Modern materials make interesting
and instructive ceramic art education projects easy and fun.
Polymer clay is a new material, invented during World War II,
which lends itself to many ceramic applications. Not a mineral
clay at all, polymer clay is a form of PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
with plasticizing agents to make it soft and workable until it
is baked at low temperatures, such as those of an ordinary
kitchen oven. As a rule of thumb, polymer clay objects should be
baked at between 265° - 275° F (129° - 135° C) for fifteen
minutes per quarter-inch (6 mm) thickness. Polymer clays are
naturally translucent but can be made more opaque by the
addition of white china clay or kaolin. Metallic or pearlescent
type effects can be obtained by adding mica. Thus the basic
material lends itself to many ceramic art education techniques.
At primary school levels hand
shaped sculptures can be created easily and fired in an oven for
permanence. Younger children also enjoy making buttons, beads,
and other jewelry items such as earrings, pendants, and
barrettes. Not only can basic ceramic working skills be taught
with these simple projects, but the children derive much
satisfaction creating gift items for family members and friends
with their own skills and imaginations. In addition to the
traditional polymer clay which remains pliant until baked at low
temperature, there are also polymer air dry clays which don't
even require an oven to harden.
Middle and upper school
students enjoy more advanced projects such as tile-making, and
covering existing objects made of other materials, such as
cardboard, metal, and glass. Polymer clay is easy to work with
simple tools found around the house, such as knives, needles,
rubber stamps, scissors; and the use of extruders makes it
possible to create many interesting shapes. Some project ideas
for making useful and gift items include vases, candy bowls,
votive candle holders, cold drink holders, switch plates,
jewelry boxes, knick-knack shelves, napkin holders, salt and
pepper wells and shakers, chess and other game pieces, toy
animals, picture frames, album covers, and many more. Small flat
pieces of baked polymer clay can be used to make mosaics,
collages, and basic reliefs as well as incorporated into
paintings, since they can be decorated with paint, colored
pencils, ink, chalk, glitter or foil, either applied either on
the surface or as inclusion. Acrylic painting on the surface of
polymer clay bonds with it upon baking. Polymer clay can pick up
and preserve photographs and other images from magazine and
newspaper pages. Pasta machines can be used in working with
polymer clay to create unique color gradients in thin polymer
clay sheets, which can be used in conjunction with slump, drape
or hump molds to create serving platters, trays, bowls, and
boxes.
