Hand-build something that’s just right for the purpose and make yourself happy.
Look around your house. Do you have disorder? Are your toothbrushes and combs all over the sink? Do you have an over-flowing junk drawer full rubber bands and paperclips? (Or do you just want to impress your guests with a stylish crisp bowl?)
Hooray! you can solve these problems in pottery class.
Remember, clay shrinks so increase your measurements by 10-15%.
Step 1: Measure the offending disorder and make a sketch
Look sternly at the disorder. Ask yourself, what form can contain it? How wide and tall does it need to be? Is it better if it’s square? oval? round? Does it need a hole to hang on the wall? Would handles be handy?
Step 2: Make pattern pieces
You should at least make a pattern for your base
What to avoid in your form
Wet coiling has some limitations. Firstly, it’s wet. This means it can slump easily. Avoid very wide or very narrow angles.
Use gentle angles
Also, wet coiling creates organic, soft forms and doesn’t like sharp corners.
I can be a box – but will have squishy corners
Dimensions – restrictions and advice
The size of my kiln restricts the maximum size of your piece. Yet, it’s difficult to give hard and fast rules because the maximum changes depending on the shape of your form.
Here are some guidelines.
Your form can be smaller. It should fit your disorder! But make sure it is big enough that you can get your hand inside when you’re making it.
Decoration
We’ll also be working with texture and slips. I hope you’ll make handles or some other ornamental/functional feature. You can think about those but we’ll discuss in class.