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FORMING A CLAY HEAD
image of pre-formed head

Forming a ceramic clay head is rather simple. The head should be hallow with fairly thin walls. Hallowing the head doubles the surface area.
Thick, dense clay has a tendancy to fill with expanding steam as it begins to heat in the kiln. If the energy from the steam can not escape, the clay will burst.

This is a bag of low fire white earthenware clay. White earthenware is a good choice for any ceramic form that is to be decorated with multicolors of underglaze. The white ground makes the colors more vibrant and contrasting. Red earthenware, for example, will tend to compromise multiple colors. Applying more, thicker, layers of underglaze can compinsate for the color shift. Thicker layers of underglaze cost more, of course.
Historically, the western world called white clay “china”. Traditionally, clay was red or brown. The introduction of white porcelain from China in the seventeen hundreds set the European ceramic industry on its ear.
Here, a piece of yarn is being used to shear a block off clay for a head.

 image of cutting clay from bag
image of clay rectangular solid

A palm size rectangular solid is a good size for a head.
It probably weighs about a pound and a half [ 3/4 kilo ] That would be about a bag and a half for a class of 25. This bag weighs 25 pounds. [ 11.36 kilos ]
image of short coil

Round the corners to form a short, thick coil.
image of pinched top

Collar or pinch the top, all the way around.

Hold the narrow collared area firmly between the the thumb and index or middle finger.
Gently, flatten the top by pounding on the collared end.

 image of flaired top
image of inserted dowel

Insert a 5/8 inch [ 1.7 cm ] dowel almost to the top.
Expand the interior of the head by “walloowing” or rotating the dowel around the inside of the head, while supporting the coller. Pull the dowel out slightly with each revolution. Two or three “go rounds” wiil do.

image of removed dowel

Remove the dowel with a twisting motion.

Begin forming the face.

 forming begins
view of bottom before flairing

This is the bottom after preliminary forming.

Flair the bottom to form the neck and shoulders.
This is done with the same kind of motions used to open or form a pinch pot.

 flaired bottom
pre-formed head ready to detail

Ready to detail with fingers and a pencil.
The fewer hand tools the better.
It is very easy to over work the surface.
Caution should be taken to keep the neck and shoulders from collapsing.
Small twists or wads of newspaper can be inserted into the neck to support the head during the detailing process.
image of student working

A student begins detailing a head

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