perfect amount, after all.
These are some of things that I learned, and now if I ever make more clay projects, I will use this information to make my work improve, and become better at clay.
Ava
At the beginning of the art quarter, I said that I had a solid 4-5 experience in ceramics (I did many ceramics classes in the past). I also had taken this class last year, but the pieces I made this year are my favorites. I made many pieces during this art quarter, but I only will feature my top three- also they were the ones that were required. Between them, there are many faults and errors- the piranha plant doesn’t have a bottom lip, the rose’s vine color is too bright, the house is missing a crucial piece, but I love them all just the same.
The first one I made was a small sgraffito house. It has slanted slides! I do have one regret when making this- I overlooked the fact that my house didn’t have a chimney! Ugh, it would’ve tied the whole thing together. Oh well.
The second piece I made was a coil pot, shaped like a rose. This piece was fueled by anxiety. Really. It was. ...I think it looked better without the glaze.
The second piece I made was a coil pot, shaped like a rose. This piece was fueled by anxiety. Really. It was. ...I think it looked better without the glaze.
The third piece I think, is my favorite. Believe it or not, the original idea was a rattle, then a pistachio nut! A pistachio nut origin story is the best kind of origin story. No buts. I was worried to see how the glaze colors I used mixed together, but I think it turned out okay. If I had to do it over, I wouldn’t use the red glaze in the tongue.
Sam
I made three pieces this quarter. At the beginning of this quarter I thought I was a four or five out of five for my ceramics skill level. My favorite skill we learned this quarter was sgraffito. I didn’t know how to do sgraffito at the beginning of the quarter and now it is one of my favorites. I think that these skills could be useful in the future if I ever need these skills to sell art or to make fun mud castles. Clay is fun to work with and I have learned a lot.
Benjamin I would say that at the start of class I had a level 2 (of 1 to 5) understanding of how to use clay. The most useful thing I learned was how to scratch and attach (with slip and not water). It could be used in any multi level art project (but it wasn’t applicable anywhere else). Overall the class is what I expected it to be.
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Cooper
My understanding of creaminess at the start of class was 3.14159265. What I think is that when I was in first grade I was told that pinch pots and coil pots was the only way to work with clay, scratch and attach was done with plastic forks, nobody told me about slabs or under glaze I didn't even know about sgaffito. This could be useful cuz I can tell younger kids that think pinch and coil pots are that only way to make art with clay that what they know is a lie, also I think learned more about clay and glaze from Eli than deb. And now i can make origami, cover it in clay, put it in a kiln and then have a clay shell and ashes from paper. Also my coil pot in a monstrosity pot.
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Madison
Eli
I started out with a level 5 experience with clay. I learned sgraffito which was very interesting. For the first time I tried to make a custom glaze. I started with wood ash and clay this didn’t work, so I cheated and added clear glaze to the mix in a 1 to 3 ratio. This worked good it made the pot look like sandstone. Inside the same pot I placed green glass inside to be melted by the kiln. I have been getting into metalworking so for a refractory clay is the traditional way to go. I really liked this class if only it was a Monday Wednesday Friday class!
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Sheridan
At the beginning of this class, I only had a basic understanding of clay. I knew the techniques, but I had not had much practice with them. I had so much fun learning about and doing sgraffito, which I had never heard about. I also never learned the difference between underglaze and overglaze, and how underglaze is matte. All this knowledge would be helpful if I decide to take this class next year. I had a lot of fun working with clay because of the two stages of building and glazing. It was fun to do an art project that had different components instead of just using one technique, like drawing.
Johana
At the beginning of this quarter I barely knew anything about clay. I really only knew how to make a pinch pot. I had never learned about the tools and how to use them. I have always enjoyed using clay but I have never been really confident with myself. At the start of the class I considered myself a two out of five, and now I would say a four out of five.
I most appreciate learning about slip and “scratch and attach.” I am glad I learned about those techniques because before this class, some of my clay objects would fall apart and I would be annoyed with myself. Now I know that slip is wet clay and “scratching and attaching” is just making the two surfaces like velcro.
This new knowledge will be very helpful if I make harder clay pieces and even simple clay pieces more often. Because I know these techniques I will not have to worry as much about my artwork falling apart.
I am really glad I got in this elective. I have always enjoyed making clay pieces and this was an opportunity for me to try harder artwork with a really good teacher! I learned a lot of new ideas that you can do with clay. Next time I have clay, I will definitely try one of these ideas. This class was super fun!
This new knowledge will be very helpful if I make harder clay pieces and even simple clay pieces more often. Because I know these techniques I will not have to worry as much about my artwork falling apart.
I am really glad I got in this elective. I have always enjoyed making clay pieces and this was an opportunity for me to try harder artwork with a really good teacher! I learned a lot of new ideas that you can do with clay. Next time I have clay, I will definitely try one of these ideas. This class was super fun!
Phi
In art class this quarter we learned about clay.
At the beginning I this class we had to assess our level of understanding and confidence towards clay on a scale of one to five. I said that mine was around a two out of five. Although I probably had a confidence level around four at the time because I hadn't worked with clay since around third grade and I was quite excited. I think the best thing I learned was how to use slip. Most of the class (besides the sgraffito and underglaze) I was just relearning everything that I knew a few years ago and I don’t think I ever knew what slip was. Knowing about it really helped make my clay pieces better. I also learned that you can put something that’s already been glazed back in the kiln in order to put more glaze on it. I never knew that.
At the beginning of the quarter I didn’t know as much as I wanted to about clay and I was mostly taking the class to “go out of my comfort zone because the only way to improve is to go out of your comfort zone” or something. In the end, I’m really glad that I took the class and I learned a lot more than I anticipated I would.
At the beginning I this class we had to assess our level of understanding and confidence towards clay on a scale of one to five. I said that mine was around a two out of five. Although I probably had a confidence level around four at the time because I hadn't worked with clay since around third grade and I was quite excited. I think the best thing I learned was how to use slip. Most of the class (besides the sgraffito and underglaze) I was just relearning everything that I knew a few years ago and I don’t think I ever knew what slip was. Knowing about it really helped make my clay pieces better. I also learned that you can put something that’s already been glazed back in the kiln in order to put more glaze on it. I never knew that.
At the beginning of the quarter I didn’t know as much as I wanted to about clay and I was mostly taking the class to “go out of my comfort zone because the only way to improve is to go out of your comfort zone” or something. In the end, I’m really glad that I took the class and I learned a lot more than I anticipated I would.