Lesson video

Hi, my name's Miss Nadia, and I welcome you to our lesson today.

I hope you're having a lovely day, and let's get started with the session.

Our lesson title today is 3D Design: Clay Surface Techniques, and the outcome of your lesson today is that you can explore and apply surface decoration techniques on clay, linking them to a chosen theme.

You have got three key words today, and the first key word is surface.

The surface is the outside of a clay form that can be carved, built up, stamped, or molded to add texture and meaning.

The second keyword today is decoration, adding patterns, colors, or details to make something more attractive.

And our third keyword today is theme.

This is the idea or message that guides your design.

So your three keywords today are surface, decoration, and theme, and we'll be using these keywords throughout the duration of our lesson today.

Our lesson is split into two learning cycles today.

And the first learning cycle that we'll start now is called decorating with meaning.

I have a question for you.

Can a surface add meaning or just decoration? What do you think? Compare the decorative elements in these sculptures? What do you see? Can a surface add meaning or just decoration? Let's explore this further.

Decoration can make the sculpture more interesting, and it gives its story.

It depends on the artist's message.

Some sculptures don't need decoration because the shape already says enough.

And we can see this, can't we, in the first example? what are clay surface techniques? Well, clay surface techniques are methods used to change how the outside of a clay form looks and feels.

They can add texture, color, and pattern, or even tell a story.

Artists can carve into the clay, build up raised designs with slip, imprint patterns with stamps or shape surfaces with molds.

Surface techniques make each piece more expressive, unique, and connected to a theme.

Do you think this is true or false? Surface design is only for making clay look pretty.

True or false? And of course that is false.

And why do you think this is false? Well, the reason it is false is because surface design can add meaning and it can add texture and a narrative by changing the way the clay form looks and feels.

Clay surface techniques are an ancient sculptural process.

And here we have an example of Egyptian pottery.

Makers have always used decoration to tell stories to mark identity or connect to nature.

Common themes explored include: nature, such as plants, animals, landscapes, the weather, memory such as objects, places, people or events, identity such as family, culture, patterns and symbols, belief and ritual such as spiritual symbols, and protection, storytelling such as narratives, myths, and everyday life.

These artists use surface design to connect with themes of natural forms and cultural heritage.

Kate Malone creates decorative vessels inspired by fruits, seeds, and plants.

Textures and glazes celebrate growth and energy.

Ibrahim Said carves complex, geometric, and calligraphic patterns, drawing on Egyptian and Islamic traditions.

Steven Low Thia Kwang uses slip-trailing and color to link Southeast Asian traditions with contemporary ceramic designs.

These artists use surface design to explore themes of personal identity and lived experience.

Grayson Perry covers vases with bright patterns and images to tell stories about society and identity.

Shawanda Corbett builds bold vessels with painted and textured surfaces that reflect her life as a Black disabled woman.

Betty Woodman combined painting and ceramics using colorful surfaces inspired by memories and places.

What themes could guide your own surface decoration? Could it be memory, identity, or natural forms? Sofia says I'd choose leafs and shells that I've collected.

They remind me of walks with my nan and being close to nature.

And Lucas says, I choose patterns my family have on fabrics at home.

They connect me to my culture and they make my work more personal.

Your design doesn't have to be pictorial.

It could be freeform, which is flowing lines or abstract marks.

It could be repetitive, like the first example on the screen where we have got the patterns or dots or grids, and they are repeated.

In this case, we have the flowers.

There could be overlapping of layers or shapes or textures.

And again, we've got an example of this one you could do combined where there is a mix of pictorial and abstract imagery.

Planning your design can help you to: link your surface to a chosen theme, decide which style of design fits for you, whether that's free form, pattern, symbolic, or narrative, it can make a surface design part of the sculpture and not just an afterthought that you create at the end.

Here's a true or false question to check your understanding of this.

Surface design should only be added at the very end of making.

Is this true or is this false? And the answer, of course, is false.

And why do you think this is false? The reason it's false is that surface design should be planned and integrated throughout to reflect and enhance the sculptural idea, not just added as an afterthought at the end.

We are going to begin task A now.

What I'd like you to do for your first task then today is to choose a theme to guide your surface design.

For example, it could be nature, memory, home, identity, or culture.

A, I would like you to collect two to three visual references, which could be drawings, objects, or photographs.

B, I would then like you to sketch quick ideas.

What patterns, textures, or symbols connect to your theme? And then I'd like you to try mixing different design approaches.

Think about how your chosen theme will guide surface and decorative choices.

Okay, off you go.

Let's begin, and you can pause the video and I will be back when you've completed this task.

Enjoy.

So here's an example of what you may have created.

And of course everybody's work will be different, and this is just one way that you could have achieved it.

This is Aisha's example.

And she says, my theme is nature.

I collected a range of visual references to inspire my patterns, and I was particularly drawn to the surface of a dried sunflower head which influenced my design.

We're now going to move on to the second part of our lesson today, which is to discover surface techniques.

Clay can be decorated in many ways.

There are four main types of surface techniques to explore.

The first technique is carving.

The second technique is slip trailing.

The third technique is imprinting.

And the fourth technique is press molding.

You can use a range of tools to create surfaces in clay.

Here is a selection of tools.

Choose a tool that works for you.

And this could be a household or homemade tool which can work just as well as the specialist tools.

Did you spot that there was a hair comb in the selection of tool images on the screen? What could you use as a clay tool? Well, Laura says you can use forks, knives, spoons, toothpicks, even, skewers, sticks, sponges, old toothbrushes.

True or false, then.

Only use professional tools when working with clay.

Is this true or is it false? And of course the answer is false.

Why do you think it is false? The reason this is false is that everyday objects, such as toothbrushes, fork, sticks, or combs, can make interesting textures and marks just as well as the professional tools can.

So we're going to look at these different surface techniques individually now, and we'll begin with carving.

So carving is cutting into leather-hard clay to create patterns, textures, or images.

And we can see an example here on the screen of what that looks like.

Carving creates contrast between the positive space, which is the raised areas that catch the light, and the negative space, which is the carved areas that add depth and shadows.

The carving technique can look like this.

By varying the angles of the tools, you can create and define the edges.

To create the carving technique, first of all, you would draw your design into leather-hard clay.

You would then define the edges and control how deep you cut.

You'd decide what parts should stand out or recede.

And you could try overlapping shapes to add perspective.

You would experiment with textures using different tools.

And then you could smooth the negative areas with a damp sponge to remove dust, and this would also create contrast.

Our second technique is called slip trailing.

This involves piping liquid clay onto the surface for raised patterns.

Here's an example of what that looks like.

It creates textured lines, dots, and designs, almost like drawing with icing on a cake.

You would mix the clay well with a little water to make a firm slip.

you could use a recycled plastic bottle or a paintbrush also works well as an applicator.

The slip trailing technique can look like this.

You would begin by using a fine nozzle for delicate lines and dots, or a brush for freeform bold marks.

You would layer lines to build up texture and shadow.

You would then combine with carving for added contrast.

You would practice the pressure control if using a bottle applicator to keep an even flow.

Which surface technique involves piping liquid clay onto a surface for raised patterns? Is it A, imprinting, B, slip trailing, C, carving, or D, press molding? And the answer is slip trailing.

Imprinting is pressing shapes or textures into clay to repeat designs.

And here's an example of what that would look like.

Artists use found objects, carved stamps, or natural items to make patterns.

What objects could you use for imprinting into clay? The imprinting technique can look like this.

First of all, you would experiment with rolling or pressing objects like leaves, lace, or carved blocks into clay.

And then you would press evenly to keep the impression clear.

You could overlap or rotate stamps to create rhythm.

And you could even combine with slip, oxides, or glaze for contrast and colorful effects.

And let's look at press molding now, which uses pre-made molds to shape clay, allowing for intricate designs and uniformity.

We've got an image here of glazed press molds and score and slip.

Molds create repeated decorative elements that are hard to sculpt by hand.

These individual molded pieces can then be joined to a surface.

When joining clay, score the surfaces and apply slip, which is the liquid clay to help bond them together.

The press molding technique could look like this.

It's an example of a press molded bowl.

Press clay slabs into or over molds for form and surface detail.

You would use plaster, wood, or found objects as molds.

Try combining molded and hand-built parts.

Decorate further with carving, slip, or imprinting for originality.

What I'd like you to do now is I would like you to match the definition to its technique.

So we have got four different definitions and four different techniques, and I'll read through them.

And you need to decide which one is carving, which one is imprinting, which one is press molding, and which one is slip trailing.

So here are the definitions.

Pressing shapes or textures into clay to repeat designs.

Using pre-made molds to shape clay to form repeated decorative elements.

Piping liquid clay onto the surface for raised patterns.

Cutting into leather-hard clay to create patterns, textures, or images.

And here are the answers.

Did you get them all correct? I hope so.

What types of surface techniques interest you and why? Sam says, I want to try imprinting and press molding because my theme is memory.

I want to mold the clay into a bowl that I used when I was younger and press my grandma's lace into the clay, instead of drawing my surface design.

And Jun says, I'm going to try carving and slip trailing because my theme is identity, and I can use flowing lines like calligraphy.

For task B today, I would like you to experiment with surface techniques.

Choose at least two techniques, such as carving, slip trailing, imprinting, press molding, that best fit your surface design and theme.

Try them on practice styles or clay slabs.

Test out combinations.

You can layer or overlap to see new effects.

Focus on exploring textures and patterns and not on creating a finished piece.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy the task today.

It looks very exciting.

Remember, it's experimental, so you don't need to create a finished piece.

Have fun, enjoy creating the techniques, and I look forward to seeing how you get on.

Your work may have looked something like this.

It may have included: drawing your design onto a prepared tile or a clay slab, experimenting with two techniques that best fit your surface design and theme, testing different tools to experiment with effects.

Now we are going to move on to your second task, which is to review and to refine.

How do your materials and techniques connect with your theme? What worked well in your surface decoration experiments today? What could you refine in the next stage? I'll leave you to complete your task now of reviewing and refining your work and connecting that to your theme.

And I will show you some examples once you've completed the task.

So here are some things that you may have said.

When carving, I tested different tools to see the marks they made, and I adjusted my designs when areas were tricky to cut.

I had to be careful not to carve too deep.

I then used imprinting with the end of my paintbrush to create indented patterns.

And we can see some imagery connected with what Aisha has just said there.

To summarize our lesson today then, clay can be decorated using surface techniques, carving, slip trailing, imprinting, and mold pressing.

And you've had a go at least of one of these techniques today.

Surface can add meaning, story, and identity, and it's not just about decorating your piece.

Choosing a theme helps to guide your choices so that everything that you do is driven by your planning and your thoughts, and it's not just an afterthought that you add at the end of a project.

Experimentation lets you test which techniques best fit with your ideas.

I hope you really enjoyed experimenting today with the techniques, and I hope you were able to make that connection with your project theme and the techniques that you've learned today have really guided you in your 3D designing.

Thank you very much for our lesson today and for all your hard work.

And I will see you again soon.