Written by Judy Decker
LESSON PLAN:  7^th Grade - Ceramics                                 WEEK: 3 weeks

UNIT: Nature – animals in environment

PROJECT: Ceramic animal sculpture

Objectives:  The learner will

Create a ceramic sculpture showing animal in environment

Awareness of installation work by Sandy Skoglund

Utilize ceramics vocabulary.

Demonstrate craftsmanship in forming clay –develop observation skills

Materials:

newspapers, masking tape, plastic bags, rolling pins, guide sticks, clay, slip dishes, modeling tools, texture gadgets, watercolors, gloss varnish

Instructional Resources:

Art and Man: and Man: Robert Arneson

Internet: Sandy Skoglund

PowerPoint: Sandy Skoglund 

Vocabulary:
modeling - to form the clay by pressing, pushing, pinching with the fingers and tools.

Draped Slab construction.

Slip, score,

Instruction/Motivation:

1. PowerPoint Sandy Skoglund
2. Internet Lesson: Sandy Skoglund – view installation works and photographs of installations- fantasy – animals (made from clay) in environments). View work of area artist, Gregg Lugginbuhl.
3. Demonstrations
1. making newspaper humps
2. rolling out clay slabs – draping over hump – to form body. Making pinch pot head – thick coil legs – adding facial features

Procedures:

ASSIGNMENT: Create an animal in an environment (animal will be fuse to clay base with elements of its surrounding).

1.      Draw sketch of animal – plan what will be in the environment

2.      Make newspaper hump slightly smaller than the body of the animal

3.      Roll out slab of clay for body – drape over newspaper hump.

4.      Make pinch pot head – ball of clay – insert thumb and thin out walls – shape into muzzle of animal.

3.      Scratch surfaces where clay will touch – apply slip to hold the clay together—fuse seams.

4.      Make thick coils to shape legs – it is best to have animal sitting or lying down. Shape hip – Scratch and slip to apply legs.

5.      Model the clay by pressing, pushing and pinching to form the main body and head form. 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.

6.      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.
 

9.      You may add pieces of clay for features like wings, tails, ears, spines, etc. Remember to use slip to attach pieces of clay. Wherever possible attach them to the body in more than one place to strengthen the joint.

10. Make clay base (must be smaller that 9”x12”). Fuse animal to base- scratch and add slip. (This will be optional – students who finish late will not have time for clay base with environment).

11. Use clay tools to add textures.

12. Use a pointed stick or pencil to carve your name and class # onto the underside of sculpture

13. Allow to dry  – bisque fire  –  paint with watercolors and apply gloss medium.

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.

Sculptures should be placed on a wood board inside your plastic bag. Put name on bag with masking tape. Place in assigned cupboard.

Closure:

Review vocabulary

Review forming techniques

Review lesson criteria

Evaluation:

Ceramic forming techniques – transferring two dimensional drawing into three dimensional form

Originality in design – surface textures

Craftsmanship

Painting – aesthetics with the piece.