Time Duration: 1 class period

Unit Title: Sculpture

Lesson Title: Handbuilding Techniques

Objectives of Lesson

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify the three major handbuilding techniques.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the techniques by designing and building a sculpture.

Materials Needed

1. Sketchbook, drawing pencil, and eraser.

2. Clay, wooden boards, sculpture tools, spray bottles.

3. Sculpture examples.

Instructional Procedure with Approximate Time Line

1. Anticipatory Set (5 minutes)

Tell students that they need to take notes on the Handbuilding techniques to complete the homework assignment and study for the sculpture exam.

2. Handbuilding Techniques (20 minutes)

Why is clay soft? Clay contains water that makes the clay pliable and moldable. As the clay gets dry, the water molecules evaporate and there are physical changes to the clay such as cracking, drying, hardening, changing of color and temperature. When clay is fired in the kiln at over 1500 degrees, it forces the remaining water molecules out of the clay and makes the clay hard and strong. The clay will shrink a little after firing.

• Coil: Tell students that anything on their sculpture that is narrow and round should be built with a coil. Demonstrate how to roll a coil. Explain that coils should be about 1/2 inch thick. If it’s too thin, it’ll be fragile and easily break. If it is too thick, it might blow up when it is fired in the kiln.
• Pinch pot: Anything round should be made with a pinch pot. Demonstrate how to make a pinch pot. First, roll the clay into a ball. Make a hole about halfway into the ball of clay with the tip of your thumb. Then with your thumb on the inside of the clay and your four fingers on the outside, pinch the pot between your thumb and fingers until it gets 1/2 inch thick all the way around the sides. Use your thumb to apply pressure to the bottom of the pinch pot to get it 1/2 inch. Check the sides and bottom of your pinch pot with the needle to see that it is the proper thickness. If putting two pinch pots together to make a ball, an air hole needs to be present. Use the handle of the needle to make the air hole. Explain to students that when air gets hot (like it will when it is fired) it expands and if there is no room for the air to expand, the sculpture will explode.
• Slab: Anything that is basically flat should be made from a slab. Demonstrate how to roll a slab with the slabroller. Make sure you inform the students on the safety issues of using the slabroller machine. Slabs can also be made into cylinders or cones.

3. Joining Clay (5 minutes)

Anytime clay is joined, four steps need to be followed. Score, Slip, Pressure, and Blend.

• Score: Scoring is when a needle is used to crosshatch both pieces of clay where they will be joined. Demonstrate how to score. Point out that scoring must be done fairly deep; at least 1/4 of the way into the clay.
• Slip: Slip is watered down clay. It is the glue that holds the two pieces of clay together. Vinegar is like super glue to clay. Brush on the vinegar over the two pieces of clay where you scored.
• Pressure: Apply pressure to the two pieces of clay where you joined them.
• Blend: Blend the two pieces of clay where it was joined. There should be no "line" where the two pieces are attached. If you would like the line there to show separation, use a modeling tool to carve the line in.

4. Additive and Subtractive (5 minutes)

• Additive: Additive is when you add clay to your sculpture. Use the four steps to join clay to add detail to your sculpture. Demonstrate additive technique.
• Subtractive: Subtractive is when you carve away clay. Details can also be added this way. Demonstrate subtractive technique. Both additive and subtractive should be used on their sculpture.

5. Other Tricks (5 minutes)

• Rubber Kidney: Use the rubber kidney to smooth out the surface of your sculpture.
• Modeling tools: Can be used to add texture or patterns to your sculpture.

6. Homework Assignment (5 minutes)

Students should draw their design in their sketchbooks. Students need to write down the steps and techniques (coil, pinch pot, slab, additive, subtractive) they will use to build their sculpture. This will be checked by the teacher and approved before the sculpture is started. Air holes also need to be noted. Air holes should be placed in an area where it does not detract from the overall appearance of the sculpture.

7. Sculpture Assessment

See sculpture rubrics.