Students today can participate in a textured ceramic project which teaches them both ancient art history and aesthetics in a fun, hands-on project. Mexican pottery self-hardening clay is used, together with lead-free underglaze. A â…œ" slab is rolled out using a slab roller or a rolling pin together with wood slats. If using a rolling pin it is a good idea to rotate the slab ¼ turn between passes, to secure an even slab. Using a rectangular cardboard template, uniform pieces are cut out of the slab, saving enough remaining clay to create bottoms. The canvas texture can be smoothed out with a flexible clay rib.
Then the slabs are centered over textured hump molds, and the clay is gently tamped onto the molds with sandbags. The slab is gently rolled with a pony roller, to impress the entire texture into the clay and to keep it from moving. The fully-impressed slab is peeled from the mold, turned with its textured side down, and rolled around a cardboard tube with the same circumference as the mold is long. The cylinder is stood up and both of its edges are roughened to insure a good seal, then glued together with slip. It is necessary to press gently but firmly to make a tight seam. Then the top and bottom edges are smoothed out with a moist sponge. The cardboard tube is then slipped out of the cylinder, and the cylinder can be pressed into an oval or even square cross-section.
The piece is stood on the left-over clay slab, and then it is joined to its base with slip (pressing down to insure a good bond). The piece is cut away from the base slab leaving ¼" all around to form a stable foot. Excess clay is trimmed from the base, and a 45° back cut is made around the base to create an attractive shadow-effect under the piece. Lug handles can be fashioned from ¾" coils of clay bent into U-shape and attached to the piece with slip. The piece should be allowed to dry on a ware cart until it is no longer feels cool when touched. After bisque firing to cone 04, the piece can be painted with glaze before refiring.
Textured pottery in a variety of shapes and designs is easy to make with modern materials and tools such as slab rollers and textured hump molds. Students can be proud of the work on their ware cart and feel part of an ongoing ceramics history.