Synopsis of the complex lesson "Pottery. Organized educational situation

Maria Kolosovskaya, 26 years old, Moscow

“I am a creative person, I graduated from the Moscow Architectural Institute, I always wanted to create something beautiful. About four years ago, I came across a photograph of Lucy Rea, a London ceramist. I was fascinated by her image and the work she did. When I realized that clay and glazes have a wide range of possibilities, it literally captured me. The exhibition at the Pushkin Museum, dedicated to Japanese Raku ceramics, amazed me with its aesthetics and responded in me.

At the beginning there was no purpose, I just liked to touch the clay, to observe how the glazes interact with each other. Now I work in the Raku technique, but I have not assigned a specific direction to myself, I like a lot of techniques, I like to combine them - I like experiments.

A course on ceramics in Stroganovka with the artist Anna Kapyrina taught me freedom in dealing with clay and glazes. I also studied at an art school in Italy, took separate courses at Stroganovka and, of course, studied myself.

Ceramic education is expensive, and so are materials. Especially when you have not yet decided on your direction, you want to try everything: different types of clay, different glazes. Two weeks in an Italian school cost a thousand dollars, while studying in Stroganovka for two months - 40 thousand rubles. One lesson in private workshops used to cost from 800 to 2700 rubles for three hours; a kilogram of clay on average from 40 to 1000 rubles; glaze prices can be very different. One potter's wheel cost me 75 thousand rubles, the other 35 thousand. The kiln was built by a master for 120 thousand rubles. Now you can rent workplace and oven in the workshop, it is very convenient for those who know what they want, have an idea of the material and are not afraid to search on their own.

I had difficulties with organizing my workshop. It was very important for me to find a pleasant space, and it took a lot of time to find a room and arrange it so that I liked being in it and it was pleasant and convenient to work. My partner made all the furniture himself: shelves of the right size, professional tables. It took a lot of money and time.

The most exciting thing about ceramics is the magic of the process. I like that the end result is impossible to predict, like any interaction of the elements with a person. Clay needs a special approach, it will not be possible to restrain it, it is very willful, it is necessary to negotiate with it. Working with materials teaches humility, patience, makes it possible to get to know yourself better. She also teaches to be not tied to the result: it happens that you put your whole soul and a lot of time into a product, and after firing it either comes out of the oven broken, or it turns out not at all what it was supposed to, or just falls out of your hands not yet completed and shatters to smithereens. ... Although in some cases the cracks on my products turn out to be very appropriate, give liveliness to the object, give a certain charm, sometimes I am not against them.

For those who are interested in ceramics, I would advise to be free, not to be afraid to do something technologically wrong, to experiment. If at first it doesn't work out, come up with something of your own, be inspired by other masters, now they can easily be found on Instagram. If possible, go abroad, they can provide a quality experience. Each country charges with its own flavor, offers various techniques. Create the conditions for yourself to be inspired by this process, and then everything will work out and in joy. "

Olya Bystrova, 31 years old, Petersburg

“I work remotely and travel a lot. A beginner in ceramics. Six months ago in Berlin I took a short course in ceramics, where I was taught the basic techniques of hand sculpting and working with glaze. As a child, like many, I sculpted, and I remember very warm and good feelings from this.

My goal in the beginning was to try pottery as an adult. I am an excellent master of things, but I still did not get to the studio and classes. And then I decided that it was time, I had to do it.

Classes in brsg cost about 200 euros. The first ceramic objects I made from start to finish turned out, it was a super pleasant experience. After that, I had the opportunity to live in Bali for two months. There I went to the Gaya studio. A pottery wheel class in a group cost 400 thousand rupees (about 1800 rubles). I took a subscription for 10 visits for 1,500,000 rupees (6,800 rubles), which included unlimited clay and studio instruments. The firing of products had to be paid separately. While this is the largest studio I have ever been in, the light is amazing and I felt very good there.

I am now in the process of researching techniques, for me all this is a mental practice, during which I see many of my internal blocks, learn to manage emotions, let go of the brain and logic and act intuitively, going beyond the usual boundaries. There were many discoveries that I began to apply in different aspects of my life - in general, for me it turned out to be some kind of important tactile activity, through which I understand some abstract concepts such as concentration, stability, letting go of control and the like.

The difficulty at the moment has already become not to follow the standard obvious techniques and try to do something unexpected and unplanned. It is also difficult for me to do simple things, I just want to start doing something "special". But in fact, it turned out to be a thrill to stay in the format of a very simple cup for a while and try to make different variations, burn them, glaze them and then drink coffee from them. So I was able to feel how a small, barely noticeable tactility works, like the nature of the chamfer on the edge of the cup. This is one example.

Next, I'm interested in experimenting with firing. As an experienced ceramist whose work I like told me, you have to know how to cook clay to make it delicious.

For those who want to try, I would advise to take the time and try, this is an important step. Take a couple of lessons - hand sculpting, potter's wheel, then buy a subscription and try to work out without a teacher, it's an interesting independent experience. The main thing - do not be afraid, it is available to everyone. "

Masha Egorova, 26 years old, Moscow

“I have been doing ceramics for about three years, but I first thought about it when I was a teenager, when I decided to make myself a set. Soon I dismissed this thought as something unrealizable. And when I was 22 years old, I just decided to take a course on ceramics - and so I got to a lesson in the Terletsky forest park with my first teacher.

This coincided with studying at. Therefore, I was no longer interested in ceramics solely as a craft. Intuitively, I wanted it to be somehow connected with contemporary art.

I came to study in a circle, but after the second lesson I realized that I wanted to work more, so I switched to hand sculpting, rolled out layers of clay, glued large pieces.

I did not study much, I immediately began to do something at home myself. Later, I went to bake my objects in a workshop in the center of Moscow, where I met a good master, who gave me a couple of lessons on glazes and their chemical compounds. Now they often write to me that they would like to come to me to paint / paint, so I have thoughts about opening my own studio, but this is a separate conversation. I have an idea that needs to be worked out so as not to become another classic workshop, of which there are a lot in Moscow now (thanks!).

Last year I bought a small electric kiln. It cost about 100 thousand rubles, it was my contribution from the tax refund for the purchase of an apartment. How much I spend on materials, I am not yet trying to count, I just try to spend the money I receive for the sale of my vases only in business. The purchase of the kiln was necessary due to the difficulty of transporting unfired products. The fact is that most of the time I work as a designer, so, unfortunately, I cannot spend time in a separate workshop. I always work at home on an equipped loggia. Without an oven, endless boxes, newspapers, broken pieces, stress and frustration were at hand.

I was very pleased when I started getting feedback on my work. I almost immediately made a website, and they began to write to me or in a company say: "Oh, I know you, you make ceramic sculptures!" In general, when there is a backlash, it inspires something new.

Ceramics and contemporary art always overlap in one way or another. Now my sculptures often interact with fashion photography. For the first time they took sculptures from me for shooting jewelry for the Afisha magazine, then for Blueprint, recently there was a story with Sicky. I probably like this non-obvious solution for the interaction of ceramics and other visual cultures. I would like to develop this.

I have always made not very utilitarian items, so it was difficult to find understanding in classical workshop schools. Now I want to develop towards a more conceptual approach to ceramics, to go not only on an intuitive path, but also to think through the history of my sculpture before starting to work on it. I want to try working with other mediums (music, poetry, science fiction, fashion) - I don’t know yet in what form: as part of the ceramic object itself, or simply as inspiration through other spheres.

Nowadays, ceramics is a fashionable craft. I have many acquaintances who have recently started to engage in ceramics, but after half-drinking for six months, they left. There are so many things already, the internet is full of beautiful pottery. I am not very aware of ceramics as dishes, but it seems to me that the main thing here is observation and meaningfulness in the question of why you are doing this. The latter is what I myself am working on now. Without being overlooked, there are two ways - lack of taste and secondary. I perceive contemporary design and art as sciences that study the context, the audience, and imply a certain amount of research. This is one of the reasons why a certain artistic sensitivity seems to me the most important. "

Anna Russova, 43 years old, Moscow

“I am a contemporary artist, I make sculptures and objects. She started to work in ceramics about 10 years ago. For a long time I was in search of such material, with which, on the one hand, it would be easy to work, on the other, it would be strong enough and withstand, for example, being on the street.

Before ceramics, she worked with packaging materials, wood, paper, styrofoam, made mosaics, cast sculptures from epoxy resin - in general, with everything that you can work with at home, without a workshop.

Once my relatives gave me a ceramics stove, very antediluvian and with such intricate instructions for use that none of my relatives could figure it out. I whirled around this stove and went for advice to Verkhnaya Maslovka, to a store for ceramists. Previously, such a well-known stern uncle worked there, I asked him if he was selling any books on how to burn clay correctly. He looked at me through his glasses and said: "Wouldn't you, girl, study ceramics?" Well, I went. I really felt like a ceramist when I bought my own stove, but I could not cope with that one.

Ceramics is such a multifaceted thing, such a variety of techniques that it is simply unrealistic to be an expert in everything. I immediately focused on hand sculpting in teaching, all these plaster forms, casting is not mine at all. And as soon as I understood how to make a ceramic sculpture, I switched to this material.

I sculpt my objects from ordinary white clay, paint with engobes, cover with transparent glaze - everything is quite simple. I also teach ceramics to children, and this is a separate pleasure.

If we go deep into the past, then I came across ceramics right after school, while preparing for an art university. I was looking for somewhere to earn some money, and got a job in an office where they made ceramics for Gzhel. There they taught me painting with cobalt and at the same time introduced me to the full cycle of ceramic production. Then there was a craft center on Verkhnyaya Maslovka, then another course with Alexander Poverin, a famous Russian potter. Now I work in the "KOM" clay workshop, where I continue to learn from my more experienced colleagues.

On the one hand, ceramics is a rather budgetary thing, especially when compared with the same painters: clay is everywhere, paints can be made by yourself or you can do without them at all (the same story with glazes), you can burn the whole thing in a fire. On the other hand, if you want to work with special glazes, high temperature clay masses, then you need a good expensive oven. I saved money for my oven for two years. Potter's wheel and other equipment for ceramic workshops are also not the cheapest. True, in order to start, you do not need anything at all: when you go to study, then all the materials will be provided to you, the firing of works, as a rule, is also included in the training. Today, education in Moscow costs an average of about 20 thousand rubles.

It is impossible to learn all, all ceramic wisdom: in addition to colossal historical traditions, a huge number of different schools and trends, there are also modern technologies... It is such a sea of information that it is easy to drown in. For me, the most difficult thing is to accept: I have studied so much, but I still know and can do so little. And then there is this unpredictability of the result. You can do the same type of work every day, the same clay, the same decor - and still you don't know one hundred percent what will happen after firing. Everything you did before putting the work in the oven is your skill, and what happens in the oven is magic. It is not without reason that Japanese and Chinese ceramists consider the kiln to be a sacred place and read prayers during firing.

But no matter how hard your day is, it is worth taking clay in your hands - and that's it, you relax. Maybe it is true that God created man from clay: such a native material feels like. And the malleability of the clay in my work captivates me incredibly. Sometimes it seems that I am not just sculpting a thing, but creating something alive. It turns out that it is so nice to "be God": there are endless possibilities before you, there is practically nothing that cannot be made of clay!

Now my task is to create objects that will combine ceramics and, for example, wood or fabric. And another new hobby and great love - street art. I don’t know how in other places, but in Moscow it’s difficult for an artist to agree on exhibitions, but here you don’t need to negotiate with anyone, the whole city is yours, but that there’s a city — the whole world! For me, this is a very promising direction, I think then smoothly migrate to land art. Well, and another mini-task - after all, master the potter's wheel.

For those who are interested in ceramics, I would not recommend taking master classes in the spirit of "how to make a plate in two hours." Take a solid course with serious educational institution- this will become your base. "

Victoria Afanasyeva, 31 years old, Indonesia, Bali island, Bukit

“In 2013, after graduating from the Stroganov Academy, I moved to Bali. I am an interior designer by profession, so I could work remotely. In my free time, I was looking for material with which it would be pleasant to work with my hands. I tried wood and stones. But with them I missed the geometry, which I love very much: a tree, for example, is alive, there are no straight lines in it.

I was very attracted by the topic of clay modeling and pottery. I began to immerse myself in the study of this topic: what is made of ceramics, what is the firing process and processing. This is how my own project Ceramic bу Ava was born to create jewelry from ceramics.

I experimented with Stoneware special clay. This material impressed me with its versatility, you could do anything with it. But it was not strong enough. And then I spent about six months in Madrid, where I accidentally came across small shop with porcelain. I bought three large briquettes of 10 kg each, brought it to Bali, tried it and realized that porcelain is exactly what I was looking for for so long.

I began to put into practice all the knowledge that I acquired at the academy. She was independently engaged in jewelry design, modeling, production, printing, website creation, packaging. From the very beginning I wanted to do everything efficiently and beautifully.

In the beginning, I made jewelry with large porcelain elements. I was very impressed with the massive rings. But the problem is that such rings, firstly, are not for every day, and secondly, they are difficult to combine with anything. As a result, I completely revised the concept of my jewelry. I chose simple and laconic models that I want to wear in any situation. This is how the collection of geometrical ornaments with small porcelain inlays, which are combined with different styles of clothing, came about.

Three years after the move, training in mastery went harmoniously in his free time and did not require a lot of money. After 2016, when I completely switched to my project, it took some investment. The most expensive part is own production of jewelry: 3D models, master models, rubber bands for making samples, the work of a silver master who finishes each piece. The production of the first batch took about 600 thousand rubles.

The main tools that I use are a wooden board and sharp knives, with which I cut porcelain inserts for decorations. They say that every chef has his own knife, which is perfectly sharpened and fits exactly in his hand. The process of making models for the blank takes place using a 3D printer, then I cast a plaster mold on the resulting models. It turns out like a shape for a chocolate bar, only instead of squares, it has geometric patterns on it. Then I pour the porcelain into the mold. And then I give the resulting inserts, along with the sketches, to the silver masters who complete the work on the decorations.

I never thought that pottery could be so interesting and exciting. But it turned out that this is exactly the case. And I was convinced of this personally, having come to a pottery lesson, in which I myself, with my own hands, made a vase.

The lesson took place in a cozy studio with a crazy view of the Gulf of Finland from the 14th floor. There I was met by a girl named Angelica, who was my teacher. First, I had to draw a sketch of what I would like to do. Then Angelica told a little theory and sat down at the potter's wheel.

1. I was given a piece of clay - just enough to fit in my palms, and I could work with it. But before you put the clay on the potter's wheel - you need to beat it well in your hands - make a kolobok and at the same time remove all the air from the clay.

2. You know, what fascinates me most about such activities is the opportunity to create something out of nothing. So they gave me a piece of clay and from this I decided to make a vase. Honestly, I was sure that no vase would work for me. Not only do I not know how to draw, and the vase in my sketch looks more like a trapezoid, and doing something with my hands is not my story ...

3. But since it has come, Let's start working with clay on a potter's wheel. Do not be surprised at a basin of water :) Water is necessary tool when working with clay.

4. A frustrated face and a red nose betray the fact that I was crying, I couldn’t “calm down” the clay and because I didn’t understand how to do it, I burst into tears Here they are creative torments

5. And at some point I even wanted to get up and leave. But I should pay tribute to the master Angelica - she helped me to believe in my strength and did not even show that something was wrong.

6. In general, messing with clay is very pleasant!

7. The most interesting thing is that I start the first steps for my future vase.

8. Do you know, when you swim in reservoirs with a muddy bottom, your legs fall slightly and seem to be sucked in? Here is a very similar sensation when you insert your finger into the clay.

9. In several passes I need to make an extension.

10. This is where the excitement begins - there are glimpses of the fact that something can really be made of clay.

11. Here's the thing! Angelica helps to calm the clay
12. Hop, and the bulge is ready!

13. I begin to shape the bottom of the vase.

14. After shaping the bottom and working on expanding the top, my vase is almost complete! All that remains is to remove excess moisture, which I am doing with this sponge on a stick.

15. Now I have a thin wire in my hands, with the help of which I "cut" the finished product from the potter's wheel.

16. Angelica lets water between the bottom of the product and the circle so that you can easily remove my flowerpot.

17. Voila! A piece of clay, a few tears, a basin of water and a flowerpot ready

Clay is an amazing natural material, warm, delicate and malleable, which can turn into anything from a primitive, at first glance, child's toy to an amazing vase or an elegant candlestick. Working with clay has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, relaxes and relieves. So clay modeling is not only an interesting creative activity that can turn into a favorite hobby. It is also a way to dump the accumulated negative energy, relieve tension, relax, and get a lot of positive emotions.

Of course, at home it is difficult to compete with modern ceramic production, with its latest technology, sophisticated equipment, new materials for decoration. But it is possible to create products that are simple in technology. Any of them will keep the warmth of your hands, a part of your soul, and will be in its own way a real work of art. After all, another exactly the same plate or vase is no longer anywhere in the world ...

Workshop in the country

Working with clay is pretty messy. In the sense that everything and everyone will have to be washed later. And if you can sculpt figurines at home, in a city apartment, then creating your first masterpieces on a potter's wheel in an apartment is not very convenient. Do you have a strong desire to get in touch with the amazing natural material and try to master (even if not skillfully yet, if only as entertainment) one of the most ancient crafts - pottery? There is no better place for this than a summer house. It is here that it is much easier to organize the workspace, place everything you need. It is at the dacha or in the village that the work behind the potter's wheel will be more organic, fitting into the surrounding landscape, like a touch to the origins, to folk history and culture.

At present, there are entire specialized shops at the service of beginners and "advanced" ceramists, where you can buy everything you need, from pottery wheels and different types of clay to a kiln for firing finished products. Do not be alarmed, we will not need the oven yet. This thing is expensive and at first not necessary at all. For a start, it makes sense to learn how to make the simplest forms on a potter's wheel and dry them correctly. And you can burn your creations, for example, in children's art schools or ceramic workshops, where there is the appropriate equipment. Or, at first, leave it without firing at all. If the pottery craft "hooks" you seriously, if you feel that it is yours, then you can already think about the stove. By the way, in the village you can make a wood-burning stove for burning yourself, asking for help from a master or using special literature.

Required tools

It is clear that the potter's wheel is the main device that we cannot do without. About 7 thousand years have passed since some obscure genius invented and created the first potter's wheel. Since then, the principle of operation of this device has not changed at all. A potter's wheel is a small disc made of a smooth material (wood, plastic, stone, metal, etc.) with an axis rigidly attached to the bottom. A gear is attached to the opposite end of the axle, thanks to which the disc can rotate. The first pottery wheels were hand-made. Then the legs appeared. They are more convenient because they allow both hands of the master to be freed up for work. Most modern pottery wheels are electric. They are quite comfortable and facilitate the physical work of the potter. Although some masters claim that a real potter's wheel is still a foot wheel. Only on it you can smoothly and flexibly adjust the rotation speed, which is very important for sculpting.

Now there is an opportunity to purchase a potter's wheel industrial production... As a rule, such circles are quite convenient to work with. But there are DIY amateurs who make such circles on their own.

For more or less serious creativity, the battery-powered children's pottery wheels that have appeared on sale are not suitable for you. They belong to the category of toys, with some experience you can make only very tiny products (for example, doll saucers) with them. The power of the batteries will not be enough for more.

Stacks are also useful for our work - special wooden or plastic tools for removing excess material and a more thorough study of details. In addition, you will need a wire with handles at the ends for cutting a product from a potter's wheel, for cutting clay and other work. Instead of wire, the thinnest is suitable guitar string... Its length should be approximately equal to the width of the shoulders.

A song about clay

Clays are very different in origin, mineral composition, and the content of all kinds of impurities. Industrial classification divides them into kaolins, clays, crackers (refractory clays) and shale clays (poorly soaked in water). There is such a thing as "greasy" (plastic) and "skinny" (dry) clay. For pottery works the clay must be sufficiently "greasy". Otherwise, it will not mold well and crack during firing. Moreover, the thinner, more elegant the product, the more oily clay is used for it. The color of the clay is also different. It can be red, brown, green, blue, white, gray, and even chocolate or dirty black. The color of the clay is given by oxides of various metals: aluminum, iron, titanium. If their total number does not exceed 1%, the product will be white both before and after firing. If the content of oxides is more than 1%, the finished product turns red, even if the wet clay was green or blue.

Perhaps for novice potters, the best way out is to buy ready-made clay in specialized stores or at ceramics factories. Most often, pottery clay is sold in powder form. It has already been cleared of impurities and has all the necessary additives. It only needs to be properly prepared. It is better to learn more about how to do this from the consultants in the store.

Before starting work, even with clay completely ready for use, it is necessary to do one more very important operation - "interrupt". Roll a clay roller on a wooden board and tear it in two in a motion similar to twisting a piece of linen. Then forcefully throw the pieces onto the table, fold them up, roll them up and tear them apart again. The procedure must be repeated 20-25 times. This is done in order to remove air bubbles from the clay and achieve a uniform consistency. Remaining air will be very annoying when working on the potter's wheel and can break the finished product when fired. A lump of clay can be cut with a wire instead of tearing it apart with your hands. By the way, many masters consider this method to be more correct. After that, we proceed to the so-called spiral kneading. This is how it is done. The prepared piece of clay is placed on the table, both palms are placed on top. The main load should be on the lower parts of the palms. Press your palms on the clay, as if pushing it away from you, at the same time slightly turn your palms counterclockwise. If done correctly, you will hear light popping of air bubbles bursting. Then release the clay and slightly turn the entire lump clockwise, returning to its original place. The operation is repeated 30-40 times. Try to avoid folds, they can hide unnecessary air.

Finally, our clay is ready. Let's start sculpting. Be prepared for the fact that at first you will not succeed. This is fine. If possible, watch a master working on a potter's wheel, or better yet, take some pottery lessons. Now there are more and more such creative courses and master classes. If this is not possible, you will have to master the skill by trial and error. A self-explanatory self-instruction book with a step-by-step description of the work and pictures-diagrams will be very useful in this. It should be noted that the main way to master pottery is repetition. Try to get your hands to follow mechanical work almost automatically. See your work as a student exercise. And don't despair. As you know, it is not the gods who burn pots. In pottery, there are no strict rules on how to make dishes, and craftsmanship comes with experience.

So let's try. Cut a piece of clay with a wire, give it a round shape and place it in the center of the machine, lightly pressing it against the surface. If the clay has deviated from the center, correct it with your hands, and then start the potter's wheel. The clay must be centered, otherwise it will rotate unevenly and eventually slide off the circle. Perhaps this is the most difficult thing for beginners to learn how to spread the clay strictly in the center. The centered piece appears to be almost stationary, the clay should not bend or shift. The correct position of the hands of the potter is very important. The elbows should be pressed against the body, and the bent hands with the wrists slightly drawn together should be kept on a rotating piece of clay. You need to try to relax your hands as much as possible, the movements should be soft and smooth, without sudden jerks.

The movements that you will do with your hands depend on what shape you want to get. Let's say we decided to mold a jug. Pressing down the clay, make a bun or a small dome out of it, smoothed from the sides. Now squeeze the clay with both hands and, lifting them, transform the dome into a cone, and then back into a dome. With the thumb of your right hand, mark the center at the top of the dome and begin to gradually press your finger vertically into it. The rest of the fingers are outside the dome. Squeeze some water from the sponge into the hole. To push the clay apart, lower the fingers of your left hand inward to the bottom of the groove, and place your right fingers on the outer wall. Press down on the surface of the product with your left hand. Hands should be constantly moistened with water. Extend the cylinder to the desired end height. With the tip of the middle finger of your left hand, touch the bottom of the product, and press the bent index and thumb of your right hand to the outside. To stretch the walls, move your hands from the bottom to the top. Try to keep the walls of the same thickness. the main task at this stage - to get an even, hollow cylinder with a bottom. Then we begin to transform it into a vase, jug or other conceived product. There are certain rules for this:

if you press on the inner side of the cylinder, then its walls will stretch out with the expansion of the shape. Hands should be both inside and outside the cylinder, one against the other, together determining the wall thickness and the amount of pressure;
in order to pull out the neck of the jug, it is necessary to grab its top from the outside with both hands and squeeze it to the desired size;
if the jug is supposed to have a narrow neck, be careful not to accidentally expand it too much;
water that collects at the bottom of the product can be conveniently removed with a sponge put on the wire;
try to carve a thin edge of the product, round it to the outside with your fingers and wrap it up. This way you will get a decorative detail typical for pottery;
if you need to make a spout, grasp the edge of the jug with two fingers of your left hand and press between them with your right index finger.

The larger the pottery you want, the more difficult it is to make. Therefore, it is better to start with small saucers and plates. To do this, place a small clay disc in the center of the potter's wheel, corresponding to the size of the future plate. The bottom should be done most carefully, because in flat products it is the most vulnerable point. Clay here needs to be pressed harder. Then, using your thumb and forefinger, lift the clay from the outside edge to form a rounded rim. After that, we begin to smooth the side of the plate, slightly squeezing the clay and at the same time stretching it to the sides. Do not thin the walls of the product too much, otherwise they will crack and "swell" during firing.

Drying and decorating

When the product is ready and you are satisfied with it, cut it off the circle with a special wire with two handles. Pull the wire twice under the bottom of the product, then slide it off the circle and transfer it to a support moistened with water. Now comes the next important stage - drying. The main task is to ensure that the clay dries evenly, otherwise it will crack. Therefore, avoid drafts and direct sunlight. Wipe the product with a damp sponge or wet hands, removing all kinds of irregularities, then cover with a damp cloth and put to dry in a closed box (preferably galvanized).

After about a day, when the product dries up a little, it is taken out of the box, carefully cleaned with fine sandpaper and starts finishing work. For example, the surface of a jug or vase can be "ironed". To do this, rub it with some smooth object. At the same time, the upper layer of clay becomes denser and begins to shine. After firing, such dishes shine even more. Textured finishes can also be done on soft clay. Stamps are cut out of wood or rubber. By pressing them into raw clay in a specific sequence, you can get a unique pattern or ornament. Interesting prints are obtained by pressing coarse burlap against the clay. You can also apply a pattern or drawing by scratching. It is performed with an awl, knife or other sharp object.

In addition, engobe painting is a very popular type of pottery decoration. Engobes are specially prepared liquid clays. Such painting is carried out on a wet, dry and even burnt product. The decorating composition is applied with a brush, spray gun or the product is immersed in a container with a solution. After such painting, the products are fired at a temperature of 700-800 ° C.

A higher degree of finish is glazed. Glaze is a thin glassy coating that forms when silicate compounds are fused onto the surface of an earthenware product, and can also be purchased from specialized stores or ceramics factories. They protect ceramics from contamination and make them more durable. Glazes are very different: transparent, colored, colorless. Enamel is a type of glaze. It is opaque and is used as a base for ceramic paint. The enamel is applied by pouring, dried, and then the ceramics are painted with special paints. When the paints are completely dry, the product is fired.

For firing, special electric ovens are usually used. If you have access to such equipment, firing is done as follows. After drying and decorating, the product is placed in the oven for 1.5-3 hours for additional drying at a temperature of 150 ° C. First, the oven temperature is raised slowly until all moisture has evaporated. Then, every 30-40 minutes, the temperature is raised by 50 ° C and brought to 400 ° C. When the product starts to turn red, the temperature is raised more sharply - by 100 ° C every hour and brought to 800-900 ° C. This heat is maintained for an hour and the oven is turned off. In the first hours, cooling should be slow until the temperature drops to 450-400 ° C. When the temperature drops to 200 ° C, the oven can be opened. The product is removed only when it cools down to room temperature. The entire cooling process usually takes 10-12 hours. Now, if necessary, the product is painted with glazes, and then the whole firing process is repeated again to melt the glaze.

Clay consumption

It is very useful to know how much clay you need to take in order to make a particular product of a certain size. As a rule, beginners take too much clay, and this is one of the reasons for possible failure. To make a tea saucer with a bottom diameter of 13 cm, we need about 800 g of clay, for a dinner plate with a bottom diameter of 23 cm, the weight of the clay will increase to 1400 g. For a mug with a height of 9 cm or a jug with a volume of 0.2 liters, only 350 g of clay will be required. A half-liter jug will be made from 500 g of clay, and a teapot from 1000 g. Add a spout (250 g) and a lid (250 g) to the teapot. It is recommended to keep a kind of diary where you will write down information on each of your products: how much clay was required for the product and parts (lids, spouts, pens), some technology features, etc. Here you can also sketch interesting products seen in museums or at exhibitions, make sketches of your own vases and jugs, which so far exist only in your imagination. Such records will help to improve your skills, not to make gross mistakes, and to preserve for many years a lot of useful information that would otherwise certainly be forgotten.

It is clear that learning how to work on a potter's wheel after reading just one short article is very difficult. You will need a lot of time, hard work and a good mentor or self-explanatory tutorial. And who knows, maybe your wonderful works will not only decorate your home, but will also take a worthy place at ceramics exhibitions.

Victoria Beloborodova

Irina Ganagina
Synopsis of the complex lesson "Pottery"

The abstract was drawn up and carried out as part of an innovative project

"Organization of networking and social partnership through the creation of mobile ethnographic centers"

Organized educational situation

Theme:"Pottery"

Tasks:

Educational:

To acquaint children with the regions of the Kuban, where they are engaged in pottery.

To form an interest in the Kuban crafts in children.

Developing:

To develop aesthetic qualities in preschoolers.

To form and consolidate the ability to distinguish between clay household items, to know their purpose, properties and qualities.

To form the ability to navigate the map of the Krasnodar Territory.

To consolidate the techniques of modeling and processing of clay products.

Educational:

Raise interest in the culture and traditions of the Kuban people

Foster interest in the profession of a potter.

Equipment: Map of Krasnodar Territory, badges, clay products, a crossword puzzle, a jug of water, a video "pottery", glasses for experience ,.

The course of the educational situation

1. Introduction to the situation

Guys! If you want to know what we are going to talk about today, then guess the riddles.

I was born in the land

Tempered in the fire.

(Pot)

He kneaded the "dough" in a tub.

But his goal is not to roll.

Made a flower pot,

Then he burned it in the oven.

(Potter)

2. Updating

Here is a crossword puzzle, I suggest you solve it and find out what is encrypted here.

Name this product correctly? (pot)

After that, the clay product does not allow water to pass through. (burning)

What material is used to make ceramic dishes? (clay)

The part of the vessel for which it is being held? (a pen)

What is the material used to cover the pottery for extra durability? (glaze)

The name of this pottery? (pot)

What is the profession of people who make ceramic products? This is ... a potter.

3. Difficulties in the situation

So, today we are going to talk about potters and pottery. Can you tell us about this? (No)

Then if you don't mind, I'll tell you about it. The first pots were made more than ten thousand years ago. People were engaged in agriculture and wove large baskets to store grain. But the grain poured out through the cracks in the basket and someone came up with the idea to grease the inside with wet clay.

One of these baskets was caught in the fire. The wooden rods of the basket burned down, and the clay part survived. Moreover, it has become solid. So, the first clay pot was born.

Look closely at the map of Krasnodar Territory.

Name the territory that you see on the map. (Krasnodar Territory, Kuban)

Educator:

In the Kuban Cossacks from time immemorial were engaged in agriculture and various crafts. One of them was pottery. Let's take a look at the areas that are famous for their pottery on the map.

What are the methods of making clay products and their processing? (Don't know)

How can we find out? (ask the person who does this - the potter)

Watching the film "Pottery"

Pottery requires hard work and imagination. Let's remember how clay products are made. (Modeling, drying, patterning, firing, glazing)

I want to show you a product, touch it and tell me, what processing has it already gone through?

(modeling and drying)

How did you define it? (product is gray, no pattern)

Let's take a look at the next product, what has changed in it? (the color has changed, there is a pattern).

Do you know how a pattern is applied to products? (brush, finger, comb)

What kind of clay is patterned on ceramics? (liquid, white and colored clay)

What are the elements that make up the pattern? (circles, stripes, dots, strokes, lines, curls)

On what basis will you determine what kind of processing this product has gone through? (firing is determined by the color of the shard - it is red-brown, by the sound - sonorous)

And after firing, the clay product becomes moisture resistant and the pattern is not smeared. Let's check.

What did the masters do with this vessel? (except for firing, covered with glaze)

This is the last step that potters use to make their products.

What properties does the vessel acquire after coating with glaze? (becomes smooth and shiny)

So, we have determined that after firing and glazing, clay products become beautiful, smooth and durable. They are not afraid of water and fire. They can be poured into liquid, placed in the oven or oven.

3. Discovery of a new one and inclusion in the situation

Do you guys want to check if we made the right conclusion? Then, let's make an experiment and see this. There are glasses in front of you. Find sculpted and dried glasses and fired and coated with glaze, pour in water and check what happens, which of the glasses does not let the liquid through. Let's leave them for a while, but for now, let's remember the folk proverbs and sayings about pottery. (children call)

Well done. Now let's get back to experience.

What happened to the glasses?

- (the glass, sculpted and dried, was soaked, and the one, but with the one that was fired and covered with glaze, nothing happened.)

What conclusion can you draw?

4. Comprehension

Did you like our lesson?

What was the most interesting for you? What new have you learned? What will you tell your parents about?

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