Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Tipping and I'm really looking forward to learning with you today about ceramics through cake culture.

We're going to do lots of thinking, talking, and exploring together in this lesson.

So, shall we get started? Let's go.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to sculpt and decorate a clay celebration cake using different techniques.

Before we start, I would like to introduce you to some keywords.

We'll be using these keywords during the lesson, so it might be a good idea to write these words down.

The keywords we'll be using today are sculpting, slip, coiling.

I'm going to say those again and I would like you to repeat them after me.

Sculpting.

Slip.

Coiling.

Good job, now let's think in more detail about what these keywords mean by taking a look at their definitions.

Sculpting is the process of creating three-dimensional works by shaping or combining materials.

Slip is a liquid mixture of clay and water used to join pieces of clay.

And coiling is a technique of shaping clay by rolling it into long, snake-like pieces and stacking them to create shapes.

Pause the video here to make a note of these keywords, and when you're ready to continue, press play.

These are the learning cycles that we'll be working through together in today's lesson.

"Clays, cakes, and celebrations" and then "Developing your cake sculpture." In this first learning cycle, we're going to explore "Clays, cakes, and celebrations." Cakes are often used in celebrations, events, and occasions in different cultures around the world.

See this example of a celebration cake here surrounded by decorative eggs.

Celebration cakes are an important part of cultural and personal celebrations.

You might find them in birthdays, weddings, seasonal celebrations, and festivals and events.

Have you seen any cakes like these before? Clay is a versatile material that can be shaped and moulded.

It becomes hard when dried or fired in a kiln.

We're going to use clay to sculpt and create layers for our celebration cakes.

You can see here someone sculpting a clay pot.

To sculpt with clay, different materials are needed.

We need to have clay, we need to have a rolling pin and carving tools, and we need water and slip.

Now, scoring the clay and using slip is the best method of joining two pieces of clay together.

So can you see here how these pieces of clay have been scored and then the slip is being added to the surface for them to be stuck together? Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

What is the best way to join two pieces of clay together? Pressing them together without any additional steps.

Scoring both pieces and using slip.

Placing them on top of each other.

Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think about the answer to this question, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said scoring both pieces and using slip, you're absolutely right, well done.

A combination of hand-building techniques can be used to sculpt the foundations of a celebration cake in clay.

Now, the hand-building techniques might include coiling.

That means making long, snake-like coils of clay.

Slabbing by rolling out flat pieces of clay.

And pinching, shaping the clay by pinching it with your fingers.

So take a look at each of those hand-building clay techniques.

You see the first person is rolling out those long coils.

For the slabbing, we've got the flat pieces.

And the pinching, using our fingers.

Now to start building the clay cake, roll the clay into flat sheets with a rolling pin.

So you can see that rolling pin there.

Now this will form the base and layers of the cake, so try to make sure it's not too thin or too thick.

The next step is to build layers.

So we need to roll out long coils of clay, making enough to create the height for your celebration cake.

So keep rolling out as many coils as you need for your cake.

Then we're gonna attach coils to the cake by scoring both sides and applying the clay-water mixture of slip to join them securely.

Now, once the layers are joined, you use your fingers or tools to shape the edges of your cake and smooth the surface.

So can you see how on each of those coils it's been scored with a tool and then the slip is applied on top, that mixture of clay and water before adding on the other coil which should have been scored too.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Which picture demonstrates the clay coiling technique? Is it A, B, or C? Pause the video here and have a quick discussion with your partner, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said C, you're absolutely right.

That picture demonstrates clay coiling.

Now remember, when we create a coil, we first soften the clay by kneading it and then rolling it into a ball with your hands, and then we roll the coil on a flat surface using both hands moving back and forth, and you keep it even by applying light, even pressure throughout.

And remember, we're making those snake-like long coils, and you can smooth your coils with your fingers if that's needed.

This brings us to our first learning task.

I'd like you to create the foundation of a clay cake sculpture.

First of all, roll out a base for your cake.

Then use coiling or slabs of clay to create layers for the cake.

And join the layers together securely by scoring and applying slip.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to create your foundation of your clay cake sculpture by following each of these steps, and press play when you're ready to continue.

How did that go? Were you able to create all of your layers for your cake using coiling or slabs? Well, hopefully you have something that maybe looks like this image here, and you've used a combination of coiling or the slab techniques to create those layers for the clay sculpture.

And it's important to use scoring and slip each time that a piece is joined together to make sure it's got a strong bond.

So well done for having a go at creating your cake foundation.

Hopefully you have a nice start for your clay cake sculpture.

This brings us to the second part of our lesson.

We're going to be developing your cake sculpture now.

Now part of what makes a celebration cake look special are the ways in which it is decorated.

Let's take a look at this image here.

It looks rather tasty.

What decorations there make this cake look special? We can see different fruits, we can see the dribble of that chocolate icing, and we can see the layers there of the cake, those different tones, the white and two shades of brown.

Celebration cakes are often decorated with elaborate designs like icing, flowers, fruits, and candles.

You can see on this cake here that we've got fruits and flowers on top.

Can you think of any examples of celebration cakes? What decorations did it have on top? I know for a birthday cake I've had before it was white chocolate and raspberry, so it had lovely white icing around the outside and some really nice red raspberries on top.

Now you can recreate cake textures on the surface of your clay sculpture by using carving tools, stamps, a fork, or even your fingers.

Discuss with a partner the toppings and textures you want to include and the methods you might use to make them.

Pause the video here and have that discussion now, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you discuss? Did you take a look at this image here, this berries and flower icing cake? You see that flower that's being created in the middle I think using chocolate or maybe some icing.

Well, Jacob says, "I want to make a cake with lots of toppings like berries and fruits.

I will roll the clay into small balls to shape them, then add texture using modelling tools." And Sofia says, "My birthday-themed cake will have candles, so I will use coils to create them.

I also want to create a chocolate sprinkle effect by pinching the top of the clay." What did you think? What ideas did you have for creating toppings on your cake? Were they the same or similar to Jacob or Sofia? Or maybe they're something completely different? Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

How can you add texture to the surface of your clay cake? By heating it up.

By spraying the clay with water.

By using stamps or carving tools.

Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said by using stamps or carving tools, you're absolutely right, well done.

As you sculpt decorations, consider which hand-building techniques will be most effective.

So candles could be made from thick coils, and flower petals may be made by pinching, and maybe fruits and berries by rolling clay into a ball and pressing it.

Can you see those different techniques that are used for those decorations? Many artists spend time creating and shaping detailed forms as these can add personality and character to their sculptures.

Stephanie Temma Hier's surreal food-inspired ceramics, Yayoi Kusama through her "Pumpkin" 2024 sculpture, and Kate Malone's ceramic sculptures each showcase artists working in this way.

As clay dries, it hardens.

If you are still working on sculpting elements and you notice it becoming too hard to work with, you might add water to keep the clay moist.

Moisture helps to prevent the clay from drying and cracking.

Remember to score and use slip to securely attach different pieces of clay together.

You need to use this every time that you attach another piece.

Once you've decorated your cake, take a moment to smooth any rough edges and finalise the design.

And this is your time to make your cake look polished before drying or firing.

Taking a look at this image here, can you see all of the different decorations that have been added and how they've been smoothed out? Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Why is it important to keep the clay moist whilst working with it? To prevent it from drying and cracking.

To prevent it from becoming too soft and collapsing.

To make it easier to paint.

Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think about the answer to this question, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said to prevent it from drying and cracking, that's absolutely right.

That's why it's important to keep the clay moist whilst working with it.

This brings us to our final learning task.

I'd like you to add textures or patterns to the surface of your cake using stamps or other tools.

I'd like you to add additional decorations such as candles, flowers, or icing-like textures.

And make sure that your cake has at least two layers.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go at developing your cake sculpture, thinking about adding those textures, patterns and decorations, and press play when you're ready to continue.

How did that go? Were you able to use your different techniques to create those decorations? Maybe coiled to make some candles or pinched to create some flowers? Well, let's take a look at this example here.

Here this clay cake sculpture was decorated with berries, flowers and a candle, and the texture was added to the sponge layers and the decorative fruits and flowers.

Can you see there where a modelling tool has been used to create those curves on some of the berries and those kind of sprinkly textures around the edges of the cake? And the icing layers were smoothed to highlight the differences between these layers and the sponge.

If you look closely, can you see that there, how the icing is smooth on top and around the edges it looks like the crumbly-ness of a cake? And can you see that single candle in the middle that's being created by coiling and then by pinching to create that flame on top? Well, well done for developing your cake sculpture.

Hopefully you have different decorations and textures now on top.

Before we finish this lesson, let's summarise what we've learned about building a clay celebration cake.

Celebration cakes can be moulded, shaped, and sculpted by using clay and different hand-building techniques.

And using techniques such as coiling and applying slip allows clay to be assembled into three-dimensional structures.

Textures and decorations can be sculpted and added to bring personality and character to cake sculptures.

Thank you for joining me in this lesson today.

I hope to see you in the next one.

See you then.