For my final outcomes I will make three pieces, a jug, a cup and a cup with handles. I wanted to create a set of drinking vessels inspired by Ancient Greek ceramics and then have a fabric like texture. I used my knowledge of forms, handles and making with clay to create these pieces.
Unfortunately, due to illness I was not able to glaze my last two pieces. If I had been well enough all of the pieces would have been glazed with a black glaze like the cup without handles - hopefully this can be a visual guide of what I wanted my pieces to look like.
Making Final Outcome 1 - Cup without handles
Using this fabric piece as inspiration, as well as the sketch of my final outcome, I created this cup using coiling. I hand built this piece because I didn't want a symmetrical form and during this course have enjoyed using the coiling method in my other materials samples. I then used engraving tools, slip and extra clay to create this unique form. I also put a base on the lip inspired by my primary research. I wasn't expecting the piece to get as big as it did but I really like the way it turned out and think its a great shape for a cup.
I used black glaze and although the glaze turned out more iridescent and shinier than expected, I think it makes the piece look more modern. I regret not glazing the piece more and if I had tested the glaze I would've seen that it doesn't drip as far as I was expecting too. In the future I am going to test glazes before putting them on final pieces.
Making Final Outcome 2 - Cup with handles
Also coiling this piece, I created a more diamond shape inspired by the sketch and fabric model shown to the right. I didn't want all of my pieces to look similar as I thought a range of forms would be more interesting, rather than just one shape and size. I added horizontal handles to this piece as I though it fit the shape well and thought that this could potentially be an easier cup to hold than the other.
Overall, I was really happy with how the cup came out and think it is more smoother and more uniform than the other pieces, with the texture less noticeable than the other cup. I would've really liked to see what the black glaze would've looked like as I think it would've been interesting to see how reflective it would've been with less noticeable curves. I also like the different handles of the curve and think this would make it more interesting to interact with.
Making Final Outcome 3 - Jug
I enjoyed making this jug the most as it involved the most engraving, however it took the longest because it took a day to dry before being dry enough to engrave into. Shown below is during the process of sticking extra pieces of clay onto the jug, using slip and very wet clay I stuck these pieces on, using my hands to mould the clay onto the jug.
Using this fabric sample and these sketches as a source of inspiration, I created this creased part of the jug which fed into the lip of the piece which I really liked. The overall texture of the jug is smooth, and using material sample 2, I was inspired to create these thicker cuts into the work, but using water smoothing it over so there were no clay pieces stuck to the clay.
I thought that the texture on the jug came out really well and was more noticeable with the creases in the middle of the piece. I think with the black glaze the different creases and folds in the piece would have been more emphasised.
Final Outcome
A set of two cups and a jug inspired by Ancient Greek ceramics.
REFLECTION
During my project research and investigation, I was particularly interested in shape and form. I started my research looking into drinking vessels which then led into Ancient Greek ceramics, looking at the different types of shapes and forms that came out of the ceramics made during that period. I also went on from this research to then look at modern ideas within drinking vessels, also looking at handles. I wanted to look at modern pieces as part of my research and this ended up inspiring part of my final outcome, creating a mix of inspiration from not only the forms used in Ancient Greek ceramics but certain textures I could create, using fabric material samples for inspiration. Although it has been interesting looking into form, in the future I want to see how I can apply different to other types of ceramic pieces. I really like how my outcome turned out, except for the fact I didn’t get it glazed, and in the future, I am going to be testing out glazes on material samples. I think I need to improve my confidence when going into the workshops and not be afraid to try new things, this is something that I want to do within my next projects. I know that I really enjoy hand building pieces and that I enjoy engraving so this could be something I continue within future projects. I also want to improve my hot glass skills; I think that if I had more time and pushed myself further, I could’ve used glass as part of my final outcome and that this would’ve been another way to innovate traditional Ancient Greek ceramics. Overall, the end of the project has made me see clearly that I could improve my work through being in the workshops more and building up my confidence to create a better final outcome.