Candace Birchfield Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 I am looking for suggestions to facilitate glazing in the classroom using commercial glazes. I usually have three tables of five students each. Students are provided with sponges, brushes and water along with their bisqueware. I am looking for suggestions on how to organize the glazes so students can easily choose their colors and to not be wasteful. I would appreciate any ideas you may have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meisie Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 I am looking for suggestions to facilitate glazing in the classroom using commercial glazes. I usually have three tables of five students each. Students are provided with sponges, brushes and water along with their bisqueware. I am looking for suggestions on how to organize the glazes so students can easily choose their colors and to not be wasteful. I would appreciate any ideas you may have. One of the things I do is create a rotating environment for my painters. (I don't do clay in my classroom.) Depending on the project each table has a different color or two and they move from table to table to the colors they want. That way you're not pouring out ten containers of red and then trying to get it back in the bottle because most only used a small amount. It might work with glaze? Set up each table with a different glaze or couple of glazes and brushes. They have to move to the table of the color they want and then to the next color. This way no one will mix brushes and glazes together. Keep in mind I don't do clay so it's just a quick brainstorm. If you dip instead then I don't have a clue. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 I am looking for suggestions to facilitate glazing in the classroom using commercial glazes. I usually have three tables of five students each. Students are provided with sponges, brushes and water along with their bisqueware. I am looking for suggestions on how to organize the glazes so students can easily choose their colors and to not be wasteful. I would appreciate any ideas you may have. I went to powdered commercial glazes after a few years of bottled pints and gallons. The powdered glazes allowed me to make up larger batches used for dipping. I limited my palate to about 14 colors in the beginning, and augmented them with accent colors of glaze and stain in pint containers. In this manner I could control the costs better. In the end though, as glazes continued to grow in cost, I switched to mixing my own. With a few base materials, and oxides I was able to get a color range that worked well. As for organizing all of this, the glazes were placed in a row on the floor, or on an old band riser so that the height was convenient. Pouring ladles were provided here. Then the stains and accent glazes were organized on a couple of tables with a wide variety of brushes. Risers come in handy in a lot of ways in the classroom. Even high school children can be height challenged when it comes to wedging clay on a wedging table that is a little too high. A riser gives them room to brace feet, and wedge at a comfortable height. I would use it when wedging that 20-25Lb ball of clay as it gave me a better angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Robison Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Depending on your budget and safety issues like ventilation I would stay away from powder unless you can mix it outside with a mask. What Pres says is great and you will save money. But do not do it unless safety is taken into account. Pres suggestions I think would be best if you can pre mix everything when the kids are not around and take your own health into consideration. If not underglaze and a clear may be the other route. That can run up your budget. If you can allocate small film container size portions out the maybe that would help. Go to the dollar store and look for small portion containers if you chose that route. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Depending on your budget and safety issues like ventilation I would stay away from powder unless you can mix it outside with a mask. What Pres says is great and you will save money. But do not do it unless safety is taken into account. Pres suggestions I think would be best if you can pre mix everything when the kids are not around and take your own health into consideration. If not underglaze and a clear may be the other route. That can run up your budget. If you can allocate small film container size portions out the maybe that would help. Go to the dollar store and look for small portion containers if you chose that route. Good luck! I happened to have downdraft tables in my studio that were purchased when they purchased for the shop classes. I also had an industrial air filter system. I used fine particle filter masks, and took precautions like use of spoons, and scoops, washing counters and floors, and used a spray booth when spraying. I would also mix glazes in the studio when students were not around-not because of the health problem, but because I needed to concentrate on my chemistry. As for mixing, the biggest problem was getting the water into the glaze without clouding. found it easier to put half the water into the container, add the powder carefully to the water. When all in, add a little more water and then mix slowly with drill/paint mixer. Increase speed as glaze becomes more consistent. Add water to desired thickness, and strain twice. Mixing up a 5 gal or 2 gal that way is really pretty clean, and easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pent19 Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 I don't know what grade level you are teaching, but I teach elementary and use the following set up. If i get out the random pints (from previous teacher) the students are instructed to share and go to the pint, pint isn't in use it gets put back on the cart. I used art catalogs and cut out the glaze charts in them and taped the sample to each lid. I also re-wrote the glaze name on the lid to help with cleanup. I only use amaco in my classroom and have a poster of their colors but its like where's waldo and kids have a hard time matching names to glazes and get frustrated when i don't have a glaze they like. I recently switched to gallons. I put these in properly labeled ziploc containers and have about 6 colors to choose from. I show the students how to enhance textures by sponging on dark colors, spattering, and layering to really make 6 colors seem like alot more. I demo techniques and have students go to the color they want which is at a specific table. If doing 2 colors in a class they let the glaze dry (which is pretty quick anyways) before moving to the next station. I usually set a timer so students know when to switch. I know it may be a major ceramist faux pas but I sometimes add food coloring to my blues and greens to help the students distinguish them while painting. I haven't noticed a change in the glaze outcome and if nothing has gone wrong yet I will keep doing it. I would love to make the jump to dipping glazes (oh the time it would save and no more white spots), but i have alot of other glazes to use up first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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