OUAN406 - A Tale in The Sting: Ceramics Induction 2.1

OUAN406 - Ceramics Induction:

Although I couldn't attend the last session due to illness, I still took part in as much as I could. I managed to get my first model finished and began to make a start on the clay head of my model. The objective for this was to create an enlarged model of the head of my previous character in earthenware clay. This material is fairly new on the market and is sturdier and more flexible than stoneware clay as earthenware has a slightly springy, rubbery texture meaning it has the ability to be stretched and pushed into odd shapes a little better and has less chance of cracking in the kiln or when sculpted with.

I much preferred using the clay to the plasticine as it was easier to mould, had a smoother texture and allowed me to sculpt much easier as it was a lot more pliable and didn't necessarily need to be warm to be soft and pliable like the plasticine. The clay was much more malleable and when used with the clay "slip" - a wash made from a clay bowl and added water mixed in, making a runny clay glue that was extremely strong - it had the opportunity to make strong sculptures.

In order to make the skull of our character hollow and save on weight and clay, thus cutting down cost and unnecessary clay use, we made sure that we sculpted two individual halves to the head and stuck them together using the slip. We had to be extremely careful when doing so and had to prick a little hole in the base when done to minimise the chances of the finished sculpture exploding in the kiln and causing tragic damage to other people's work too.