Week 1

September 7, 2022

Today we are starting with Edublog tests.

Week 2

September 12, 2022

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

These are a couple of things I would consider doing.

What do you need to get started?

I have a couple of ideas of things I would want to do. I would have a really good use for the ring holders because I have so many rings and little jewelry’s that would fit perfectly for this project. I have always wanted to make my own customized vase in my own unique way. I think making a vase is a nice way to start learning more about using the clay. The teapot seems like a challenge for me because it has different parts all in one and I am always up for  a challenge so I would like to try this.

How will you begin the project?

I think challenges will come from not wedging the clay enough or not being able to carry out the task because time management. I think these can be solved by making sure I am wedging the clay enough so there is no air in it. Committing to the project that I start and not starting another inquiry project at the same time to better help with my time management.

Self-Assessment and Reflection

• My goal for this week was to make sure to finish all my assignments on time.
• I faced some challenges because I had so much homework from other classes as well but I was still able to get it all done on time.
• I was able to adapt to the challenges by making sure I manage my time well. I had a lot of successes in brainstorming ideas for the inquiry project and for the sgrafitto tile.
• My goal for next week is to learn more about where things are in the class.

Week 3

Sgraffito Tile, September 21,  2022

These are my Sgrafitto tile inspiration photos:

 

This was the design I drew and wanted to go off of. I wanted to do a type of Flora design because I really like nature and leaves, so I thought this would be a great design to make to express myself.

This was the finished sgraffito tile after completing all the steps. I loved how it turned out, I am really happy it did not break, and the design was clear.

This is how it looked when me and my partner connected our tiles. My partner and I connected our tiles through a line in our branch that we made going out of the border to connect them.

Week 4

This week, my goal is to finish my coil pot and get it ready for cone 04 firing.

October 3, 2022

Today I started making my coli pots, I started off by wedging my clay to get rid of the air pockets and then rolling out the clay to create a flat layer of clay, then I used a yogurt container to create a circular shape for the base of my coli pot. I started to scratch and slip the base to start adding rings of clay around to form the coil pot.

October 4, 2022

Today I got the rings of my coli pot complete this was an easy task for me to do because I just had to roll out my clay and scratch and slip it on, the only challange I found with that was getting the rings smooth while trying to roll them out.

October 7, 2022

Today I finished with all my designs and added unique designs to my coli pot. I incorporated leaves, swirls, balls, stars, flower petals, and other cool designs. I loved being able to add a personal touch to my coil pot and different shapes and ideas to incorporate my likings. I smoothened out all the rings and smoothed it on to the base of my pot to make sure that my base was strong enough to hold the rest of my pot up.

Week 5

My goal for this week is to glaze my coli pot and have the coil pot assignment completely done and ready to hand in.

October 12, 2022

I started painting my pot today and using different colors to have a variety of colors on my pot. I did one layer of underglaze, waited for it to dry and then did another layer.

October 13, 2022

I finished applying underglaze and giving my pot 3 coats of underglaze. It is now ready to be fired at cone 04.

October 17, 2022

My coil pot was coated in glaze before I put it in the cone 05 fire tray.

October 18, 2022

This is my coil pot!

Week 6

October 20, 2022, Week 6, Life Below Water Research

The animal I want to do for this project is a beluga wale. Beluga wale’s are found in the North American waters.

Beluga whales are vulnerable to many threats, including pollution, endangerment, too much plastic, disease, predation from killer whales, and human disturbance. People hunt Belugas mostly for human consumption, either as meat or “maktak,” which consists of skin and the outer layer of blubber. The oil is used for cooking and for fuel.

Beluga whales are vulnerable to pollution, so we can prevent that by reducing the number of trips we take in your car, reduce fireplace and wood stove use, avoid burning leaves, trash, and other materials and avoid using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment. We can also use paper instead of plastic because water animals are very sensitive to plastic especially the beluga whale it’s fins get caught in plastic so we can help prevent that by using paper and not throwing our trash anywhere. Something helpful that we have started to do is the lack of plastic bags from almost all supermarkets now encourages customers to use their own reusable bags. Because plastic makes up the majority of the rubbish poured into our oceans.

Week 7:

Monday, October 21, 2022

Today I started my beluga whale sculpture. I wedged some clay, and rolled it out then I scrunched up some newspaper and made it into the shape that I wanted and I then placed it on the news paper and using my hands to mold it into the shape I want.

Tuesday – Friday 22-25

Throughout these few days I worked on sculpting my beluga whale and now it looks more realistic because I gave it eyes, a tail, a mouth a blow whole, fins, and shaped it to look like a beluga whale rather then a piece of clay on newspaper.

Week 10:

Monday, October 31, 2022

My goal for this week is to complete my otter sculpture and have it painted.

Tuesday, November 1st, 2022

Today I started painting my beluga whale and added fine detail to it. I mixed in colors to create a realistic blue/grey for the whale. I also pained the blow whole black in the center because it is darker on the inside then the surface. I gave the whale a few coats of paint before letting it dry.

Friday, November 4, 2022

I painted my beluga’s mouth and made it darker on the inside then the outside of the mouth. I waited for it to dry then game it a few more coats. While I waited for the mouth to dry I did a few touch ups on the body of the whale.

Week 12:

Monday, November 7, 2022

My goal for this week is to be done my beluga whale completely and have a shinny top coat on it.

Thursday, November 10, 2022

I made sure my Beluga whale was realistic and I realize that I wanted to paint the eyes so I did that as well. I also added a shinny top coat layer to it because realistically beluga whale’s are very shinny so I wanted mine to look like that as much as possible.

Week 13:

Life Below Water- Sculpt and Paint

Ceramic, Acrylic  

Monica Michel

Beluga whales can be seen in coastal regions of the North Sea. Pollution in the surrounding water can increase the risk of sickness and toxin transmitted illness among beluga whales, among other threats. Additionally, oil and gas can be harmful to beluga whales. There is also an insane amount of garbage in the oceans that the whales end up getting stuck in.

Solutions to these concerns for beluga whales include that are helpful can be that we start to use plastic bags less often among supermarkets and any where else because plastic makes up most of the rubbish poured into our oceans. Also, to be mindful and not throw garbage into the ocean or on the ground. Another thing is to reduce the number of trips we take in your car, and other materials and avoid using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.

Week 14:

My goal is to start something new

Monday, November 21, 2022

I had some time to play around and do my own thing so I decided to make some small plates.

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

I decided on the shape that I wanted and wedged some clay and formed the shape of an oval and a heart.

Thursday, November 24, 2022

I made sure that the clay was smooth and I sanded some rough areas and put it on the to be bisque fired rack.

Week 15:

My goal is to finish the plates I made

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

My plates were done so I decided to paint them a light beige colour that was neutral and could match with anything.

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

I was done and it was dry and this was the final product.

Week 16:

My goal for this week is to start my dragon out of paper mache and have the overall shape.

This is my inspiration pictures:

I am using the blue jay because it represents my happiness, joy, beauty, and health side. And the dragon represents my power, fortune and spirituality side.

Monday December 5, 2022

I started my dragon project, I made my desired shape from newspaper and started putting the paper mache on them.

Wednesday December 7, 2022

After having the paper mache on, I started taping the pieces of dragon.

Thursday December 8, 2022

I added a beak to my animal to make the blue jay side of my dragon come to life more.

Week 17:

Monday December 12, 2022

I had the base of my dragon done, I cut out all the parts and started see how I wanted it.

Wednesday December 14, 2022

I had the base of my dragon done, I cut out all the parts and started see how I wanted it.

Thursday December 15, 2022

I made teeth out of clay and made shaped them to look pointy but rounded to give the more realistic shape of teeth.

Friday December 16, 2022

My teeth were fired and now I started to paint them, I made them a little white and added yellow and them added red for blood effect. While I waited for them to dry I painted my eyes.

Week 18:

Tuesday January 3, 2022

I glued my teeth to my dragon and placed them in the way I wanted. I also glued on my eyes.

Wednesday January 4, 2022

I made like a backwards horn so I can add feathers onto it to match them blue jay side of the dragon.

Week 19:

Monday January 9, 2022

I added felt around the top teeth and to the bottom teeth. I added felt to the top part of the dragon, and while that dried I added felt to the bottom part, and while that dried I added felt to the neck.

Tuesday January 10, 2022

I started to paint my dragon blue and added added detail with a thin paint brush.I added a few more details around the eyes and made sure it was all painted.

Friday January 13, 2022

I put the dragon together and glued it together and added filling for some parts.

Week 20:

Monday January 16, 2022

I painted to bottom base of the dragon where it will stand and glue it on

Tuesday January 17, 2022

I added some details and feathers to my dragon and I was done

This is my finished product:

Blue Jay Dragon – Project

Chimera 

Monica Michel

For this assignment I made a paper mache blue jay/dragon, which was half bird half dragon. Blue jay represents, happiness, joy, beauty, and health. I chose animal because it represents a lot of beautiful things that are meaningful to me. I chose to make the teeth really bloody to represent the dragon. I made the overall project blue mostly to symbolize the blue jay but I put a little symbol at the top to represent the symbol  that we would see on a dragon in the movies. I then added some feathers to eventuate my dragon, I added blue and a bit of black and purple to incorporate all the small things and symbols of a blue jay and dragon.

Wednesday January 18, 2022

Inspiration pictures for my inquiry:

I started my inquiry and it was a ring holder and a plate so I wedged the clay and made the shape for the base with the shapes that were already there. I flattened it out and used a sponge and I put it on the to be bisque fired rack and while I waited I made the cactus for my ring holder.

Thursday January 19, 2022

I painted the cactus plate and I drew some flowers on my plate and used underglaze on the plate.

Friday January 20, 2022

I outlined the drawing I did with a think black underglaze that dried very fast.

Monday January 23, 2022

My finished inquiry project – Ceramic

Inquiry Project PRODUCT

Monica Michel

Finished plate just waiting for it to be glazed fired

These were my inquiry projects and they were a lot of fun to make. I liked that I could make something that was useful to me. I made the ring holder because I have so many rings. I made the plate and the painted it and the cute mini cactus and I painted that green. I loved making that because it was my first time using the stencils to make a plate. I used acrylic paint since I wasn’t going to be eating off of it. The plate was also a nice change to do but a bit harder since it was bigger. It took me a couple tries to make the base plate because it was a really big plate, but once I had it done and I evened it out so there was no harsh lines or air bubbles. I then fired it and then free handed some lines and flowers onto it. This plate really tested my perfection skills since the lines and colors were all different. I liked doing something new and exploring drawing onto the plate. I then glazed it and I am just waiting for it to be glazed fired and then it will be done. I learned a lot in this project about creativity and how to use the machine that flattens the clay and the prosses of it all.