Word Power
Need to know vocabulary for Ceramics -
Key -Green = Elements of Design and Principles of Design Red =Elements and Principle sub-categories
Black = General need to know terms
Elements of Design (Sensory)- line, shape, form, space, texture, color and value
Principles of Design (Formal) - Pattern, balance (symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial), rhythm/movement, unity, proportion, emphasis, proportion and contrast
Line - a mark that connects 2 or more points on a surface or plane, a dot that moves through space. There are 2 types of line that can make all other variations straight and curve.
Lines are not found in nature they are non tangible they represent edges and joining together of surfaces or elements.
Shape - an enclosed area or figure on a plane or surface that has width and length(shapes are two dimensional and non tangible they represent edges of forms or objects)
Form - an area that has mass or volume, has 3 of the following height, length, width, breadth or depth
Space - an object's internal/external area. The area in and around objects in a composition, near/ far, empty or full gives sense of distance, positive or negative
Value - relative light and darkness, gradation of highlights to shadows
Color - the spectrum created by white light waves passing through a prism, the effect of a color light wave reflecting from an object onto the eye
Texture - the way something feels
Balance - a display of visual weight
Pattern - a repeating element or design
Rhythm - the beat or movement of a element or design
Emphasis - The accentuation of importance, the focal point, main idea. center of attention
Proportion - the size or placement of an element, design or object in a composition
Unity - Fitting together in harmony, the elements fit together through proximity or repetition. The whole of the parts - Gestalt
Variety - differences achieved by changing elements in a composition to add interest
Abstract - something familiar that has been simplified or distorted
Additive - adding or joining clay to another piece or work of clay at the same stage of plasticity.
Aesthetics -
Alumina -
Applique -
Armature -
Art - man's ability to take a dream or idea and bring it into reality in an aesthetic manner
Atmosphere in kiln -
Ash -
Assemblage - a sculpture created from discarded objects and reassembled to create an art work
Banding Wheel -
Bat -
Bisque-ware - clay-ware that has been fired one time
Blisters -
Bonedry - as dry as greenware can get in open air
Burnish - to polish and made smooth by rubbing
Carbonates -
Calipers -
Cast - method for creating ceramics using slip pouring into a mold
Centering -
Centrifugal force -
Ceramics - functional and/or decorative objects made from clay
Chuck -
Clay - a natural moist pliable or plastic material from decomposed igneous rock that when subjected to heat is hard.
Clay body - A clay designed for a special purpose. It is created by blending different clays to produce a desired work-ability, maturing temperature, or finished result. A clay body is the result of mans technology.
Cohesion: Attraction of molecules within a coating (how it holds together).
Coil - . A method of hand-building a form using long rolled out, or extruded strands of clay which are laid on top of each other and joined strand by strand with strand of clay integrated with the previous one to build the work up.
Colorant -
Composition - Organization of ingredients ( elements and principles ) to create a final artwork
Cone- Pyrometric cones are composed of clay and glaze material, designed to melt and bend at specific temperatures.
Coning -
Crazing - The formation of a network of cracks in a glaze.
Drape mold -
Dry Foot - Glaze is removed from the bottom of a piece before firing, making stilting unnecessary.
Design - an illustrated plan or idea for a product.
Earthenware -
Engobe - A white or colored thin layer of clay used to decorate a bisque pot. It may or may not be glazed
over.
Extrude -
Firing -The process, which changes clay into ceramic.
Glaze - A coating of material applied to ceramics before firing that forms a glass-like surface. Glazes can
be colored, opaque, translucent or matte.
Glazeware - ceramic piece that has a glaze or glass like finish
Greenware - an unfired ceramic at any stage from formed plastic to bone dry.
Handbuilding -
Hump mold -
Impression -
Incise - These decorations are surface designs cut into the clay.
Inlay - A decorative technique where a pattern is carved into the clay at the leather hard stage and a contrasting colored slip is applied into the the carve design.
Kiln - The furnace in which ceramics are fired. Kilns can be electric, natural gas, wood, coal, fuel oil or
propane.
Kiln furniture - Shelves and post structures that hold the ceramic ware while firing
Kiln wash -
Leather-hard - the stage of clay that is best for carving and joining somewhere between wet and bone dry.
Lip -
Low-fire -
Lug -
Maquette -
Matte - Dull-surfaced glazes, lusterless and non shiny.
Majolica -
Mishima - (inlaid clay) - variation - contrasting colored slip is inlaid into incised lines. This can be done using wax resist - incising then applying slip or slip may be applied to incised lines and sanded off the raised body.
Medium - refers to the materials or supplies used to create a work of art.
Mixed Media is an artwork in which more than one medium has been used
Modeling - moving, shaping and manipulating clay without removing or adding clay to the piece.
Mold - a plaster shell that has a negative shaped space for an object that is to be slip cast.
Mosaic
Neck
Negative space
Non-objective - has no meaning is not related to anything real or seen
Opening
Organic
Overglaze
Overfire
Oxidation - A firing atmosphere with ample oxygen. An electric kiln always
gives an oxidizing fire.
Paddling -
Peephole -
Pigment -
Pinch - a primitive or primary form of handbuilding
Pit firing -
Plastic/wet - malleable clay ready to be modeled and sculpted
Porosity -
Pulling -
Pyrometer - Instrument used to record the exact temperature of the kiln.
Raku -
Realism - a work that is created as close to what the eye actually sees - What you see is what it is.
Reduction -
Refactory -
Rib -
Scoring -
Sgraffito - This comes the Italian word meaning to be scratched this is done by incising or cutting a design through a colored slip coating to reveal the clay body.
Shivering -
Shrinkage -
Stains -
Slab
Slab roller
Slip - a fine liquid slurry of clay that is the consistency of heavy cream.
Slip trailing
Sprig
Soak - Preheating greenware at low temperature to drive off any remaining dampness.
Subtractive - removal of clay
Terra sigillata
Template
Throwing
Transparent
Translucent
Trimming
Underfire
Underglaze - Liquid clay slip that contains coloring oxides and chemicals used to apply color and designs
to a ceramic piece.
Warping
Wheel head
Wedge
Vitrification - A glass like, non-porous state caused by heat or fusion.
Terra sigillata
The 4’s of joining clay - Score, Slip, Stick and Smooth
Brush -application tool for applying paint and glazes.
Parts of a brush -
Describe - Facts about the work and what is seen.
Analyze -Facts about the works and how it was made and the use of the Elements and Principles
Interpret - What is the mood, feeling of the work or what was the artist meaning or purpose for the work
Evaluate -Judging what make this art or is it? Your opinion based on the above 3 steps.
Terms to stimulate ideas for use of elements and designs:
Magnify, reduce, substitute, subtract, add, divide, multiply, rearrange, reverse, adapt, function, change, material makeup, sensations -odor, light, sound, texture, overlap, wrap, intertwine, through, weave,...
Need to know vocabulary for Ceramics -
Key -Green = Elements of Design and Principles of Design Red =Elements and Principle sub-categories
Black = General need to know terms
Elements of Design (Sensory)- line, shape, form, space, texture, color and value
Principles of Design (Formal) - Pattern, balance (symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial), rhythm/movement, unity, proportion, emphasis, proportion and contrast
Line - a mark that connects 2 or more points on a surface or plane, a dot that moves through space. There are 2 types of line that can make all other variations straight and curve.
Lines are not found in nature they are non tangible they represent edges and joining together of surfaces or elements.
Shape - an enclosed area or figure on a plane or surface that has width and length(shapes are two dimensional and non tangible they represent edges of forms or objects)
- Geometric - shapes that have names; square, circle, triangle ....
- Organic/free-form - shapes that have no specific name usually based on nature
Form - an area that has mass or volume, has 3 of the following height, length, width, breadth or depth
- Geometric - forms that have names; cube, sphere, cone....
- Organic/free-form - forms that have no specific name usually based on nature
Space - an object's internal/external area. The area in and around objects in a composition, near/ far, empty or full gives sense of distance, positive or negative
Value - relative light and darkness, gradation of highlights to shadows
Color - the spectrum created by white light waves passing through a prism, the effect of a color light wave reflecting from an object onto the eye
- Hue - The name of a color
- Primary- Color that cannot be mixed from other colors - red, blue, yellow
- Secondary- color made from equal amounts of 2 primary colors - orange, green, violet
- Intermediate- color created by mixing a primary and a secondary - yellow-green, blue-green, blue,violet, red-violet, red-orange and yellow-orange
- Complementary- opposite colors on the color wheel; blue/orange, red/green and yellow/violet
- Analogous- color families, color next to each other on color wheel
- Cool- blues, greens and violets
- Warm- red, orange and yellow
- Monochrome - one color
- Intensity - the brightness or dullness of a color, purity or saturation of color
- Neutrals - Colors not found in the spectrum or color wheel but commonly found in nature.
Texture - the way something feels
- Real - you can actually feel the roughness, smoothness, fluffiness, etc
- Implied - looks like what a texture might feel like on a 2D surface
- Invented - looks like what you might think it feels like
Balance - a display of visual weight
- symmetrical - a form of balance where elements are set up the same on each side of an imaginary mid line - mirrored
- asymmetrical - a form of balance where elements are arranged differently on each side of an imaginary mid line but maintain visual weightiness.
- radial - balance that is created around a central point
Pattern - a repeating element or design
Rhythm - the beat or movement of a element or design
Emphasis - The accentuation of importance, the focal point, main idea. center of attention
Proportion - the size or placement of an element, design or object in a composition
Unity - Fitting together in harmony, the elements fit together through proximity or repetition. The whole of the parts - Gestalt
Variety - differences achieved by changing elements in a composition to add interest
Abstract - something familiar that has been simplified or distorted
Additive - adding or joining clay to another piece or work of clay at the same stage of plasticity.
Aesthetics -
Alumina -
Applique -
Armature -
Art - man's ability to take a dream or idea and bring it into reality in an aesthetic manner
Atmosphere in kiln -
Ash -
Assemblage - a sculpture created from discarded objects and reassembled to create an art work
Banding Wheel -
Bat -
Bisque-ware - clay-ware that has been fired one time
Blisters -
Bonedry - as dry as greenware can get in open air
Burnish - to polish and made smooth by rubbing
Carbonates -
Calipers -
Cast - method for creating ceramics using slip pouring into a mold
Centering -
Centrifugal force -
Ceramics - functional and/or decorative objects made from clay
Chuck -
Clay - a natural moist pliable or plastic material from decomposed igneous rock that when subjected to heat is hard.
Clay body - A clay designed for a special purpose. It is created by blending different clays to produce a desired work-ability, maturing temperature, or finished result. A clay body is the result of mans technology.
Cohesion: Attraction of molecules within a coating (how it holds together).
Coil - . A method of hand-building a form using long rolled out, or extruded strands of clay which are laid on top of each other and joined strand by strand with strand of clay integrated with the previous one to build the work up.
Colorant -
Composition - Organization of ingredients ( elements and principles ) to create a final artwork
Cone- Pyrometric cones are composed of clay and glaze material, designed to melt and bend at specific temperatures.
Coning -
Crazing - The formation of a network of cracks in a glaze.
Drape mold -
Dry Foot - Glaze is removed from the bottom of a piece before firing, making stilting unnecessary.
Design - an illustrated plan or idea for a product.
Earthenware -
Engobe - A white or colored thin layer of clay used to decorate a bisque pot. It may or may not be glazed
over.
Extrude -
Firing -The process, which changes clay into ceramic.
Glaze - A coating of material applied to ceramics before firing that forms a glass-like surface. Glazes can
be colored, opaque, translucent or matte.
Glazeware - ceramic piece that has a glaze or glass like finish
Greenware - an unfired ceramic at any stage from formed plastic to bone dry.
Handbuilding -
Hump mold -
Impression -
Incise - These decorations are surface designs cut into the clay.
Inlay - A decorative technique where a pattern is carved into the clay at the leather hard stage and a contrasting colored slip is applied into the the carve design.
Kiln - The furnace in which ceramics are fired. Kilns can be electric, natural gas, wood, coal, fuel oil or
propane.
Kiln furniture - Shelves and post structures that hold the ceramic ware while firing
Kiln wash -
Leather-hard - the stage of clay that is best for carving and joining somewhere between wet and bone dry.
Lip -
Low-fire -
Lug -
Maquette -
Matte - Dull-surfaced glazes, lusterless and non shiny.
Majolica -
Mishima - (inlaid clay) - variation - contrasting colored slip is inlaid into incised lines. This can be done using wax resist - incising then applying slip or slip may be applied to incised lines and sanded off the raised body.
Medium - refers to the materials or supplies used to create a work of art.
Mixed Media is an artwork in which more than one medium has been used
Modeling - moving, shaping and manipulating clay without removing or adding clay to the piece.
Mold - a plaster shell that has a negative shaped space for an object that is to be slip cast.
Mosaic
Neck
Negative space
Non-objective - has no meaning is not related to anything real or seen
Opening
Organic
Overglaze
Overfire
Oxidation - A firing atmosphere with ample oxygen. An electric kiln always
gives an oxidizing fire.
Paddling -
Peephole -
Pigment -
Pinch - a primitive or primary form of handbuilding
Pit firing -
Plastic/wet - malleable clay ready to be modeled and sculpted
Porosity -
Pulling -
Pyrometer - Instrument used to record the exact temperature of the kiln.
Raku -
Realism - a work that is created as close to what the eye actually sees - What you see is what it is.
Reduction -
Refactory -
Rib -
Scoring -
Sgraffito - This comes the Italian word meaning to be scratched this is done by incising or cutting a design through a colored slip coating to reveal the clay body.
Shivering -
Shrinkage -
Stains -
Slab
Slab roller
Slip - a fine liquid slurry of clay that is the consistency of heavy cream.
Slip trailing
Sprig
Soak - Preheating greenware at low temperature to drive off any remaining dampness.
Subtractive - removal of clay
Terra sigillata
Template
Throwing
Transparent
Translucent
Trimming
Underfire
Underglaze - Liquid clay slip that contains coloring oxides and chemicals used to apply color and designs
to a ceramic piece.
Warping
Wheel head
Wedge
Vitrification - A glass like, non-porous state caused by heat or fusion.
Terra sigillata
The 4’s of joining clay - Score, Slip, Stick and Smooth
Brush -application tool for applying paint and glazes.
Parts of a brush -
- Handle: Every brush has one, provides balance for application and keeps hands and fingers out of paint.
- Ferrule: The metal piece that holds the bristles to the handle, the stabilizer.
- Bristles: stiff or soft hairs, they can be natural hairs or synthetic fibers. Soft brushes = thin paint which spreads easily, and for detailed work. Hard brushes are for pushing around thick paint and for creating brush marks on a surface.
- Heel : Is where the bristles go into the ferrule at the end the handle
- Toe: The very end/tip of the brush and is the part that come in contact with the surface to be painted.
- Belly: The middle of the bristles and holds the paint so that it can flow to the toe.
Describe - Facts about the work and what is seen.
Analyze -Facts about the works and how it was made and the use of the Elements and Principles
Interpret - What is the mood, feeling of the work or what was the artist meaning or purpose for the work
Evaluate -Judging what make this art or is it? Your opinion based on the above 3 steps.
Terms to stimulate ideas for use of elements and designs:
Magnify, reduce, substitute, subtract, add, divide, multiply, rearrange, reverse, adapt, function, change, material makeup, sensations -odor, light, sound, texture, overlap, wrap, intertwine, through, weave,...
I can not take claim or credit for all of the presentations, worksheets or documents that may be found on this website. Several are resources that have been collected from a variety of sources over the years and are only presented in the interest of edifying the viewer. If these are your and you want credit for sharing please notify website owner.