Ceramic Folk Art Bird

This is a clay lesson I taught to Grade 1 and 2 students.  It uses the slab method, so it's helpful to have rolling pins for this project.  

I finally remember where I saw the idea: from Artsonia- Cottage Lake Elementary School.

To begin with, I usually have to help the kids roll out their clay, as it's pretty tough for their little arms.  I encourage them to stand up while they roll the clay in order to use their whole upper body strength.  Double check the thickness of them as the kids have a tendency to roll them either too thick or too thin.  I tell them to aim for a pancake-type thickness...(I use alot of food references in my art!)

I had pre-printed some simple bird shape templates, as I wanted these nice and large. The kids traced these shapes onto the clay with a pencil and cut them out with a plastic knife.  Then they 'scratch and attached' a wing shape and a ball of clay for an eye. At this stage, the kids used various tools (straws, bamboo sticks, coffee stir sticks, etc.) to add patterns and texture to their clay. 

When rolling out their clay they can also roll textured fabric into it. 

When the kids are finished, I poke a hole at the top of each one with a straw so they can be hung up.

Let dry flat for about a week; because it's a slab, I loosely cover these with plastic to let them dry slowly in order to avoid warping and cracking. 

Bisque fire, then have the kids glaze these (I use Mayco Stroke & Coat- it's foolproof) and then glaze fire.



After glazing.

 

You can also paint these if you don't have time for glaze. 
Spray with a gloss varnish for protection if using tempera like here.



This was my sample- I love birds in art.



Here I rolled my wing onto some lace fabric.



For this texture I used a wooden coffee stir stick.  It's also great for scales when making dragons or fish.