Clay Ocarinas

Art Element Form (Review) – refers to an element of art Vocabularythat is three-dimensional and (height, width, and depth) and enclosesTerms volume.

Ocarinas Flutes, whistles and ocarinas are known as sizes.

If the instrument has finger holes to make more variation in sound, they can be placed anywhere on its body.

Large ocarinas have a low pitch, while small ocarinas have a

Clay – firm earthy material that is plastic when wet, brittle when dry, and hard when heated

Carving – subtractive; cutting or incising material to create form

Modeling – additive; manipulating a material (clay) to create form

Wedging – A technique in which clay is thoroughly kneaded to remove air bubbles.

Score and Slip – To make scratches or creases in pieces of clay to be joined together. Scoring and applying slip (slip = clay + water, and acts like glue) to the roughened surface creates a bond that holds the pieces together.

Subject Matter You will make an ocarina in the shape of an animal! Clay Ocarinas

Steps to Take 1. Create 3-5 thumbnail designs of your spirit/totem animal. Think about unique perspectives of your animal and what kind of balance your tile will have (symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial). What part of the animal do you want to focus on that gives meaning to it as your spirit animal. Also, give thought to the WHOLE tile...think about the background and the borders AND a hanging aparatus if you desire.

2. Create a detailed sketch – either 5x5” or 5x7” with value to show the high and low reliefs of your clay tile.

3. Clay tools: blue tray, peice of canvas, chunk of clay, rolling pin, garbage bag, carving tools, water container.

4. Wedge your clay for 3-5 minutes to get rid of any air bubbles.

5. Roll out your clay with a rolling pin til it is about ¼ inch thick.

6. Cut out a 5x5” or 5x7” square/rectangle.

7. Ball up your extra clay so that it doesn’t dry out.

8. Use your extra clay ball for your additive/modeling work. Be sure to score and slip all additive parts!!

9. Use the clay tools to carve parts out of your tile.

10. COVER YOUR CLAY TILE with a damp (not wet) paper towl and a closed garbage bag at the end of each class. You don’t want it to dry out until you are done!