Illustrated Procedures: African Pottery Below are all 4 methods listed in the African Pottery Lesson Plan with photographs. Direct Pull Process (Simple)- 1. Make sure work surfaces are covered with plastic table cloths. You can also have your students work on trays. 2. Before the students begin work on their pots, have them draw patterns they would like to use on their pots on a piece of paper. They can refer to this later in the process. 3.Each students should have a handful sized ball of clay. Students may share small bowls of water. 4. Students will take the ball of clay and push their thumb into the center of it.
5.They will begin pinching the clay between their thumb, which will be inside the pot and index and middle fingers which will be on the outside of the pot. They should work their way around the pot in this manner pinching the walls of the pot thinner and higher. Encourage them to feel the thickness of the pot and to try to pinch evenly all around until they have a small pinched pot. 6. They can then use a stiff leaf or item with a stiff edge to smooth the pot. They should wet the leaf first and then scrape the outside of the pot. As they scrape they can wet their fingers and smooth the surface as well. 7.Students can wet their index fingers and press the top edge of their pot to make it more even.
8. Students can now create patterns around their pots. They can use a pencil, pen, or stick to scratch the patterns into their pots. They will need to occasionally clean the clay from the tip of their tool. 9. Allow pots to dry overnight. Air dry clay should not be fired. Do not put the pots near direct heat as drying too fast will make them crack.
Direct Pull (Advanced)- 1. Make sure work surfaces are covered with plastic table cloths. You can also have your students work on trays. 2. Before the students begin work on their pots, have them draw patterns they would like to use on their pots on a piece of paper. They can refer to this later in the process. 3. Each students should have two handful sized balls of clay. Students may share small bowls of water. 4. Students will take one ball of clay and push their thumb into the center of it.
5.They will begin pinching the clay between their thumb, which will be inside the pot and index and middle fingers which will be on the outside of the pot. They should work their way around the pot in this manner pinching the walls of the pot thinner and higher. Encourage them to feel the thickness of the pot and to try to pinch evenly all around until they have a small pinched pot. 6. They can then use a stiff leaf or item with a stiff edge to smooth the pot. They should wet the leaf first and then scrape the outside of the pot. As they scrape they can wet their fingers and smooth the surface as well. 7.Students can wet their index fingers and press the top edge of their pot to make it more even.
8. They can now take the other ball of clay and divide it into three snakes of clay. They should be three different sizes each one slightly shorter than the last. 9. Students will take the largest of the three snakes of clay and coil it closest to the inside edge of the pot and smooth the clay together.
10.They will repeat the process with the next two snakes of clay, using the smallest one last. 11. They should wet their finger and gently press it around the top of the pot to make it more even and then use a stiff leaf or item with a stiff edge to smooth the pot. They should wet the leaf first and then scrape the outside of the pot. As they scrape they can wet their fingers and smooth the surface as well.
12. Students can now create patterns around their pots. They can use a pencil, pen, or stick to scratch the patterns into their pots. They will need to occasionally clean the clay from the tip of their tool. 13. Allow pots to dry overnight. Air dry clay should not be fired. Do not put the pots near direct heat as drying too fast will make them crack.
Coil Building Process (Simple) 1.Make sure work surfaces are covered with plastic table cloths. You can also have your students work on trays. 2. Before the students begin work on their pots, have them draw patterns they would like to use on their pots on a piece of paper. They can refer to this later in the process. 3. Each students should have a handful sized ball of clay, plus one small pinch of clay extra and an empty cup or bowl. Students may share small bowls of water. 4. Students will take the ball of clay and divide it into three pieces of approximately the same size. 5. Students will take these smaller balls of clay and create three snakes of clay.
6.Students will take the pinch of clay and create a small disc. 7.They will take the disc and then place one of the coils on top of it, circling the circumference of the disc and then smooth the two pieces together with their fingers until they cannot see where the two join. 8. They will continue placing one coil on top of the other and smoothing the clay together as they go.
9. Students can begin to pinch the top of the pot inward to give the top a rounded shape and smooth the lip with their fingers to make it more even. 10.They can then use a stiff leaf or item with a stiff edge to smooth the pot. They should wet the leaf first and then scrape the outside of the pot. As they scrape they can wet their fingers and smooth the surface as well. 11.Students can wet their index fingers and press the top edge of their pot to make it more even.
12. Students can now create patterns around their pots. They can use a pencil, pen, or stick to scratch the patterns into their pots. They will need to occasionally clean the clay from the tip of their tool. 13. Allow pots to dry overnight. Air dry clay should not be fired. Do not put the pots near direct heat as drying too fast will make them crack.
Coil Building Process (Advanced) 1.Make sure work surfaces are covered with plastic table cloths. You can also have your students work on trays. 2. Before the students begin work on their pots, have them draw patterns they would like to use on their pots on a piece of paper. They can refer to this later in the process. 3. Each students should have two handful sized balls of clay, plus one small pinch of clay extra and an empty cup or bowl. Students may share small bowls of water. 4. Students will take the ball of clay and divide it into three pieces of approximately the same size. 5. Students will take these smaller balls of clay and create three snakes of clay.
6.Students will take the pinch of clay and create a small disc. 7.They will take the disc and then place one of the coils on top of it, circling the circumference of the disc and then smooth the two pieces together with their fingers until they cannot see where the two join. 8. They will continue placing one coil on top of the other and smoothing the clay together as they go.
9. Students can begin to pinch the top of the pot inward to give the top a rounded shape and smooth the lip with their fingers to make it more even. 10.Students can wet their index fingers and press the top edge of their pot to make it more even. 11. They can now take the other ball of clay and divide it into three or four snakes of clay. They should be different sizes each one slightly shorter than the last.
12. Students will take the largest of the snakes of clay and coil it closest to the inside edge of the pot and smooth the clay together. 13.They will repeat the process with the next two snakes of clay, using the smallest one last. 14.They can then use a stiff leaf or item with a stiff edge to smooth the pot. They should wet the leaf first and then scrape the outside of the pot. As they scrape they can wet their fingers and smooth the surface as well.
15. They can use a wet finger and begin to flare the top coil out. 16.Students can now create patterns around their pots. They can use a pencil, pen, or stick to scratch the patterns into their pots. They will need to occasionally clean the clay from the tip of their tool. 17. Allow pots to dry overnight. Air dry clay does not need to be fired. Do not put the pots near direct heat as drying too fast will make them crack.