Art 12 Ceramic Mask

- Introduction
Design and construct a ceramic mask based on a place. This place may be real or
imaginary, tangible or psychological. Begin with thumbnail sketches, and by gathering
visual resources.

Ba Nest- Eyes Closed

Adrian Arleo, 2012
Clay, glaze terra sigillata, paint

The Future of Statues

Ren Magritte, 1937
Oil paint on plaster

Autumn Muertita
Krisztianna, 2 013
Styrofoam, paper mach, w ire, clay,
wood, acrylic, synthetic flowers,

Attenti Al Cane,
Adrian Arleo, 2012
clay, glaze, wax encaustic

- Design
To start, think about the qualities of your chosen place. For example:
What does it look like?
What kind of shapes, forms, textures and/or patterns does it have?
Is the place calm, or busy? Is it static or full or motion?
How does that place make you feel?
In your mask consider incorporating one or more of the following:
- Texture
- Pattern
- Asymmetry
- Contrast
- Exaggeration

- Construction
Our tools for the clay building process include rolling pins, bamboo
skewers, pin tools, modeling tools, cutting knives, and other items that can
be used to imprint texture into the clay.
1) First create the base of the mask, which then can be used to add and
subtract features. Using the pinch method create a bowl shape. Gently
pull from opposite ends to make the shape longer and more oval. Shape the
form to your design. Create a uniform thickness to maintain structure.
Then drape the form over a paper support and let it set for a few minutes.
2) Now create the masks nose by rolling a short thick coil with a taper at
one end. Create the rough shape of your masks nose and then add it to the
base by scoring and slipping each piece. Nostrils can be created with the
end of a pencil, and other features can be added. Or carved away.
3) Make two eye sockets by pressing in your thumb to form shallow
depressions. Be Careful not to go through.
4) Now that the main shape of the base have been made. Lips and eyes can
be made with coils, balls of clay and slabs. The face can be built up in areas
to by adding and smoothing in bits of clay.

- Finishing/ Surface Treatment

After your mask has been bisque fired it is time to implement finishing
options. Depending on your design, possibilities including painting your
mask, either more thick an opaque or by staining the surface by thinning
and wiping back the paint with a sponge. Other options include shoe
polishing. Perhaps your mask includes found objects or materials you
which to glue to your mask.

-Important Ceramics Terms:

Coiling- a technique using rolled pieces of clay
Pinching- a technique that involves squeezing clay with your fingers to
make a shape.
Slab- a smooth, flat piece of clay resulting from being rolled with a pin.
Slip- liquid clay that can be colored with oxides, also the glue used in
joining clay together
Fresh/Plastic Clay- A bag of fresh clay is plastic: soft and malleable. It
can bend without cracking. This stage is perfect for the forming of a
sculpture.
Leather Hard- The stage at which clay reaches its correct strength and
compactness. The clay is firm but yields the pressure of tools. This stage is
perfect for creating different surfaces and excellent for carving and
modeling fine details
Bone Dry- The state in which all the physical water has evaporated from a
piece of clay. The piece is now ready to fire. The surface is chalky and any
attempts to alter it could result in cracking or breakage.
Bisque Firing- The initial firing, heating clay in a kiln to approximately
1830 F (999 C).