The project introduced above and the candlestick shown on a following page were planned and executed by Karl Martz, renowned author and teacher of ceramics technique at IndianaUniversity's School of Fine Art.Mr.Martz's work has been purchased for many important public and private collections throughout the world.He was recently named "Outstanding Craftsman" by House Beautiful magazine; received the Maud Ainslie Craft Award from the SpeedMuseum in Louisville, Kentucky; was twice the winner of top honors at the National Ceramic Exhibition; and twice was awarded First Prize at the Indiana Biennnal Ceramic Exhibition.

Formerly, Mr.Martz was a contributing editor to Ceramics Monthly magazine, and is a charter professional member of the Midwest Designer-Craftsmen Association.The step-by-step photographs used to illustrate these two projects, as well as others used elsewhere in this book, have been taken from a series of films titled "Craftsmanship in Clay" which Mr.Martz directed for Indiana University.

For the projects shown here, use any good plastic modeling clay.Direc­tions will instruct you how to make the clay ware, which then must be finished, decorated, glazed and fired.If you don't want to invest in a kiln until you have experimented further in ceramics, check your local telephone directory to see if there is a school or commercial pottery in your vicinity where you can have your ware fired—at a cost of usually only a few cents a cubic inch.

If you would like to make a larger ves­sel, roll a clay ball which is approximately seven inches in diameter.Cut the ball in two and allow both halves to rest on plaster bats.Scrape out the centers and work the walls with your fingers until they are be­tween one-eighth and one-quarter inch thick.Again, keep the pieces even in shape and thickness.When you are done, you will have two bowls, seven inches across and about three inches high.You may re­shape these shells into any shape you de­sire, decorate and fire.

Another project which should give you no trouble at this stage of your clay-working skill is the making of a saucer.First, flatten a mass of wedged clay with your hand.Use a rolling pin to roll the clay out to a thickness of one-eighth inch.

After rolling out clay, draw shape of the bottom of the vase as shown.Clay is about Vi inch thick.

Next, cut out the vase bottom with a sharp knife or special tool called a "prick." Pull clay free.

Cut long strip of clay, Vi inch thick.2 inches across, long enough to fit half way around base.

Use comb to score strip and top edge of base, and coat rough edges generously with mending slip.

Cut a circle about six inches in diameter.Smear some Vaseline on the bottom of an ordinary drinking glass, to prevent it from sticking to the clay, and place it in the center of the clay circle you have cut out.Using the glass as a support for the clay circle, turn it upside down so that it rests on the mouth of the glass.You will note that the circle will droop at the edges.Finally, turn the newly formed saucer right side up and remove the glass.Any addi­tional shaping that is required can be ac­complished by hand.

Now let's make something more ornate, yet not much more difficult—a leaf-shaped dish.Roll out your clay as before, lay a large oak or maple leaf on the flattened mass of clay.Cut around the leaf to form a clay leaf.With a toothpick, etch a net­work of veins on the leaf shape.Next, curl up the edges, supporting them with small wads of clay as the piece dries.When glazed and fired, you will have a handsome dish for your home.

Set the strip, or slab, in place on base, care­fully fitting it at joint to the contour of base.

With vase wall complete, weld joints with wooden modeling tool, as before.This is important step.

There are many other everyday objects from which you will be able to gain in­spiration for developing your own original forms.Easy-to-make flowers, for example, are useful as applique decorations when slip-glued to vases, bowls and other larger pieces.They can be simply produced by rolling about twenty pea-sized balls, flat­tening them, and using slip to join them together in petal shapes.

There are, of course, numberless objects which can be made with the basic tech­niques outlined so far.Once you have actu­ally started working with clay, you will probably find yourself thinking con­stantly of new projects, many of which will be suggested naturally by the one on which you are working.You will, in fact, be limited only by your own ingenuity.

However, there are two other methods of construction which will open still wider vistas to the creative ceramist: the slab method and the coil method.Once you have mastered these, there will be virtually nothing you will not be able to make in the way of pottery, granting that you have at least a touch of talent.Neither of these much-used construction methods has changed since the earliest days of pottery-making, before the potter's wheel was dis­covered.

Slab Construction

Let's take the slab methods first.A good starting point is the making of a tile.Place a ball of wedged clay on your work sur­face.Lay two sticks of equal height on either side of the clay.With your rolling pin resting on the sticks, roll out the clay until it is a flat slab, exactly as high as the sticks.This will insure uniform thickness of the slab.Without your stick as a guide, your rolled clay would end up with one end thinner than the other.

If the clay shows a tendency to stick to your work surface or to the rolling pin, a sprinkling of talcum powder will absorb the excess moisture.Turn the clay over once during the rolling-out process to make sure both sides are smooth.Take away the sticks and cut out a 6x6-inch square with a sharp knife.This is your tile.

Leave the tile on a plaster bat until it becomes leather-hard.You must now scoop out the underside of the tile to pre­vent warping in drying and firing.You may cut squares or grooves half an inch apart, to a depth of one-eighth inch, or you can scoop out a decorative pattern.Tiles should be dried slowly.After they are decorated and fired, they can be used for hot plates, table tops, trays, book ends, or any num­ber of decorative purposes around the home.Be certain to true up the sides of your tile before putting it in the kiln.This can be done with sandpaper after the tile has dried, although some clays are better trimmed while still damp.Only experience can tell you when trimming is to be done.

You can see that by making five tiles and joining them together—four sides and a bottom—you can form a box.A sixth tile, laid across the top, turns it into a crude, square box with cover.This is the basic technique used in the slab method of construction.It consists primarily of con­structing flat-sided pottery by joining to­gether slabs of clay.

For your first slab-constructed project, let's make the box described in the preceding paragraph.After you have cut six clay slabs, all equal in area and one-quarter inch in thickness, you should let them dry slightly before they are handled.In their plastic stage they will bend or warp too freely.

When the slabs have lost some of their plasticity, place one on your work surface to serve as the bottom of the box.Now erect the four vertical walls, using slip to join the contiguous surfaces.You will have to trim two of the slabs to fit all four sides on the base.Reinforce all the joints by inserting coils of clay in the corners and, with a wooden tool, working the coils smoothly into the sides and bottom.If this is done skillfully, no traces will remain.Also weld the outside seams with finger or tool.

After joining slab and base, knit the joint to­gether.Use a wooden modeling tool to do this.

Cut another slab to complete wall of vase, score edge, apply slip, and set in place in same manner.

Now, to strengthen joints further, insert a thin coil of clay and knit it in place all way around.

Final shaping of sides of the vase is done with special modeling tool, rubber kidney, shown here.

The sixth slab, or cover, should now be set in place.Check to see that it fits evenly.Trim off the excess if it is too large.A ridge or collar must now be put inside the cover so that it will not slip off the box.Put a pellet of clay at each of the four corners of the underside of the cover, but in front of the edge to allow for the.thick­ness of the sides of the box.Measure the distance in from the edge before placing the pellets.Put the cover back on the box.The fit should be snug, without any play.If the cover does not fit properly, move the pellets until it is held firmly in place.

Below, a metal scraper is employed to smooth the bottom of vase for a fine, finished appearance.

Edges of sides are beveled with wire tool.This is done to prevent chipping of edges in future.

Turn vase over and again use metal scraper to apply smooth bottom surface.Practice using tools.

Erase tool marks with damp sponge, handling carefully—no fingerprints! Now proceed to decorate.

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