Ceramics Vocabulary
Ceramics – an object made from clay
Earthenware – clay fired at low temperatures. Cannot hold water.
Earthenware – clay fired at low temperatures. Cannot hold water.
Stages of Clay
Plastic - clay that is soft, pliable, and easy to work with. Can recycle and join to other pieces. Leatherhard - clay that has dried slightly, making it stiffer, but still workable. Will hold its shape, can join to other pieces, can carve into, can recycle. Greenware - clay that is completely dry, but hasn't been fired yet. Very fragile, can recycle. Bisqueware - clay that has been fired once. CANNOT be recycled. Glazeware - clay that has had glaze applied to it and has been fired a second time. CANNOT be recycled. |
Clay Liquids
Underglaze - color decoration applied to clay in any stage between leatherhard and bisqueware. Not shiny. Glaze - color decoration applied to clay at the bisqueware stage. Must be fired to make it stick permanently. Can be shiny, waterproofs pieces. Slip - a thick, creamy mixture of clay and water. Can be used for both decoration and attaching one piece of clay to another. |
Ceramic Methods
Handbuilding - using your hands and other tools to create a clay object
Wheel throwing - a form created on a potter’s wheel. The spinning motion of the wheel creates an even shape on all sides. |
Other Terms
Kiln - a high-temperature furnace made to fire clay Wedge – the kneading of clay to remove air bubbles Score and Slip – the method for joining two pieces of clay where each piece is scratched up and water is added to create slip, which acts as a clay “glue.” |