SchoolArts - March 2008

High School Studio Lesson

Man’s Best Friend

“With eye upraised, his master’s look to scan, The joy, the solace, and the aid of man; The rich man’s guardian, and the poor man’s friend; The only being faithful to the end.”

—George Crabbe, from The Borough, 1810

Nancy Corrigan Wilbert

preferably sitting or lying down.

Each student arranged their images
on a piece of paper and taped them
down to use for a reference sheet.
First we cut the clay into large
cubes. Each
student
selected two
pieces of clay,
each about
the size of an
orange, and patted them into ball
shapes. They made two pinch pots
and then joined them together to
make a large egg shape to form the
body of a dog. Added support was
needed, so small coils of clay were

secured and blended smooth where the pots were joined.

Everybody loves dogs! Even if you do not own one, you certainly have countless memories of these canine creatures or maybe even a favorite breed. What better way to inspire students than with simple pinch-pot sculptures of dogs?

To get started, I asked my students to bring in photographs of their own dogs or images of dogs,

What better way to inspire
students than with simple pinch-
pot sculptures of dogs?

A wooden paddle was used to tamp the combined form into the desired shape. Students used thick coils of clay to create the dog’s legs, adding clay where needed. Students employed the same techniques to form and add the head. When attaching the head to the body, a hole was made so that air could flow between the forms while the clay was fired. Fired pieces were painted with acrylics.