Working with clay involves using your hands, eyes and knowledge to make a work of art. Clay is an appealing art form due to the fact that the clay is easily manipulated by hand. It is an easy medium to modify when changes are desired during the creative process.
Instructions
1. There are three types of clay. Modeling clay is malleable and does not dry upon contact with the air. Modeling clay is useful for making art that can then take another form. Self-hardening clay dries overnight when it comes in contact with the air. Artist's clay is what master sculptors use to make their artworks. Artist's clay needs to be fired in a kiln. A kiln is similar to an oven, but with a higher temperature range. Kilns can reach temperatures of 2000-degrees Fahrenheit or more.
2. Those who work with clay know that pottery is a useful work of art that can be made by hand. A potter's wheel is usually needed to create the symmetry and appearance required of most types of pottery. A potter's wheel can either be electrical or it may be driven with the artist's foot. Start with a ball of clay in the center of the potter's wheel. Place your thumbs inside of the ball and create the sides of the pottery. Extend the pottery upward to elongate the sides of the piece as the wheel turns. The sides must not be too thin or else the artwork will collapse. Experience with the potter's wheel will help the artist achieve better results over time.
3. Clay is used as a medium to make sculpture. Sculptors use additive and subtractive methods for making works of art. Additive sculpture means adding other objects or pieces of clay to the existing sculpture. Slip is a mixture of water and clay that sculptors use to add new pieces of clay to the existing sculpture. Subtractive sculpture involves taking pieces of clay away from the work of art. With clay, this is called carving. Carving tools are a necessity for a subtractive sculpture method. Find carving tools at an art supply store. Use modeling clay to experiment with an idea before it is implemented in its final form. The final form of a sculpture may involve the portrayal an idea. Other sculptors seek a more abstract understanding of the sculpture by viewers.
4. Functional works of art can be made with clay. If something is functional, it is useful. Pottery is an example of how clay can be used with regards to its functionality. Make something that has a function. Brainstorm ideas on a piece of paper. Decide which functions are suitable to your needs. Use your fingers and thumbs to mold the clay by hand to arrive at a desired form with a specific use.
5. After the sculpture is made from artist's clay, it needs to be glazed and fired. Glaze is a way to add color to the piece of pottery. Usually the color of the glaze is different from the color that occurs after the artwork is fired in a kiln. Be careful---kilns can reach temperatures of 2000-degrees Fahrenheit or more. A glaze is comprised of tiny pieces of metal that melt to a certain color during the firing process. Do not put modeling clay or self hardening clay in the kiln, these types of clay can ruin a kiln. Paint the glaze on the artwork, and then place it carefully in the kiln.
