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 experiment with different clay techniques to create a textured cake-inspired sculpture.

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 clay, texture, coil, score and slip.

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

Clay, texture, coil, score and slip.

Good job.

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

Clay is a natural material that can be shaped when wet and hardens when dried or fired.

Texture is the feel or appearance of a surface.

Coil is a rolled out, snake-like piece of clay, used for building shapes.

And score and slip is a technique for joining pieces of clay by scratching the surface.

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.

Exploring clay techniques, and creating clay sculptures.

In this first learning cycle, we're going to explore clay techniques.

Ceramics have been used for thousands of years for sculptures and artworks.

They're also used as household objects, like plates and mugs.

Clay is a natural material used to make ceramics, pottery, sculptures, and many other objects.

It can be shaped when wet, and hardens once dried or fired in a kiln.

You can see this person making a clay pot here in this image.

Now clay is soft, malleable, and can be shaped into different forms. It can be smooth or rough, and we can add texture to it with tools.

You can see that person there is holding some wet clay.

There are three basic techniques to shape and join clay.

Pinch, coil, and slab.

So take a look at those images there.

We've got pinch, coil, and slab.

They're the three basic techniques to shape and join clay.

Scoring and slipping is a method of securely attaching two pieces of clay together.

Scoring means scratching the clay.

Can you see those marks there around the edge of that clay circle? That's the scoring.

And then slipping means adding a mixture of clay and water.

So can you see how that's been added on top of the scoring there? The slip gets into the scored surface of clay and helps create a strong bond when different pieces are connected.

So can you see, that piece has gone on top there? So let's have a go.

If I'm scoring and slipping, so here I have created those scratch marks in my clay using a tool, and then I've added a clay and water mixture on top to do my slipping.

So I'd like you now to pause the video here and have a go at scoring and slipping.

Make sure you've got your clay and your tools ready.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

How did that go? Well, you might have found that slip can get into the grooves of the scored clay easily.

So can you see in that image there? Hopefully you were able to add that clay on top.

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

What is the purpose of scoring and slipping when working with clay? Is it to make the clay softer? To help attach pieces securely? Or to add texture to the surface? 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 help attach pieces securely, you're absolutely right.

That's the purpose of scoring and slipping.

Clay techniques can be used to manipulate the material in specific ways.

The pinch technique involves pressing your thumb into a ball of clay, and shaping it by pinching the edges.

It's great for making small bowls and cups.

So can you see in this image here how that person has pressed their thumb into that ball of clay? The coil technique involves rolling out long snakes or coils of clay, then stack them up to build shapes.

So you can see here how that person has rolled out a long coil, so it looks a bit like a snake, and then they've stacked them up to create those shapes.

And you see here then how it builds up from that flat circle at the beginning and creates this pot.

So this method is great for creating tall or round structures.

Now, slab-building is done by rolling the clay flat with a rolling pin to create slabs.

These slabs of clay can be cut into shapes and joined together to form larger structures.

Now remember that whenever two pieces of clay are brought together, always score, or scratch the surfaces, and apply slip, which is wet clay, to make the bond secure and strong.

So can you see here? All of these pieces of clay have got the scratches on, so they've been scored, and you add that wet clay on top so that when you put them together, they make the bond strong.

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

Which of these is not a common clay-building technique? Slab, coil, pinch, or fold.

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 fold, you're absolutely right.

That is not a common clay-building technique.

This brings us to our first learning task.

I'd like you to experiment with different clay techniques.

Try making a pinch pot by pressing your thumb into a ball of clay and shaping it.

Roll out coils and stack them to create height.

Flatten clay into a slab and cut out shapes.

And practise attaching pieces using score and slip.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go at experimenting with different clay techniques, and press play when you're ready to continue.

How did you find that? Well, hopefully you had a chance to do a lot of experimenting, and those clay techniques that you practised, they have included making a pinch pot, rolling coils of clay, flattening clay into a slab before cutting out shapes, and the pieces were attached together using score and slip.

You can see in those images there each of those techniques.

Which one of those did you prefer doing? Which one maybe did you find a bit trickier? Well, well done for having a go at experimenting with these clay techniques.

This now brings us to our second part of our lesson.

We're going to be creating clay sculptures.

With the techniques of pinch, coil, and slab, there are countless clay sculptures that can be made.

So let's apply some of them to making a cake sculpture.

Now, make a sketch of the clay cake sculpture first, thinking about what methods you might use to build it.

So Jacob says, "I will use coils to build up layers for my cake sculpture." Will you do the same as him? And you could also use a pre-made design as a reference, if you prefer.

So consider the size of the sculpture you will be making and how much clay you will have available, because some sculptures will need more clay than others.

So if we're working with a small pinch pot, we don't need as much clay.

And then you can see with a medium coil ball, you might need a bit more clay, and a larger build requires a lot more clay.

So think carefully about the type of sculpture you're going to make.

Now, as clay reacts with air, it dries and hardens.

If the clay feels like it is becoming too dry, add a little water to keep it moist and pliable.

Now, it's going to be important to make and assemble your clay cake sculpture in stages.

So start with the base.

You might want a nice smooth circle to start your base.

Then you might want to make coils or slabs.

And then think about slip and score to get those pieces together to stack them up.

You continue building the basic structure of your clay cake sculpture.

Then think about textures, details, and decorations, but they can be added later.

So you can see here in this image how the clay has been built up to resemble the cake.

We can see those layers, can't we? Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

What should you do if your clay starts to dry out while working? Do you add a little water to keep it moist? Do you start over with a new piece? Or do you leave it in the sun to dry faster? 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 add a little water to keep it moist, that's absolutely right.

That'll stop the clay from drying out when you're working with it.

Now, texture can be added to the surface of the clay by using tools like forks, carving tools, or sponges.

You can see different tools there in that image that could be used.

Now remember that clay reacts with air and dries out gradually, which can be used to our advantage.

When the clay becomes leather hard, it can be easier to draw or carve into and add detailed textures.

You can see this artist here that's carving into a clay pot.

You can see the nice wavy lines there, included.

Many artists use food as a source of inspiration in their artworks.

Jacqueline Tse is an artist who manipulates clay to create textures and surfaces that look just like the foods and forms she depicts.

Artist Anna Barlow also creates ceramic food sculptures, like cakes and ice cream, that appear realistic, and look as if they are melting.

Discuss with a partner how you could draw inspiration from artists making food sculptures with clay for your own artwork.

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

What did you think? How could you draw inspiration from those artists? Well Jacob says, "I like how detailed and realistic clay food sculptures can look.

It makes me want to experiment with textures to create similar effects in my own artworks of food." And Sofia, she says, "I love how foods can be exaggerated to look over the top and full of energy.

I want to make a clay cake that is filled with fun decorations." Did you come up with any ideas like Jacob and Sofia, or are yours slightly different? Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Which of these tools would you use to create texture on clay? A paintbrush, a rolling pin, a fork or carving tool? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? Well, you could use a fork or a carving tool to create texture on clay.

This brings us to our final learning task.

I'd like you to use two or more clay techniques to create a small clay cake.

Design your cake sculpture on paper, or use a pre-made design.

Then choose two techniques from pinch, coil, or slab, to build the cake.

And then add details like icing textures or layers, and smooth the surfaces and refine the shape at the end.

So pause the video here to use two or more clay techniques to create a small clay cake, and press play when you're ready to continue.

How did that go? Were you able to choose your techniques to build your cake and add those details like icing textures? Well, let's take a look.

We've got an example here, and in this example, you can see that the slab technique was used to create an even layer for the base, and then the coil technique was used to build up the height of the cake sculpture.

And using the score and slip method to ensure a strong bond for each piece of clay.

And layers of icing were added and smoothed to create texture.

Well done for having a go at creating your own clay cake.

Before we finish this lesson, let's summarise what we've learned about experimenting with clay for a cake sculpture.

Clay can be used to create different forms and shapes using different techniques like pinch, coil, and slab-building.

It's important to use the score and slip technique when connecting different pieces of clay together to create a stronger bond.

And textures can be created in clay by using different tools, like forks, carving tools, and sponges.

Thank you for joining me in this lesson today.

I hope to see you in the next one.

See you next time!.