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Procedures:
ASSIGNMENT:
Create a ceramic slab box featuring a gargoyle sculpture
on the lid to “guard and protect” the contents. Make
your gargoyle look fierce and nasty by creating
animalistic features that are exaggerated ---give your
gargoyle an interesting expression. Your sculpture must
be upright; crouching or sitting is best. (Standing is
too difficult –legs will be fragile). You will need to
listen very carefully to the instructions that are given
to accomplish this. No talking.
1.
Distribute
plastic bags, cardboard for boxes and tape. Tape box
together and write name on the bottom. Clay is in the
blue barrel at the back of the room. Students may make a
rhombus shaped box, square - or rectangle if they
desire. Cut cardboard bottom of box to fit. Tape box
together. (Note: we used the cardboard to help keep the
slabs flat for our boxes - we didn't have time to let
them get leather hard for assemblage)
2.
Clay
box is to be assembled first. Roll out slab of clay with
rolling pin –use guide sticks to insure uniform
thickness. Press
textures into clay. Cut to fit inside box. Put bottom in
first. Gently place slabs inside box to insure texture
remains.
3.
Scratch
surfaces where clay will touch – apply slip to hold
the clay together—fuse seams.
4.
Cut
lid slightly larger than top of box—press in textures.
5.
Make
clay gargoyle (while lit is getting leather hard) --
Keeping the clay in your hands, gently roll and squeeze
it to form sort of a cylinder-- the shape will change as
you work. Check the size of your cylinder against the
lid. Remember that your sculpture must be smaller than
your lid
6.
Model
the clay by pressing, pushing and pinching to form the
main body and head form. Try to imagine your gargoyle
perched, sitting or crouched on the edge of the roof.
Gently squeeze in to form the neck. Think about the form
of the head, including the snout or jaw. Try to make the
jaw stand out from the neck. Turn your sculpture around
and look at the back and sides. Think about ways to show
the hips, shoulders or spine.
7.
Think
about legs and arms. By pushing into your clay with your
fingertips you will be able to make some of it stand out
to begin forming limbs. Think about the way animals
(e.g. dogs) fold their legs beneath them when they are
seated. Make
arms/legs with coils of clay.
8.
Look
at the head of your sculpture. Using your pencil eraser,
push gently into the clay to begin forming eye sockets.
The eye sockets will make a space for eyeballs, and will
also help you to begin forming eyebrows, nose, and
cheekbones. Add very thin coils to shape eyelids.
Remember, exaggerating these features will make your
gargoyle more fantastic, alive, and believable looking.
Medieval artisans wanted their sculptures to be unreal,
but convincing.
9.
Using
the tools also create spaces for nostrils and ears. Your
gargoyle will look more expressive if there are spaces
into the clay as well as things that project outward.
10.
You may add pieces of clay for features like
wings, tails, ears, spines, tongue, teeth, etc. Remember
to use slip to attach pieces of clay. Wings and tails
will be stronger and more alive looking if they are
curved rather than straight. Wherever possible attach
them to the body in more than one place to strengthen
the joint.
11.
Measure the inside dimension of your box—mark
dimension on under side of roof.
Fuse supports/lip on the underside of the roof to
keep the lid from sliding off if someone would bump it
accidentally.
12.
Fuse the gargoyle to the roof…remember to
scratch and slip a couple times to insure he/she will
stick.
13.
Use a pointed stick or pencil to carve your name
and class # onto the underside of your gargoyle treasure
box.
14.
Smooth rough edges with damp sponge - allow to dry
--Bisque fire.
Note:
Students who finished early wrote
a creative story about their gargoyles. Those who
took longer to finish wrote their stories as homework
assignment.
15.
Glaze - make gargoyle a different color than box if
desired. Make lid a different color if desired.
CLEAN-UP
INSTRUCTIONS. Allow about 5 to 10 minutes for cleaning
up.
Leftover
clay should go into the barrel.
Tools
should be wiped off and returned, along with slip
containers to the sink counter.
Tables
will need to be wiped off with several pieces of damp
paper towel so that they are clean.
GARGOYLES
should be placed on a wood board inside your plastic
bag. Put name on bag with masking tape. Place in
assigned cupboard.
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