1.Tools are a major focus in this class. Though many things can be completed by hand tools are often necessary. In creating artwork what type of tools have you used? In using these tools how did they help your work along? Explain their function and purpose. (Ex. Pottery Wheel, aviation snips, Clay rib) I used many tools throughout the semester but some of the most important to me at least are a needle tool, wire clay cutter, modeling tool and the pottery wheel. The needle tool is used for mainly adding details to the piece. You can create lines, dots, or any kind of design to a piece. A needle tool is also helpful when "gluing" two section of a piece with each other. You can use the needle tool to scratch lines then all you have to do is add water and hold it together for a few seconds. A wire clay cutter is mainly used when cutting out large bricks of clay into smaller pieces. This tool is used pretty much every day in a sculpture class since we are always using clay, we need to divide and give out pieces to every students. A modeling tool is made of wood and is mainly used to smooth out a slab of clay or a clay piece. This tool removes any harsh edges or section to the piece, making it perfect and smooth to the touch. The final tool is the pottery wheel. To be honest, I still haven't perfected the pottery wheel, still trying to learn. One way or another, it's a very important due to the fact that it's a completely different way of creating a piece then hand on. There would be marks where you had to "glue" the pieces together in the pottery wheel. The pottery wheel is also perfect for trimming any piece, removing any rough edges and getting everything simply perfect to the touch. 2. How has your knowledge and understanding of tools changed since the beginning of the semester? Talk about your growth of understanding. In the beginning of the semester, I was clueless to any uses of these tools. I had no idea what most of these tools were to begin with. I never even heard of a ribbon tool, modeling tool, a needle tool, a wooden rib, loop tool, and so many more. Even when Ms. Sudkamps explained the function of the tools, I understood the definitions of these tools but I didn't understand the true function of these tools. In the beginning, I didn't understand how important and helpful these tools truly are until later on in the semester when I actually began to use them for myself. I learned how helpful a needle tool can be when adding small details to a piece such as creating fur lines to my galaxy bat for a more realistic look or simply combining two parts of a piece together. I learned how a helpful a drilling tool can be when I used for my sgrafitto sunflower piece. I used small drilling for the center of my sunflowers, creating a realistic look, as well as creating single dots throughout the entire piece. Before the beginning of these semester, I barely know what these tools were, even that they existed. Now, I understand exactly what they are for because I used them over and over throughout this entire semester. I have memories of being saved by these tools. I can feel their impact against my pieces and like a movie playing, I see myself using these tools against the smooth and soft clay of my own piece each time that I pick me up from where it rests in my house. 3. Which project was your most successful? Describe the theme and or topic and the process you went through to complete the project. In my opinion, my most successful project was my sgraffito sunflower mug. The reason that I think that it was the most successful is mainly due to emotional reasoning. I had tried to do this piece before in my Art I class. I tried to create a sunflower mug out of clay and failed miserably but with this unit, my mug was reborn just like the Phoenix, rising from its own ashes. Not only that, I was finally able to gift my mom with the mug that she has always deserved. I decided on sunflowers due to the fact that they are my mom's favorite flowers and a coffee mug because my mom is always drinking coffee. I begin this project like any other, by grabbing a large slab of clay. Once I got it to the perfect length, I took out measured pieces of paper that I had cut out and cut exactly what I needed. Next step, I had to use a needle tool and cut out the corners of the slab of clay. In a second, I added water and "glued" my piece together then I begin to work on the bottom of my mug. All I did is grab a piece of a paper and cut out exactly what I needed before doing the same to my slab of clay and combining the mug to its bottom. Next step, I had to simply wait for my piece to become leather hard before I could even begin to curve out my design. Although, before I could curve anything, I needed to add black underglaze to my piece. Once it was ready, I begin to curve with a curving tool with a triangle end well after I traced three sunflowers throughout the mug from a drawing of a sunflower that I got off the internet. I curve out my sunflowers in a matter of days, taking my time, making sure that it was simply perfect. I also made sure to leave a space between each petals. Before I was done, I used drilling tools for the center of my flowers for a more realistic look and dots around the sunflowers. The final two steps were firing it and covering it in clear underglaze for a shiny and beautiful look to my mug. 4. Which project was your least successful? Explain why you consider this work of art unsuccessful? If you were to create this project over, what changes would you make? I think my least successful piece was my first, the textured tripod cup. In this project, I made a tripod mug of a fish. Although, it was cute and the coloring was perfect, I did think that it looked like it was made by a ten year old. It was not very smooth, you could feel the rough edges throughout the entire piece to the point that I could cut myself. My piece's eyes was placed in different direction, giving it a cartoonist look . One of the fins was higher than the other but I simply told people that he was dancing. The worst part of the entire thing was that I didn't smooth it out properly meaning that you could where I added the eyes and fins. Instead of looking like that my fish was born of these pieces, it looked like it was added in last minute like a bad Frankenstein. All it was missing was the snitches through the entire thing. I do blame the fact that it was my project in this class and I hadn't worked with clay before except for once in Art I, which failed miserably. If I could redo the entire project, I would work on the small details. Removing any evidence that I added the pieces later on such as the eyes and the fins. Also I would make sure that the fins were placed in the same place and the same goes for the eyes. Instead of one higher than the other, I would have them perfectly placed. Also I would have color it over once again since that blue glaze fall against the green of the fins, it wasn't meant be there. Finally, I would have planned more my piece before actually creating; I would have went online and searched for examples of tripod mugs or pieces used to represent a fish. In general, I would like to recreate this piece now because now I finally understand what I am doing after months of practice. 5. Regardless of whether you liked or disliked a project, which one did you learn, grow, or developed the most from? Please explain. To be honest in order to answer this question, I have to talk about at least two pieces. The two pieces that I grow the most from was the textured tripod mug and the pit fire. The textured tripod mug due to the fact that it was the first project that I ever did involving clay. This project showed me exactly how clueless I was with anything involving clay. When doing this project, I asked a hundred of questions from the simplest thing to the hardest things. I had to ask how to how to combine two parts of a piece together. Even though, my piece, in my option, did failed, this was the piece that I learned the most from everything that I did throughout this semester. With this project, I learned from all the mistakes that I make from the misplaced eyes and fins to the rough and sharp corners. This was my worst piece and with this piece, I realized all my mistakes and promised myself that I would make these mistakes. I learned how to combine both of pieces together, smooth everything out, and how to use some of the tools such as the needle tools. I learned from the pit fire piece for the exact opposite reason. This was the first piece that worked or was simply successful to me. With these, I remember all the mistakes that I made with my last piece and simply did the opposite. I made sure to use a sponge to smooth everything out to the point of perfection as to not leave a rough sensation to the piece. I asked a million questions once again and made sure to follow each by the word. I perfection the technique of combining two parts of a piece together. Cut off the corner and scratch a hundred of lines with a needle tool before adding water. I used tools that I never thought of using before; I used a needle tool, a modeling tool, and an exo knife. I was finally able to make my piece look each section of the piece belonged to each other. The piece simply looked right and how I wanted. I think that the main reason that this piece helped me grow is because it showed me that I could do it, that I know what I was doing, mainly. Although, the piece wasn't perfect, it was enough for me to be confidence while my first piece, my fish, helped me by showing me just how much I needed to learn. One piece helped me by breaking me down while the other helped me by bringing me back up. Thank you for reading
Hoped you enjoyed and thanks for everything, Ms. Sudkamp
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