What Can You Make With A Pinch Pot?

 

Red Ted Clay

2 Pinch Pots

 

Sometimes giving the kids the choice of every color glaze in the rainbow can be a dangerous thing. But I happen to think this turquoise with white spots pup is just the cutest.

If you are a teacher, then you are currently in one of two places: Summer Vacation Bliss or On the Verge of Summer Vacation Madness. I'm the former but I can totally empathize with all ya'll in the latter. The last week of school followed our school-wide art show which left my art room as cleared out and empty as my brain. But have no fear, all you O.V.S.V.M. folk! The end will come (of the school year, not the end of time. I'm an art teacher not an evangelist) and soon you'll be like me: feet up, taking in the sunshine with a nice tall cold...um...tea (well, perhaps a splash of tea along with some other happiness-inducing ingredients) and frantically brainstorming lesson plans and thematic ideas for next year. Ah, the joys of being a teacher. Which sometimes feels like that unwanted gift that keeps on giving. Like a Chia Pet. Or crabs. 

(Did I really just liken my job to an STD? I believe I did.)

Don't get me wrong: if I didn't love what I do, I wouldn't spend so much time plotting and planning. Which brings me to this lesson. I started the planning stages of this project about this time last year. If you've read my recent art project posts (you haven't?! What's wrong with you, you got a life or something? No you don't, go read here and here.) then you know our purpose behind these animal sculptures: to raise money for a local humane society. Each grade level sculpted a dog or cat sculpture (check out my kindergartener's work and my fourth grader's masterpieces) with these being the ones my awesome second graders created.

The problem with projectile whiskers is sometimes they break. I still love this green-eyed spotted kitty just the same.

Because I'm missing school just a pinch (yeah, I do believe there was a little too much happiness in that last cup as well), let me geek out on you and break this lesson down with some good ole bullet points: 

• On our first day, the kids were given a piece of clay the size of an orange. They twisted this piece in half and created a pinch pot with each piece. 

• To connect the pots and create a sphere, each kid was given a small piece of newspaper (pages from the phone book work great...why am I still getting those, btw?). This was crumpled up and placed inside the pinch pots to prevent them from flattening. In the past, we've rolled up small spheres of clay and placed those in the newspaper before sealing it inside. When the newspaper burns, those little clay beads create a rattle inside of your piece.

• After the newspaper was placed inside the two pots, the sphere was complete. To reinforce the seam where the two pots came together, the kids rolled a coil of clay and placed it over the seam. This was flattened and smoothed. I know what you're thinking, "An enclosed piece of clay is going to explode in the kiln!" Dude, relax, I got this. Holes were pierced into the sphere at a later stage.

• Because my classes are a half and hour long, it was at this point that the kids wrapped their spheres in a wet paper towel and sealed them inside their labeled ziplock bag.

• On the following day, the kids rolled out and attached four thick and short coils of clay for legs. To prevent the legs from falling off once attached, we bent the end of each leg at the top. This created a larger flat surface for the leg to attach to the bottom of the sphere. Of course, we tooth brushed the bottom of the sphere and the tops of the legs before attaching.

• The kids were given some ideas on how to create a face for their pet. Then they came up with a billion much better ideas. Which is how is always goes, isn't it? I cannot keep up with their superior imaginations.

Best. Ears. Ever.

Pinch Pot

 Today, we are making pinch pots out of clay! 

Natural clay comes from the earth. It is made up of fine-grained particles of rock that are broken down over many years and then mixed with water. Clay can be different colors ranging from grey to red-orange, to brown.

The color of the clay depends on the rocks and minerals that it is made of. 

Can you think of things made from clay? 
Flower pots, plates, cups, bowls, sculptures and bricks are all made from clay.

You can make a pinch pot with clay by making a ball, pressing your thumb into the clay and squeezing it between your finger and your thumb.

The only art tool we will need to make our pinch pots is our hands!

Steps to making a pinch pot

Dave the Potter

Pinch Pots

These are Kindergarten pinch pots! 

You can make a pinch pot with clay by making a ball, pressing your thumb into the clay and squeezing it between your finger and your thumb. Many sizes of bowls and vessels can be made by the handbuilding method of pinching clay.  

Play video until 1min 45sec

Steps to making a pinch pot

For Clay Review-End of Class

Glazing Clay

 

Start at 2:35

3 Things to Remember

1. Apply 3 coats of glaze

2. Cover any white spots remaining by dabbing with your brush

3. Leave the bottom unglazed so the glaze doesn't melt and stick onto the kiln shelf

Art Show

  What is an Art Show?

What is an art show? 

What things do artists do to get ready for an art show?

They make art, select which artwork to show, find a location, they promote their show (tell people about it) and they talk about their art.

 

Art Show Slides 

Curating is the act of selecting, organizing, and presenting objects for display.

 

• Select a piece of art that you have worked on 2 or more art classes.
  

 

• You work should be a piece that you are proud of creating.

 

• Your art should be complete and be your personal best work. 

 

We will organize our work by class, with each student having a special place to display their work (by their name).

We will prepare it for display in a later lesson on framing and our artist statement. 

Portrait Collage

 

Monoprint

 

Printmaking

 

Monoprint tiktok

Affirmation animals

I am __________ like a _________.

I am curious like a cat.