what is this project about?
The Water Water Everywhere project was about creating two clay pots using techniques that involved water. Out of the two pots, one was a face jug and one was a coil pot. A face jug is a clay pot that is supposed to look like a face. We modeled our clay pots after folklore characters such as the beast or bell from the popular story beauty and the beast. A coil pot is a large pot that is crafted by going making each layer with a different technique. Generally, the technique that is used involves a form of coil, whether it be a different shape or size the thing that is being made is still a coil.
I DEVELOPED ART MAKING SKILLS
Throughout my project, I developed many important and interesting art making skills. I learned new techniques and processes such as the technique known as slip and score. Slipping and scoring is used when you need to attach two pieces of clay together in order to make sure that they don't fall apart when they dry up. In order to slip and score, you must create etchings on both sides that you want to attach the clay on. Then, you must apply water to both sides of the clay and attach them. Finally, you must smooth over the parts where the clay is connected in order to make sure that your clay holds on and stays on.
I learned other techniques throughout my project that were crucial to my grade and my success. One of these techniques was used in order to form the face jug that I created. The technique does not have a specific name, however, without it I would not have been able to create the face jug's base as easily as I did. The process was to create two pinch pots, stack them onto each other, and then smooth out the outside of the pot with either a tool or your hand. I also gained skill with somewhat familiar when working on this project. The clay cutter, a tool that is used to cut big or small pieces of clay, is an example of this. I had been somewhat used to the clay cutter already as I had done many projects in the past with clay. However, during this project is when I got to really get used to the clay cutter due to us mainly being the ones who did everything with the clay besides our teachers giving us starting tips and pointers.
Finally, I discovered that I was talented in a new technique that I had little to no experience in. The face jug that I created was not great as I rushed it due to absence from school. However, the coil pot that I worked on is the one thing that I am very proud of. I put a lot of time and effort into my work with the coil pot because I felt more relaxed with what I was doing because we had already done a little bit of work with clay. This part of the project was the one that I enjoyed the most as it took me the longest due to me being very invested in how my clay pot was going to turn out.
I learned other techniques throughout my project that were crucial to my grade and my success. One of these techniques was used in order to form the face jug that I created. The technique does not have a specific name, however, without it I would not have been able to create the face jug's base as easily as I did. The process was to create two pinch pots, stack them onto each other, and then smooth out the outside of the pot with either a tool or your hand. I also gained skill with somewhat familiar when working on this project. The clay cutter, a tool that is used to cut big or small pieces of clay, is an example of this. I had been somewhat used to the clay cutter already as I had done many projects in the past with clay. However, during this project is when I got to really get used to the clay cutter due to us mainly being the ones who did everything with the clay besides our teachers giving us starting tips and pointers.
Finally, I discovered that I was talented in a new technique that I had little to no experience in. The face jug that I created was not great as I rushed it due to absence from school. However, the coil pot that I worked on is the one thing that I am very proud of. I put a lot of time and effort into my work with the coil pot because I felt more relaxed with what I was doing because we had already done a little bit of work with clay. This part of the project was the one that I enjoyed the most as it took me the longest due to me being very invested in how my clay pot was going to turn out.
I OBSERVED
While creating my clay pots during my project, I observed quite a few different techniques and styles used by myself as well as other students. I observed my surroundings for inspiration such as when we were required to use characters from folklores that we read in class to be what our face jugs were modeled after. I chose not to see this as a barrier, but to instead observe it and overcome it in order to get inspiration and ideas from it. My character that my face jug was modeled after was the beast from beauty and the beast. It really helped to look at a picture or words of who the beast was, how he acted, and how he portrayed himself.
Close observation was also a big factor to my success. Closely observing the details of not only my project, but also the projects of others helped me to improve my clay pot. I will say this now, I am not great at clay. Some would even say that I am very bad at clay. However, to say that I have not improved steadily over my years of using it would be false. I may be not great at clay, but at least I'm trying, and closely observing and analyzing important details is a big factor that is helping me learn more about clay.
My favorite thing to observe during my time working on my project were my peers. I know I have said this a lot, but this time it really was amazing to see what they could create. There are a few in particular that really catch my eye due to their sheer awesomeness. All of my classmates made unique and amazing coil pots and I loved seeing how they used different techniques styles to create them.
Close observation was also a big factor to my success. Closely observing the details of not only my project, but also the projects of others helped me to improve my clay pot. I will say this now, I am not great at clay. Some would even say that I am very bad at clay. However, to say that I have not improved steadily over my years of using it would be false. I may be not great at clay, but at least I'm trying, and closely observing and analyzing important details is a big factor that is helping me learn more about clay.
My favorite thing to observe during my time working on my project were my peers. I know I have said this a lot, but this time it really was amazing to see what they could create. There are a few in particular that really catch my eye due to their sheer awesomeness. All of my classmates made unique and amazing coil pots and I loved seeing how they used different techniques styles to create them.
I SOLVED PROBLEMS
During my project, I ran into problems that required me to think about and execute a solution. I tried a lot of alternate solutions when it came to situations in which I needed to change my face jug/coil pot in ways that would create something good. An example of this is when I changed the large nose that I originally attached to my face jug into a smaller more appropriate nose that fit the character I was trying to represent.
I made a lot of mistakes in my two projects but I did learn from them as well as work around them. A great example of this is when a large chunk of my coil pot fell off when it was dry due to poor use of the technique slip and score. It would take too much time to re-attach the two pieces back together because the clay was already dry, so I decided to instead leave the chunk out and think around it. I took a long coil and placed it on the area where the chunk fell, slipped it and scored it, and smoothed it out onto the area so that it appeared as if the big dip had been intentional. I learned that slipping and scoring was a crucial part of clay and that you could not get lazy with it, but I also learned that mistakes aren't always terrible things.
My work took some unexpected turns while I was making my clay pots, but there was one in particular that I would like to talk about. When I was making my face jug, I got sick and had to leave school for about 2 days. This was terrible for me because when I got back all of my peers were almost done with their jugs. This was a big unexpected turn so I had to rush my face jug in order to catch up with everybody else. Due to my rush, I decided to make my face jug more abstract in the way that it appeared. Sure, the jug was not as detailed among my classmate's jugs, but I still feel that even with the time that I missed I was able to accomplish what I was trying to make.
I made a lot of mistakes in my two projects but I did learn from them as well as work around them. A great example of this is when a large chunk of my coil pot fell off when it was dry due to poor use of the technique slip and score. It would take too much time to re-attach the two pieces back together because the clay was already dry, so I decided to instead leave the chunk out and think around it. I took a long coil and placed it on the area where the chunk fell, slipped it and scored it, and smoothed it out onto the area so that it appeared as if the big dip had been intentional. I learned that slipping and scoring was a crucial part of clay and that you could not get lazy with it, but I also learned that mistakes aren't always terrible things.
My work took some unexpected turns while I was making my clay pots, but there was one in particular that I would like to talk about. When I was making my face jug, I got sick and had to leave school for about 2 days. This was terrible for me because when I got back all of my peers were almost done with their jugs. This was a big unexpected turn so I had to rush my face jug in order to catch up with everybody else. Due to my rush, I decided to make my face jug more abstract in the way that it appeared. Sure, the jug was not as detailed among my classmate's jugs, but I still feel that even with the time that I missed I was able to accomplish what I was trying to make.