Course Syllabus
Introduction to Pottery


PC 110 Introduction to Pottery

Class Hours Per Week: 3

Laboratory Hours Per Week: 16

Semester Credit Hours: 7

Contact Hour/Lab Credit Ratio: 4:1

Prerequisites: none

Description:

This course introduces pottery making for potters, including clay preparation, wheel throwing and trimming, surface decoration, and glazing and firing techniques. Topics include clay bodies and the mixing process, potter’s wheel basics, glazing, kiln loading and firing, and safety issues. Introduction to Pottery will also provide students with the opportunity to identify and test numerous glazes for a personal glaze inventory. Topics include firing temperature, color, texture, methods of adjustment, and methods of testing on sample tiles.

Upon completion students should be able to:

Prepare and wedge clay for wheel throwing

Center and throw basic and cylinder and bowl like forms

Trim and finish basic shapes

Make and attach basic handle forms

Make simple lids

Load and fire bisque kilns with supervision

Prepare and wax pots for glazing

Mix glazes with supervision

Make basic glaze applications (includes computer applications)

Load and fire glaze kiln with supervision

Describe and discuss their using clay and glaze terminology

Course Outline

I. INTRODUCTION

  1. Safety
  2. Selection of clay
  3. Selection of tools
  4. Pottery notebook
  5. Glaze notebook

II. CLAY BODIES AND THEIR FEATURES

  1. Earthenware
  2. Stoneware
  3. Porcelain

III. MATERIALS FOR CLAY BODIES

  1. Plastic materials
  2. Non-plastic materials
  3. Shrinking and drying

IV. PREPARING AND WEDGING CLAY FOR WHEEL THROWING

VI. MAKING FUSION BUTTON TILES

VII. THE WHEEL

  1. Centering the clay
  2. Opening the clay
  3. Pulling up the walls
  4. Shaping
  5. Finishing the rim
  6. Sponging out
  7. Removing from bat
  8. Finishing the surface
  9. Trimming

VIII. THROWING BASIC SHAPES I

  1. Cylinders
  2. Bowls
  3. Cups and Mugs with and without handles
  4. Methods of Making Handles

IX. BISQUE LOADING AND FIRING WITH SUPERVISION

  1. Do’s and don’ts for electric kilns
  2. Conventional versus computer controlled kilns
  3. Temperature and cones

X. GLAZE DISCUSSION AND VOCABULARY

  1. Glaze and glaze materials
  2. Kiln and firing terminology
  3. Color ( mason stains and oxides)
  4. Texture
  5. Methods of adjustment
  6. Methods of testing on sample titles

XI. THROWING BASIC SHAPES II

  1. Pitchers
  2. Lids
  3. Lidded jars
  4. Large bowls

XII. GLAZE MIXING WITH SUPERVISION

  1. Recipes
  2. Using gram scales
  3. Mixing equipment
  4. Exploring glaze software

XIII. GLAZE APPLICATION WITH SUPERVISION

  1. Glaze preparation and pot waxing
  2. Application Techniques

XIV. PERSONAL GLAZE INVENTORY

  1. Test of sample tiles
  2. Select glaze recipes
  3. Weigh out test batches
  4. Fire, adjust results, and refire
  5. Organize glaze notebook

XV. THE GLAZE KILN

  1. Gas or electric
  2. Oxidation or reduction
  3. Stacking process
  4. Firing theory
  5. Unloading and cleanup
  6. Evaluation

XVI. THROWING BASIC SHAPES III

  1. Baking dishes
  2. Bottles
  3. Stemmed vessels

Students will complete the following projects:

12 test cylinders

6 small bowls

12 small cups or glasses

6 mugs with handles

6 small pitchers

6 small lidded jars

6 medium bowls

4 baking dishes

6 bottles

6 stemmed vessels

4 fusion button tiles 4" x 4" approximately 1/2" thick with divots

10 new glaze recipe tests on three different clay bodies

2 glaze base color tests (mason stains and or oxides)

2 glaze base texture tests

2 material substitution tests in known glazes

1 organized glaze notebook

1 collection of tiles for your glaze palette clearly marked for reference


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