Provide details in 1-3 sentences about the threats to this creature.

People and boats can create loud noises that disturb seals, preventing them from feeding, communicating, and taking care of their young. Seals can also get tangled with fishing gear or break into fish farms, leading them to getting wounded or even drowning. Polluted waters can hurt seals and cause them to get sick too.

Provide details in 1-3 sentences about the solutions to these threats. 

People could use boats that don’t create a lot of noise and keep their voices low to not frighten the seals. Fishing gear should be used carefully and fish farms should be secure and have deterrents to prevent seals from getting trapped in them. Oceans and beaches can be cleaned up and disposing of waste properly can prevent the issue in the first place.

Week 3, February 16, 2023, Making a Monster Mug:

1. I applied glaze on my tile and had it fired. I also started my monster mug and made the cup part.
2. My biggest struggle was learning to score and slip my cup together.
3. My biggest success was taking my first photo in the photo booth.
4. My goal for next week is to complete my mug and handle, as well as start decorations.

Date February 16, 2023, Week 3, Sgraffito Tile:

I want to make a hedgehog for my monster mug. I plan to score and slip the eyes, ears, snout, and legs on while carving the quills on the mug. I also plan to add diamonds in the background for texture and a small tail on the back.

What would you like to investigate/make as a term-long project?

I want to make some kind of figurine or keychain out of clay.

What do you need to get started?

I want to make this because I want a keychain to hang on my backpack or a figurine to put on my desk. I’ll need to clay and underglaze to make it. Most people have used polymer clay to make this, but I’ve seen figurines in the cooling and throwaway racks in the classroom so I think it’s doable with the classroom clay.

How will you begin the project?

I might have trouble with the details on the keychain/figurine because it’ll be small. I can solve this by planning out everything beforehand and using the thin needles and tools to carve so I can get the design I want.

Week 4, February 23, 2023, Making a Monster Mug

1. I added decorations and a handle to my monster mug, finishing it so it could be ready to be fired.
2. My biggest struggle was making the handle because it kept on breaking and cracking.
3. My biggest success was creating the decorations for my mug like the feet, tail, and face.
4. My goal for next week is to work on my inquiry project by painting the bowls.

Week 5, March 2, 2023, Glazing My Monster Mug:

1. I glazed my monster mug and learned more about both underglaze and glaze.
2. My biggest struggle was painting the small space around the facial features one colour and the facial features a different colour.
3. My biggest success was finishing painting my whole mug.
4. My goal for next week is to start my life below water project.

Week 6, March 9, 2023, Making My Life Before Water:

1. I had my monster mug bisque fired and glazed. I also started my life below water project and plan to finish it tomorrow.
2. My biggest struggle was forming the body of my seal/sealion because I wasn’t sure how to make the rounded head and neck.
3. My biggest success was finishing my monster mug.
4. My goal for after spring break is to paint my life below water project.

Week 7, March 30, 2023, Life Below Water Project:

1. I started painting my seal and learned about mixing and layering paint to make a more natural sculpture.
2. My biggest struggle was trying to replicate the fur colours and pattern of a seal.
3. My biggest success was painting the layers of my seal.
4. My goal for next week is to finish painting my seal.

Week 8, April 6, 2023, Life Below Water and Inquiry:

1. I continued to paint my seal and started my inquiry project, which was making a small cat sculpture.
2. My biggest struggle was trying to make my seal look realistic and natural.
3. My biggest success was starting my inquiry project and creating my cat sculpture.
4. My goal for next week is to finish painting my seal and have my cat ready to be fired for glazing.

Date April 6, 2023, Week 8, Monster Mug:

Week 9, April 13, 2023, Life Below Water Project:

1. I finished my life below water project and my artist statement for it.
2. My biggest struggle was trying to make both sides of my seal the same in colour and texture.
3. My biggest success was finishing my life below water project.
4. My goal for next week is to continue with my inquiry project and glaze it.

Date April 13, 2023, Week 9, Life Below Water:

BC Seal

April 13, 2023, Ceramics, Acrylic

Alysa Wong

Seals are carnivorous marine animals but need the land to give birth and rest. In the past, seal populations have been hunted down severely and even today, they face many dangers caused by humans.

One of these is the loud noises boats often create that disturb seals. Polluted waters can hurt seals too, causing them to get sick. I demonstrated this with the slight yellow and white discolouring on the seal. To fix this, people could use boats that don’t create much noise and oceans and beaches could be cleaned up.

Week 10, April 20, 2023, Inquiry Project:

1. I had my cat sculpture fired and painted some bowls I made with underglaze.
2. My biggest struggle was trying to make the underglaze even on my bowls.
3. My biggest success finishing glazing my bowls and having my cat bisque fired.
4. My goal for next week is to start creating my paper mache mask.

Date April 20, 2023, Week 10, Paper Mache Purpose:

Hedgehog Mug

Ceramic

June 2, 2023

Alysa Wong

I created a mug based on an animal or monster that was food safe and had many features and textures. I chose a hedgehog because I find them cute and they have very distinctive features. I depicted my hedgehog with carved lines for spikes in the mug with ears, eyes and a snout. I also used feet and a tail at the back to elevate my mug.

I created a mask out of cardboard, paper, mache, and acrylic with ceramic eyes. The mask is based on an animal I have a connection to and I chose a tiger. I focused on the tiger’s most distinguished traits like the stripes and fierceness. I wanted my tiger to look strong and fearless because those are characteristics I wish to have in myself so I made my mask look angry and snarling. Tigers are also seen as protectors in Chinese mythology, something I wanted to emulate, and I named my mask Hu Li, which means tiger in Chinese.

1. I finished my tiger mask and wrote the artist statement for it. I continued to paint my bowls for inquiry. I finished one and had it fired. I also started making a coaster out of clay.
2. My biggest struggle was figuring out what to write for my artist statement.
3. My biggest success was being able to return to my inquiry projects and start a new one.
4. My goal is to finish my bowls and coaster next week.

Week 18, June 15, 2023, Inquiry Project:

1. I had my first bowl glaze fired and finished painting and glazing my second one. My third bowl is also ready to be bisque fired and I expect to glaze it soon. I started painting a picture on my coaster which is going to be a rabbit hugging a giant dandelion.
2. My biggest struggle was figuring out how to get the right amount of glaze without my bowls coming out too mucus like.
3. My biggest success was being able to paint a cute picture on my coaster that I liked.
4. My goal is to finish my bowls and coaster next week.

Date June 21, 2023, Week 19, Inquiry Cat Statue Artist Statement:

My initial idea was to create a cat statue that I could put on my desk or somewhere in my room. I wasn’t sure what type of cat I was going to make but I decided on a calico cat and to make it upright. I learned to plan out my ideas more, especially since my ideas of where the spots should go changed frequently, leading to white fur that was more greyish. I also learned more about how underglaze works and the importance of keeping the colours clean because the kiln makes it all darker and show more.

Date June 21, 2023, Week 19, Inquiry Project Bowls:

My initial idea was to make three small bowls for jewelry or dipping things. At first I was just going to paint them solid colours but then I decided to add Chinese characters because I thought it would give them more meaning and made them look prettier. I learned a lot about overglaze and how it’s important to rub out the air bubbles and make sure the layer isn’t too thick because all my ceramics came out a bit too mucus-y, although I’ve learned my lesson for next time.