Angibuellersmom

Well today, we finished up making my first pray box - or what I am calling it, I want to make another one time permitting. The hardest part about this project is how to decorate it. The process involved cutting 4 equal squares and two smaller squares, then putting them between two pieces of plasterboard so they could dry a little without warping in the sun (about 30 minutes on a warm day in the Pacific Northwest), then scoring all the edges and fitting all the pieces together to make an enclosed box. Adding coils to support the edges on the inside, and paddling the edge on the outside to ensure seams all were connected together snugly. Using Lo Talc Clay from Clay Works. Then let it sit covered in plastic for a day to get a little more hardened up.

Then with a needle tool I etched in how I wanted the lid to fit. I did instead of just a straight line, curvy lines like sign waves around the top of the box about an inch down from the top as the highest sign wave and inch and a half maybe two at the bottom of the sign wave. Once I got it looking the way I wanted it, then you go over it a little deeper, and again a little deeper until you cut through the entire box. Ta Da, the lid is ready to pull off.

Next you take the top of the lid and coil the inside edges and corners to make it stronger, constantly putting the lid back on the box to make sure you haven't distorted the lid which was easy to do since the clay is not yet hard enough to stay put. Next was adding alittle rim, where a coil is rolled out and put along the top inside lip of the box and then you pinch pot it to get a nice seam in the inside of the main box, again scoring the box and the coil adding a little moisture so they stick together nicely, again putting the lid back on to make sure you haven't distorted anything, which I did and had to fix a few times. My teach was so patient, diligently supervising, reminding me constantly to not forget to score and moisten when adding, ooo don't forget to check the fit of the lid as I was getting lost in trying to pinch the perfect rim which trust me it is not.

Now that that was done, We (Teach and I) moved onto my Dog figure I was working on. Which he had me make a tall pinch pot and get the basic shape going, and let it dry for a day so that we could begin to start add details to it. So it dried a little and I picked it up and start gropping it big time as I didn't like the shape of it, teacher said OK now in this stage you don't want to manipulate the clay too much or you will weaken it (major learning thing for me as before the class I was trying to make stuff that just fell apart on me and now I know why). So I lifted the dog and added to it to get it the height and shape I wanted then started sculpting in the hind quarters. The teacher was so great, I could tell he just wanted to fix the blob I had but he would just make gentle suggestions about how the haunches of my dog needed work. Well I actually got it the shape I liked adding clay for paws (which was too soft to sculpt just yet), time was running out so I wrapped up in plastic, cleaned up and called it a day.


I was so into my class that I forgot to take pictures, argg I really want to show the pictures of the process, next class before I start I will take pictures.... I promise.

Well that's it for today. Major take aways - When making lids, always be checking you haven't warped it when trimming. When making figures, don't over work a partially dried piece of clay.

Next class on Monday.... See ya then. Unless I feel brave and start something at home... I really want to do a troll of sorts... or a Worthog...mmmmm But I have to mow the lawn, weed the yard, clean the house, go on bike training rides, walks with hubby, play with dog, read at least an hour a day so we shall see where I can fit it in. hehehe Life.

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