Relief Tile Inspired by Vintage Postcards
Meet The Teacher: Sarah Petruziello
I am an art teacher at James Caldwell High School in New Jersey where I teach AP Art, Draw/Paint, and Ceramics 1. I am also an award-winning professional artist of 30 years with a background in drawing/painting/graphic design. I like to provide students with the opportunity to create artwork that taps into their personal and cultural experiences.
Project Description
The inspiration for this assignment is vintage postcards from the 1900s through the 1960s. In this project, students will create a relief sculpture using a flat slab of clay as a background with additional flat layers of text and imagery, added textures, and carving. Color may be added with underglaze and/or glazes.
Materials
- Approximately 4 pounds of white clay per student, needle tools or forks for scoring, clean-up tool for cutting letters and other applied detail, photocopies of enlarged text, tracing paper, 4B pencils, underglazes and/or glazes, clear glaze if using underglazes, soft brushes for applying glaze / underglaze
Grade Level
High School
Difficulty
Intermediate
Student Hands-On Time
10 hours
Teacher Prep Time
1 hour
Project Cost / Cost Per Student
9
National Core Arts Standards - Visual Arts
- Creating - Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas.
- Creating - Organize and develop artistic work.
- Creating - Conceiving and developing new artistic ideas and work.
- Connecting - Relate artistic ideas to historical, cultural, and social contexts.
- Connecting - Connect personal experiences with artmaking and meaning.
21st Century Skills
- Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving
- Creativity & Innovation
- Flexibility & Adaptability
- Productivity & Accountability
STEAM Education
- Arts
Differentiations and Accommodations
Differentiation
IEP
Accommodation
Written directions as well as verbal directions and one-to-one demonstrations of rolling slabs and carving letters. Writing underglaze / glaze colors on the design to help students keep track of their selected colors.
Differentiation
Advanced Learners
Accommodation
Encourage more detailed lettering, textures, and carving for advanced learners. Encourage more subtle ranges of underglaze colors.
Differentiation
Struggling Learners
Accommodation
Simplify font / typeface for easier cutting and attaching for students who struggle with small detail cutting.
Learning Objectives: Knowledge
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to create a design for a slab project, roll a slab, transfer and cut letters from thin slabs of clay, and know how to smooth their projects to remove scoring marks and refine their projects.
Learning Objectives: Skills
Students should acquire the skills for planning for a relief tile, selecting a font / typeface that is appropriate to match a theme or location, and effective techniques for cutting letters from clay.
Learning Objectives: Attitudes/Values
Class participation, attention to directions, craftsmanship, designing unique artwork, and efficient use of class time.
Formative Assessment
Review of the designs with students to gauge that they understand the parameters of the assignment. Circulating during working times to check each student for steady progress and that they are following directions. Circulating during working times to check each student's work for how they can improve upon or continue with their level of craftsmanship.
Summative Assessment
At the completion of the project, student projects will be evaluated on the following criteria:Involvement in Project / Complexity – project is not too simplified / student is creating to the best of their ability.Respect for the Classroom and Materials - tools are used properly, cleaned, and returned to storage containers; brushes and palettes are washed and returned to their proper storage spaces; work surfaces are cleaned at the end of class.Project is stored carefully and does not dry out before finished.Execution of the Relief Tile: -There is some form of relief created by adding clay appliqués or pieces of clay to build up the surface from the backing slab. -Lettering / text has been added. -There are areas of carving into the clay; on the added clay, the appliqués, or carved into the base slab.Craftsmanship and Application of Design Elements: -The relief is carefully crafted, applied to the background slab, the design and/or text and imagery is carefully carved and sculpted. -The project is not cracked with chipped, loose areas . -Tool-marks and unintentional fingerprints are removed before the project is fired in the kiln. -Areas of scoring do not show along joined edges. -Any areas of carving have been cleaned up and rough clay has been removed.Creative Design: -Interesting and/or unique textures and designs. -Effective use of text / lettering. -Effective selection of colors – appropriate to the design and the colors work together.Underglaze and Glazing -Sculpture is painted with least 5 color of underglazes. -The underglaze is carefully painted and opaque; no unintentionally thin areas of color.
Reflection and Discussion
How do different typefaces / fonts help create a mood or reinforce the visual imagery used in the tile design? How does texture help accentuate the surface of a relief tile? How do color and value help create emphasis on the design?
Lesson Activities
Introduction
Introduction to the activity: show examples of vintage postcard designs from landmarks and locations throughout the world as well as student examples of the project.
Design the Relief Tile
Create a design on a piece of paper to help plan the size and format of the slab and the placement of the letters and imagery. The design should be at least 7 x 9 inches, but no larger than 9 x 11 inches. Consider and select bold and unique typefaces that help convey the feeling of the landmark or place and print these out to scale for the design. Using tracing paper and a pencil, trace out the letters; flip the tracing paper over and go over the letters with a 4B pencil and set this tracing paper aside for later transfer onto clay.
Roll the Slabs
Students should roll their background slabs to 1/4-inch thick with a slab roller or rolling pin and wood dowels. Trim the slab to the size of the design using a ruler and clean up tool.Roll an additional small slab of clay for text and for any other added imagery, approximately 1/8-inch thick.
Trace the Letters for Transfer, Cut, and Attach to the Slab
On the thinner slab, transfer the lettering by gently rubbing the tracing paper onto the damp sheet of clay - if using a 4B pencil, the letters should clearly transfer onto damp clay. (It is okay if the letters are accidentally transferred backwards, as these letters can still be cut out and flipped over and attached onto the clay).Once the letters have been cut out, they may be scored and slipped onto the background slab. Lightly drawing a line using a ruler to align the letters is helpful. Smooth around the cut letters to help attach and to clean up any visible score marks with slip and a damp, sturdy paint brush.Any other imagery or details may be added as appliques at this point (score and slip and smooth edges with a wet paint brush).
Add Texture and Carving
Add texture where needed using what is available in the classroom. If texture has been added, the project may be left to dry, but keep lightly covered with plastic to prevent warping.As the project starts to dry, any areas of carving may be added and carved lines cleaned out with a soft brush.Allow the project to fully dry.
Underglazing and Glazing
Underglaze may be added before bisque firing or after bisque firing. Techniques such as sponging underglazes may be introduced for softer transitions of color such as sunsets and clouds. Refire, add clear glaze (and other glazes, if used for specific details).
Self Reflection on the Assignment
Students fill out a self reflection after the completion of the project, answering questions such as: What did I learn during this project? What would I do differently if I did this project again? What is my favorite detail about my project?
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Step 2
Draw out your design on a piece of paper with all of the planned details. Your drawing should be close to the size of the plaque. Create your own design: use at least 3 references if you use online sources. Use color pencils to plan your underglaze / glaze colors. Label areas of planned textures, carving, and what will be added as appliques.Select a font / typeface that conveys the feeling or idea of your landmark, city / town or country. This may be typed and printed to scale from Google or a Word doc. Use tracing paper to trace this font / typeface, flip over and go over these letters with a 4B pencil. Set this aside for later.
Step 3
Roll the slab that will be the base of the project. This should be 1/4-inch thick or so. Use a ruler to measure and cut the sides so they are the correct size and straight, between 7 x 9 inches and 9 x 11 inches.Roll an additional slab or two to approximately 1/8-inch thick; this will be used to to cut out letters and any other additional relief imagery.
Step 4
Using the tracing paper and the thin slab of clay (1/8 inch or so), transfer the lettering by gently rubbing the tracing paper onto the damp clay - if a 4B pencil was used to trace the letters, then the letters should clearly transfer onto the clay. Using a clean up tool (rather than a needle tool) cut out the outline of the letters.To prevent distortion, it is best if the surrounding clay is pulled away from the cut letter than trying to pull out the letter from the slab.Once the letters have been cut out, they may be scored and slipped onto the background slab. Lightly drawing a line using a ruler to align the letters is helpful. Smooth around the cut letters to help attach and to clean up any visible score marks with slip and a damp, sturdy paint brush.At this point, all relief elements may be added onto the base slab. Use a paintbrush to clean up and smooth all attached elements and to clean up any visible scoring marks.Before allowing to dry, think about the surface - smooth or textured or carved - depending on what is needed for your design. Once textures and smoothing have been added, the project may be allowed to dry to add carving.Once the clay is leatherhard to bone dry, carving may be completed and cleaned up with a soft brush. (Remember to be gentle with these slabs, as flat relief slabs can break easily).Once carving and cleaning of carved lines is complete, the project is ready for bisque firing or underglazing.
Step 5
Using a selection of underglaze colors that represent those in the design, begin painting the slab. Underglazing may be added with sponge and layered to create gradient or textured effects such as sand or sunsets (underglazes should be no more than 3 layers to prevent chipping off).Fire underglazes and then add a clear glaze coat and glaze fire (glaze colors may be used if specific glaze effects are needed).
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