The first thing that I had to do was make a plan. I am not the best at sculpting clay so I found an easier way to do it. What I did was find a jar then covering a rolled out flat piece of clay covering the jar with it giving it the shape. The problem was I used to much cooking oil spray that the clay kept slipping off to where I couldn't mold it any further. I ended up cutting around the edges then calling it a day. Sadly I got confused about how to wrap the piece up and mold formed in the clay piece...that stuff is nasty. So I had to put it in the kiln so it will burn it away. Next after that little problem I had to paint the piece with this reed clay stuff, it's a really watered down slippery clay paint stuff. It tinted the piece red, you didn't have to cover the piece only if you wanted to. Then after that had dried the teacher sprayed this dangerous chemical stuff all over it to help give the piece to keep color. The fun part was finding items to place on the clay piece so when it was put in the pit fire the stuff will burn away giving it the color. We used foil to help keep all of the stuff in on the piece. Then you place it in the fire and let it burn for a very long time.
For this piece it was all so different then a normal build, glaze, then put in the kiln order. Pit firing is an open flame kind of thing on top of the fact the process is way different. You are adding different kind of chemicals and stuff to give this piece a different texture and colors when the piece is done firing. Even the smell is different in an amazing way.
I honestly hate this piece only because I had no idea what I was really doing to begin with. I have never worked with clay this much before so at the time that I made the piece it was a mess from the start. I do love the outcome of the piece, the colors and how smooth it looks. I would love to do this again now that I know what to expect also on the later on project I learned a better way on using a mold. So I wouldn't mind doing this again at all and for the second time I will be able to make the clay piece look much more smoother.
For this piece it was all so different then a normal build, glaze, then put in the kiln order. Pit firing is an open flame kind of thing on top of the fact the process is way different. You are adding different kind of chemicals and stuff to give this piece a different texture and colors when the piece is done firing. Even the smell is different in an amazing way.
I honestly hate this piece only because I had no idea what I was really doing to begin with. I have never worked with clay this much before so at the time that I made the piece it was a mess from the start. I do love the outcome of the piece, the colors and how smooth it looks. I would love to do this again now that I know what to expect also on the later on project I learned a better way on using a mold. So I wouldn't mind doing this again at all and for the second time I will be able to make the clay piece look much more smoother.