Origami Bowl

ORIGAMI BOWL

Construction photo:

Describe your process of creating the cuts and shape of your bowl: Because of AP Exams, I missed the class where we designed the template for our bowl, so I did not make my own template. But, I was able to use one of Mr. P's. In order to construct the bowl, I traced out the outline of Mr. P's template on a slab of clay. Then, I slipped-and-scored the edges of each petal in order attach the folds in my piece. I used the following guidelines: scoring the right back of each petal and laying it over the left top of the next petal.

Insert Pre-fired Glaze Photo:

Insert Post-fired Glaze Photo:

Describe the reaction between the glaze and glass effect or your glaze combination: I applied three coats of the Mayco Plum Jelly glaze. I used this glaze to cover all parts of the bowl except for the center and bottom. In the center, I assembled four layers of pieces of glass, because my piece is quite deep. I also tried to angle some pieces of glass outwards onto the sides of my bowl, so that I could experiment with the reaction between my glaze and glass in the kiln. Also, I really like how the Mayco glaze I used has a high refractive quality that makes it glossy.  The effect of this combination between glaze and glass was very interesting. I liked how you can see the plum jelly glaze dripping into the outter rim of the glass, with designs of purple and blue details. It's interesting to the viscosity of the glaze and how its flux plays a role in the combination of these two materials.

What would you have done different? I would have experimented more with my usage of glass pieces. I only used clear glass pieces, so it would have been interesting to see how the glaze and other glass parts would react with a different color shard, like an amber one for example. I might have also applied more intricate designs when glazing. For this bowl, I just painted the entire piece using one glaze, but I think it would have been interesting to use two or three glazes and working to create a design in which the glazes and glass center worked off one another.

Final Blog

Planning and Construction

Insert your sketch or plans: Essentially, I wanted to build a trapezoid slab base for a circular slab piece to rest on. Then, I wanted to use coils to build a neck that topped my overall piece.

Insert your Construction photo:

Describe your thoughts or idea and the construction techniques you planned to use. I planned to use the slab technique on the majority of my piece because it was a skill that I was not able to master in ceramics 1. More specifically, I wanted to use a trapezoidal slab for the base of my piece and a circular slab for its center. Then I wanted to top off my piece with a small coil neck that elongated the design and offered a different, smaller width as compared to the circular and trapezoidal slabs below it. Additionally, although slightly rudimentary, I wanted to use a patterned roller to imprint designs on my slabs. I have never used this technique before and I thought that it this new technique would add an intricate and interesting detail to my piece. Although there are various segments of my piece, I wanted each section to flow well, so that it looked like one unified and connected project.

One of the criteria is for you to be able to create what you have planned out.  How accurate were you in trying to create your idea from sketch to clay? I think that my sketch came to life pretty well. The only section in which there was a disparity between sketch and clay was the coil section. Initially, I wanted to carve out pieces of the top coil segment so that it would look like strips were holding the lip of the piece up (sort of like it was raised or floating). But then, as I started to build all the parts of my piece and imprinted details into its various sections. I came to the conclusion that carving the coil section would be too much, and I wanted to keep my piece simple and elegant :). Other than the slight change my design, I think that I was able to construct a piece quite similar to the initial sketch. I used the sketch as a foundation for the templates I built for each slab section. I used it to draw out the size and shape of the circle and trapezoid parts that I created.

How would you plan differently next time? I would spend more time focusing on the aesthetic of my design. When I was creating my design, I was fixating on the skills necessary to integrate and how I could challenge myself -- which is why I leaned towards more slab pieces than pieces that relied on coil techniques, because I had not created slabs in ceramcis 1. But, looking at the final construction of my piece, I admit that it is slightly bulky and that the aesthetic could be developed further. I also wish that I took more chances in the shapes that I chose to use. So, if I could plan again, I would spend more time looking at images online of different slab shapes and seeking inspiration. For example, perhaps I would make the center of my piece a flower-shaped slab that is more complex than a regular circle. Or, maybe I would use a bowl template and weave the center. I would also plan by using an estimate of how long each section is going to take me. This way, I wouldn’t have to come in for extra work time or be stressed out about completing my piece, as I was during this process. Rather, I would estimate how long each section would take me and use that information to guide my design and what time and piece combinations would work best together.

Glazing
Insert prefired glaze photo	Insert post fired glaze photo
Glaze Record and application Coil neck and textured side part: Base coat - White high fire glaze given by Mr. P (applied once) Top coat - Temmoku PC-30 (applied once) Center slab: Base coat - Oatmeal PC-31 (applied twice) Top coat - Temmoku PC-30 (applied twice) Bottom slab: Base coat - Oatmeal PC-31 (applied twice) Dripped glaze - Temmoku PC-30 (dripped onto the top half of this part of the piece)

Final Reflection

As a final product to reflect all that you have learned in ceramics 1 and 2, is this representative of your learning? Why? Yes, I think this is a pretty good representation of what I have learned in ceramics 1 and 2. The bottom and center of my piece display my ability to work slabs and textured rollers to add a layer of design to my piece. Additionally, the neck of my piece displays what I've learnt in using coils this semester. Most importantly, however, I'm most proud of my ability to build a piece that is symmetrical, stable, and unified in design. In ceramics 1, I often faced difficulties with building stable and symmetrical pieces, because I did not have the skills to create my pieces in an organized and structured manner. But, now I realize the planning and thought that needs to go into a piece prior to physically building it. Without this level of preparation and thought, my piece would not have become one unified structure that flows from part to part. It would have, instead, been a disjointed array of slab and coil techniques plopped on top of one another.

In terms of time management, how would you describe your use of time? I think that I did a pretty good job at managing my time. Although it did take me longer than I wanted to plan this piece. Once I came up with a feasible design, I was able to plan my class periods and finish my piece by the class it was due. I did have to come in a few days after school to get a few additional hours of work on my piece, but I think that this was due to the lack of experience I had with slab work from ceramics 1 and the slight catching up I had to do in this area. I believe that the reason I was able to manage my time effectively was because I made sure to outline a feasible piece during my planning phase.

What would you do differently for this project? I would re-consider my glazing choices and perhaps challenge myself more in terms of design. Initially, I wanted to use a combination of glazes Textured Amber Brown with Oatmeal coated over (to create a red, blue, and purple glossy mixture), however, the Textured Amber Brown glaze was not available. So, I decided to use a glaze that Mr. P noted was similar -- Temmoku. Although, I really like the tints of blue and purple that come out of this combination of glazes. I would have liked the piece to be a little lighter and less brown. So, if I could re-do this project, I would work to find a more balanced usage of my glazes -- perhaps glazing more than just the textured slab of my piece oatmeal, but rather glazing half of the center and then dripping into the combined color. Also, if I could re-do this project, I would challenge myself to be more adventurous in design. I hadn't used slabs in a long time since ceramics 1 in freshmen year, so I was slightly unsure of what I could accomplish with my piece. But, if I could change my piece, I would be more daring in my usage of slab shapes and sizes and be more experimental.

What grade do you feel like you deserve for this work? I believe that I deserve an A for this project, since I was able to expand upon my skills from the beginning of the semester, incorporate new techniques, and create a coherent piece that flows from one technique to the next.

Coil Project Reflection

Coil Vessel
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Describe what you liked about the coil process of building: In Ceramics 1 with Ms. Levenhagen, we did not use a template to help structure our coil projects and we spent quite a short amount of time on this form of construction. So, this time around, I liked that there was a level of accountability in our construction process as I could rely on my template to help structure my building. Also, compared to the weaving process, I liked that the coils were so transformable. Using the right tools, layers of coils can be curved and manipulated to create concavity and shape.
Describe your frustrations: With that said about the concavity possible in the coil construction process, I had trouble constructing transitioning from the center of my pot to the thin neck of my piece. I tried to make the transition as smooth as possible, but it was hard to keep the concavity identical throughout. I also had trouble with keeping my pot even and symmetric.
Did your original idea change? If yes, what changes occurred? Originally, I wanted to create a pot that embodied a flower: a rim that was "floppy" and looked like the petals of a flower and leaves that created a layer of detail around the top of the pot. I was able to create the floppy rim I wanted, but when it came to making the leaf details, I messed up. I used cardboard rolls to help create a natural curved form for the leaves, but when I came back to class the next time, I realized that I had dried the clay wrong. I dried it so that the leaf details would end up being attached to the pot, and thus unable to be seen. Due to the lack of time that remained for the construction period, I decided to scrap the leaves idea and instead carve details. I ended up using a tool to create a triangle pattern along the base of the pot and to border the little carvings I did along the middle of the pot. How could you have constructed better? I could have constructed my pot to be more symmetrical. The neck of my pot is slightly lopsided in shape, so I would try to apply my template with a consistent amount of pressure in order to fix this.
Screenshot of your glaze of choice and glaze description. First, I applied two coats of the Blue Rutile glaze. Then, I applied two coats of the Vert Lustre glaze on top.
Insert Pre Fired Glaze Photo	Insert Post Fired Glaze Photo
Glaze Record: Inside: PC-30 Temmoku Base layer: PC-20 Blue Rutile Top layer: PC-41 Vert Lustre	Glaze application: On the inside of my pot, I dripped Blue Rutile glaze over the Temmoku base to get the below reaction. On the outside of my pot, I glazed from top to bottom with two coats of Blue Rutile and then two coats of Vert Lustre. Then, I went over the center of my pot (the part where my detail is) with an extra coat of Vert Lustre glaze.
Describe your final result.  Was it what you expected? (better or worse) Based on the glaze description I found, I expected the glazes of my pot to come out slightly different. I expected more of a creamish/gold color mixed with bright blue details. My pot came out more blue and green, with gold details. Although it was not what I expected, I still like the end result and the contrast of my blue base with gold details. I also really like the inside of my pot and the effect that dripping Blue Rutile over Temmoku had. I was not expecting the reaction to be so detailed and intricate.
How could you you have glazed better? I could have considered the reactions between my two glazes more carefully before I started applying my layers. I tried to have a dripping effect on the top of my pot on the outside, however the color of the drips was quite similar to the main color of my pot, so its effect is not too prominent. I could have also worked with the glazes better to highlight the details in my pot. The small carving details came out nicely, but the triangles I engraved were not highlighted as much.
How could the teacher have taught the unit better? Maybe place more emphasis on the glazing process and how to consider what reactions would best highlight our piece. For example, some of my details were covered with my glazing, so perhaps instruction on glazes that would best help carving details would have been helpful. But, also I realize that my knowledge of glazing is not as broad as other ceramics 2 students because there was not a large emphasis on glaze choice in my ceramics 1 class with Ms. Levenhagen.

Woven Bowl Reflection

Woven Bowl Blog Post
Construction
Photo 1: Entire piece
Photo 2: Rim/finish	Photo 3: Detail
Reflection: Describe what you enjoyed about the weaving technique. I enjoyed the freedom we had in coming up with a design and the state of mind the weaving technique put me in. During this class, I could concentrate on the clay strips and coils, forgetting all other aspects of school that stress me out. Although complicated and intricate, the weaving technique was very satisfying and calming. What did you find difficult in the construction process and why? For my basket, I wove strips in the center and then extended my pattern into one made by pairs of coils. I found it difficult to weave the paired coils during the construction process because they dried easily and would rip as I worked. Because of this, I either had to replace the broken coils, which required me to restart a lot of my work, or fix the mistake by squishing the two ends together without totally destroying the coil's structure. Also, as a perfectionist, I found it difficult to center my first strip without a ruler and it took me a while to trust my own judgement.
Glaze Record
Weave: Albany Slip Brown (PC-32) Finish: Blue Rutile (PC-20) Detail: True Celadon (PC-40) and Deep Firebrick (PC-59)
Post fire glaze photo	Post fire glaze photo
Final Reflection
Describe your thoughts regarding the final results of your piece: Even though I wanted to scrap my bowl when I first finished the weave because of some slight imperfections, I am surprisingly happy with my final result. I like that my rose and leaves have features such as folds in the flower and lines in the leaves that make them look realistic. Also, I am happy with how my rim came out. At first, I was very nervous that my rim would be choppy and not look as one smooth design because I had to mesh together two twisted square coils while not compromising their structure. But, in the end the details and folds in the clay came out well. Which areas do you think you need more practice? I think I need more practice in choosing the right combination of glazes. When I took ceramics 1 during my freshman year, I remember not paying attention to the glazes I chose and not placing enough importances on parts of the process after construction. In fact, I did not even know the difference between high fire and low fire glazes. Now, I realize there is a lot of value in choosing the right glazes and that the colors I choose can really transform the total outcome of my piece. What would you change about your design? I would reconsider the combination of glazes I used for my piece, or more specifically my details, because I think that there could be a better contrast. I had trouble finding bright red for my rose detail, so I would look harder for another glaze (maybe one that fires white) or rethink my use of high fire glazes. I would also choose a deeper color for the leaf detail, because it lacks contrast with the rim of my bowl. Perhaps I would use the Dark Green (PC-45) glaze. What areas of the project do you think you needed more clarification or instruction and why? I think that I could have used more instruction on glazes. Coming from ceramics 1 in my freshman year, I did not know or remember much about glazes: I forgot the difference between high fire and low fire glazes,  an I wasn't too sure about the difference in finishes or which combinations would go together. In fact, the class after constructing my bowl, I took around half the class to decide which glazes to use. So, maybe a short review lesson on glazes and some examples of how different types of glazes fire would be useful in giving students like me a refresher and a starting point for them to consider what glazes they should use for their bowls.

AP Lang Reading (August 24, 2017)

Assigned today were pages 11 through 23 of the textbook. From this reading I was able to further my learning of rhetorical appeals speakers use to persuade their audience; additionally, I learned about the rhetorical analysis of visual texts.

Ending last class's reading on the topic of ethos, today's homework went into the rhetorical appeal that is logos. Greek for "embodied thought", appealing to logos means to think logically. Speaker's do so by supporting their main idea with details, examples, facts, statistics, and/or expert testimonies. Moreover, another way to appeal to logos is by acknowledging a counterargument and using a combination of concession and refutation - agreeing that the opposing argument is reasonable, but then but then denying its validity.

Moving on to the last of the three main rhetorical appeals, the use of pathos was introduced in this reading. On one hand, using pathos in one's argument appeals to emotions, values, desires, hopes, and, on the other, fears and prejudices. In order to establish pathos, speakers use wide ranging tools, such as imagery, figurative language, words with strong connotations, humor, juxtaposition, syntax, etc. However, effective speakers don't just use one of these rhetorical appeals, instead, they combine the three and use all.

In addition to understanding the speakers' use of rhetorical appeals, I also learned how to analyze the rhetoric of visual texts. Many visual texts are arguments; they are framed by a certain occasion, have a purpose, make a claim, and support it using ethos, pathos, and logos. In fact, in order to do a proper rhetorical analysis of visual texts one could use the acronym SOAPS (Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Speaker).

AP Lang Reading (August 22, 2017)

For today’s homework we were assigned to read pages one through ten of our textbooks. From this reading, I was able to further my knowledge of rhetoric, I learned how to effectively approach the concept of a rhetorical situation, and I covered the rhetorical appeal that is Ethos.

Debunking some people’s foremost perception that rhetoric is used for trickery, manipulation, or deception, the textbook shares the true definition of rhetoric. Aristotle defined this word as, “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion”. Essentially, rhetoric is a thoughtful, reflective activity that allows for effective communication. In fact, every text (ranging from essays to political cartoons) uses rhetoric and can be investigated; therefore, we must work to understand how rhetoric works.

The first step to analyzing rhetoric, is understanding the occasion, context, and purpose. Occasion is the time and place the text was written or spoken. Context is the atmosphere, attitude, and events surrounding the text. Purpose is the goal the speaker wants to achieve. Another important aspect of the rhetorical situation can be represented by the rhetorical triangle. This diagram displays the relationship among the speaker (creator of a text), audience (receiver(s) of a text), and subject (the topic). To summarize, one way to remember all of these things and to approach the concept of the rhetorical situation is by remembering SOAPS: Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Speaker.

In addition to understanding how to assess a rhetorical situation, we should understand how to use the tools of rhetoric to persuade an audience. One such way is through Ethos. Greek for “character”, ethos are used to demonstrate that the author or speaker is credible and trustworthy. One could establish ethos by expertise, knowledge, experience, sincerity, and common purpose/values with the audience. For example, the use of the word “we” instead of I in a speech uses ethos to unity the audience with the commonality that they are all one.

Culture Pot Reflection

For my pot shown below, I was inspired by the Pueblo culture. Traditionally, Pueblo pots are bellied out and their rim and base's are around the same size. I used some of these details and characteristics of the Pueblo culture to help shape my pot. Additionally, most of the Pueblo surface designs are geometric shapes, and the glazes used are generally earthy colors, however I used more contemporary designs through carving and darker colors. 

To start off my pot, I extruded coils and layered them on top of each other. Then after using lots of slip, wooden tools , and smoothening techniques, such as the rib, I started to work on bellying out my pot and focusing on its shape. After bellying it out, I was able to use the round coils and work my way in. Once I was done with the initial shape and had a bellied out pot, I noticed that the sides were uneven, so I used a paddle to even out the sides, but that didn't work. Later on, the next day, Mrs. Levenhagen showed me a mould that I could put my pot into, and after some smoothing out and pushing with a rib tool and sponge, the shape was perfect. After dealing with my shape issue, I managed to add on a rim that was the same size as the base of the pot and started to glaze. For my pot's base, I used a white LUG that covered the whole thing, then I inlaid a black LUG into the carvings of my design, and painted on a dark red LUG onto the bottom half of my pot. Once I was done with all of this glazing, I dipped my pot into the Celadon glaze, and into the kiln it went. 

One thing that intrigued me most about the Pueblo culture was it's shape and form. I really liked that the Pueblo pots were generally bellied out and that their rim's and base's were generally the same size. I also really liked that their glazes were generally earthy colors that were reused in patterns throughout the pot. 

One of the biggest challenges I faced making this pot was keeping its shape. Since my pot was so big, I had some issues with trying to keep my pot's sides evenly shaped. However, I was able to overcome this challenge by using a paddle, and lots of time with a mould. This was extremely helpful because by using a rib tool and sponge to fill in the mould, I was able to make a definite shape that I knew would be even and evenly distributed. 

Throughout this semester, I've learnt a ton about ceramics and pottery. I've learnt about the different kinds of glazing, firing, and design techniques. Whether it may be how to use the extruder, how to roll out a slab, or how to high fire a pot, I really enjoyed this class. In the beginning of the year, I thought that making a 3 inch high pinch pot was hard, but during some assignments and after a lot of problem solving I'm proud to say that I've been made to make 12 inch pots. I've also learnt a lot about glazing and that there are so many ways for you to design you pots. You can use LUGs during a pot's greenware stage, or even raku fire a pot during its bisque wear stage. I've also learnt that as long as you stay persistent and determined, you can achieve anything you want to and make something imaginary in you head come to life through pottery. 

Below, on the left is my very first pinch pot and to the right is my favorite pot. The pot on the right is my favorite because I had to go through so much to complete my designer cup and I'm so proud that I was able to create a mouth for the cookie monster, that you could store food in and use functionally. I also really like that I was able to bring a part of my childhood (the cookie monster), and turn that into a cup which I could actually use. Lastly, I also think that I used the most techniques and design features on this pot. Whether it was from adding on additional clay pieces, using different LUGs to paint my cup, or to add an additional layer to the inside of my cup, I believe that I've accomplished in this cup.  

Teapots With Heart Reflection Blog Post

Anya's Christmas Inspired Teapot

Part of this teapot project in ceramics was to design a piece that expresses something about ourselves and our past. My teapot, as shown above was made to represent many different things about myself, but before I do that I want to explain the process I went through to decide my theme. At first, I wanted to make a peppermint candy teapot, because since I was a little girl in the U.S., after going out for dinner, my family and I would eat little peppermint candies that we had a cabinet of at home. My twin sister and I both really love these candies, which is why I in the beginning decided to do a teapot around it. However, this idea of creating a peppermint candy teapot with a big wrapper around it as the spout and handle, wasn't going to turn out that well or functional. Which is why I decided to keep that idea of the peppermint candies, by making a red and white pot, which led me to Christmas. Growing up, Christmas was always one of my favorite holidays because no matter I lived in the world, my family would always go back to New Jersey to bring in the new year. Additionally, this aspect of Christmas is very important to me because family is something that I cherish and I don't know what I would do without it. 

Now that you know a little about the background of my pot's design, I would like to move further to explain the different designs and aspects of my teapot. Starting off with the handle, I painted it a striped red pattern to help me express a very big part of my childhood... the peppermint candies!  Secondly, going onto the middle of the teapot, and the main design, I decided to carve out a little snowflake. The reason I chose to carve out this snowflake is because every Christmas morning and the morning after a fresh layer of snow, my cousins and I would always go out to play in the snow for hours on end. Moreover, the reason why I decided to paint the snowflake and the presents on the lid of the pot light blue, is because blue is one of my favorite colors and every Christmas my parents would always rap my presents blue and my sister's presents red. Lastly, the reason why I added a christmas tree at the top of my lid is because some of my most fun and found memories of this holiday were made around our family tree.

After coming up with my idea for this teapot, I got to work on the actual form. To start off my pot, I used a lot of slabs. The first slab I rolled out was used to create the main circle shape that the snowflake is carved out on and the back of that. Then, to attach these two slabs together, I got a long, thin slab and using the slip and score technique, I attached it to both of the circle's edges. Secondly, after getting the main part of my pot's shape done, I moved onto the handle. For my striped, peppermint candy handle, I used an extruder to create a square like extruded part, which I attached onto the side of my pot in the shape of a candy cane. The reason I shaped my handle as a candy cane is because candy canes and peppermint candies taste very alike and pepperminty, therefore, creating this shape as my handle, would help me to express a very important part of my childhood and Christmas. Thirdly, after creating my handle and middle of my teapot, I decided to  create my spout. To do this, I rolled out a slab from the slab roller and wrapped that clay around a cylinder mold. Finally, after some attaching and lots of slip and scoring, I added on my spout to the circular core of the teapot and everything turned out great. Lastly, to finish make the lid of my teapot, I used the remainder of the slab used to create my spout, and cut it into a small circle. Additionally, to ensure that my lid stayed in place and didn't fall off, I created a "hooking" device. To create this hooking device, I cut out an even smaller circle from the previous slab and attached that onto the bottom of my lid. When I was done making my lid and was sure that it was secure, I started to decorate.

When decorating, I used a lot of special techniques to emphasize important aspects of my pot. For example, the first bit of decorating I did was done using a very thin carving tool. With this carving tool and a sponge, I made a large snowflake that covered the area of my whole teapot. While doing so, and part of the reason why I chose to carve on my snowflake, instead of paint, was because I wanted texture, detail, and aimed for it to look as realistic as possible. Furthermore, to make the snowflake really come to life, I also used a light blue LUG glaze and inlaid it onto the carvings. Secondly, I also used additional pieces of clay to create the christmas tree and presents decorated on top of my lid. To create these aspects, I pinched out shapes from the blocks of clay and used the tools available to help enhance the designs. For example, once I was done with the christmas tree, I used a carving tool to make little lines in the clay that I later inlaid darker green glaze into to help it pop. 

Overall, I'm pretty proud of my teapot and what I've accomplished. I didn't think at first that I would have been able to create such a detailed and well functioning teapot, but I think that after some problem solving and experiment, I'm glad I stuck with this idea. I'm also very glad that it came out to be just like what I imagined, because I reminds me so much of Christmas in the U.S. and the peppermint candies I love. However, if there was one thing I would watch out for the next time I made something like this, it would be to be careful when glazing small objects. When I was painting my christmas tree, some of the dark green glaze got onto the base of the lid and I wasn't able to wash that glaze off enough, so a kind of smudged out trail of green LUG remains a fourth of my lid.

Designer Cup Reflection Blog

The theme for my cup that I was trying to accomplish is a child like theme. For this particular theme, I first tried to make a disney related cup, however, one problem that I ran into was that I couldn't find a design which could incorporate food and drinks. But, after a lot of researching and looking through google images, I found a cookie monster cup, which I tweaked for the mouth to be an opening for cookies and other food you can have when drinking. This themed was really interesting to me because I loved watching Sesame Street when I was younger and my favorite character was the cookie monster, so I liked creating a cup which could represent this. 

I used a lot of techniques to create the shape of my cup including, using the slab roller and the extruded parts. First off, I used a slab roller to flatten out a slab in which I could wrapped my clay around a circular piece of wood and form my cup's shape. Another purpose that I used the slab roller for was to create the mouth of my cup. Since the cookie monster is famous for his love of chocolate chip cookies and is always seen with cookie crumbs falling out of his mouth, I wanted to portray this in my cup by adding an area in which food could be kept. Making this area for food was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but lucky, I got through it. After trying to push the slab down to the middle of the cup with it falling and breaking, never being able to keep the slip on around the slab, and always making the cup's side's crack, this barrier gave me quite a hard time, but I figured it out. And after doing so, I was able to use many other wonderful techniques to better my cup, which brings me to the extruder. At first I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with the handle of my cup and I didn't have a very definite idea of what I was going to do. However, after extruding some parts and looking at the pieces of clay I had to work with, I decided to make my handle a coil up piece of circular clay that represented the cookie monster's hair. This handle was very fun for me to make as I had done a coiled foot for one of my pinch pots before and this idea of coiled pieces was very interesting to me. Lastly, for the shaping of my cup, I added on extra pieces of clay to represent cookie monster's eyes. These popping eyes really helped the cup come to life and made it more animated and fun for children to use.

After finishing the shape and adding on all the final pieces of clay, I started to glaze my cup. However, instead of glazing my cup after it was fired once, I used LUG's to glaze my cup when it was in it's green ware state. This new type of glazing was very cool for me because using LUG's gave me the power to change the coloring of my pot after it came out of the kiln if I didn't like it and to do some last minute touch ups if I missed a few spots. The LUG glazes that I used were dark red for the mouth, teal blue for the inside, outside, and handle of the cup, and black and white for the eyes. Once I was done painting on these LUG's I put my cup in the kiln and hoped for the best. The next class, after it came out of the kiln, I did some touch ups with the LUG's and then dunked my cup in a bucket of clear glaze. Once this was done, I put my cup in the kiln once again and was finally done!

All in all, my reactions to this piece are pretty good. I enjoyed the overall process and loved getting to work with the LUG glazes. I liked that my pot was very kid friendly and I liked that it was able remind me and many of my other classmates about our childhood and sesame street! I also was really proud of the fact that I was able to create an area for food to be kept in, which I don't think any of the the other cups had. And though the making of my cup was a little hard at times, I've grown to appreciate and respect the people who do this for a living. It took me so long to figure out what I truly wanted to make out of my cup and even then, when I finally got an idea for my cup, it was hard for me to execute it. So what I've realized is that it's hard to come up with feasible, realistic, and likeable design ideas, but if you work really hard and analyze all aspects carefully it'll eventually work out in the end. I never would've been aware of all of these things if I hadn't had to make this cup so I'm really appreciative of that.

Above is a picture of a cup that I think was the best designed and I really look up to. I loved the fact that the cup has an interactive handle which connects to a fun basketball hoop. Also, inside the cup, there's a small basketball which I think is a really cool way of incorporating the cup's design idea and adding an extra piece of clay to the design. I also really liked the fact that the cup maker's glazing was done very accurately and that there were no cracks, bumps, or a thick rim around the top of the cup.

Who Am I?

1. I will always consider America my first home, but for now my second home is Singapore. After moving out of America, my family and I moved to Taipei, then Hong Kong, and then Singapore. Though we moved around a lot, I would still call America my home and the place I love most to go back to because my sister were born there, I've grown up there, and lastly, most of my family is located there. When talking about my family and relatives around the world, most of my younger cousins, aunts, and uncles are settled in the U.S., while my grandparents currently live in India. Overall, I think that home is really where your family and loved ones are. Home is a place where you are free to be you, always feel loved and supported, and can be yourself no matter what. Without the comfort of your parents, siblings, and other family members there, your home wouldn't be the same. And so, since I don't have that much of a strong connection or relatives here in Singapore, it's not my first home, America is.

2. My heroes are probably my mom and dad. My mom, like my dad, went from being poor to becoming this amazingly successful woman. Though her road to greatness wasn't always the smoothest, she still managed to become the captain of Goa's national table tennis team, earn a full scholarship to college, raise two twins with the help of my dad, work with multiple banks, start her own business, do a Ted talk, and now work for Johnson and Johnson. Her story truly inspires me and pushes me to do better everyday. My mom worked restlessly throughout her whole life to get to where she is today, and in that time she never lost slight of who she is, what she believes in, and always strived to do her best, no matter the hardships. Which is why I aspire to be like her and achieve the many things that she has in her lifetime that still holds so much more.


3. I am petrified by stray animals. Basically, stray dogs and cats make me want to cry. I believe that my fear of these stray animals started in India. When he was younger, my uncle was unfortunately bitten my a dog with rabies which forever negatively changed his life by making him disabled. Though he has remained the bubbly, happy, and positive man that I love, I still think that this event weighs him and his life down sometimes. He isn't able to achieve what we could've and he won't get 100% of what kind of a life he wanted. Ever since this incident, I've always been horrified by stray dogs and cats, and I hope that no one will ever have to experience what my uncle did. I'm most scared by the fact that these stray animals could have rabies, a detrimental disease, or even pounce on you and hurt you forever. I don't think that I'll get over this fear anytime soon, but I'm try and now I think that I'm improving slightly every time.

4. When somebody asks me what my passion is, I'm never really sure what to answer. Sometimes I believe that answering with something like singing or dancing would be really cliche, but honestly, I've been dancing since I was three years old and till this day, I've developed a real passion for it and traveling. Traveling is extremely fun for me because I get to experience different cultures, people, and places, which really fascinates me. And though, I've been dancing forever, I think that my love for dancing has really only started to developed and during my time at SAS. For example, before Singapore, I was an extremely shy little girl and didn't have the confidence to perform in front of others and share my ideas. However, with the help of my classmates, peers, and teachers like Mrs. Rodocker in middle school, I've grown to be comfortable in dancing in front of others and I am confident of what I can do. Like sports, playing an instrument, or drawing, there is always space to improve and as I'm still learning and growing every day, I'm thankful for what dancing has done for me and without it inspiring and engaging me daily, I wouldn't be able to express myself as I do now.


5. One of my all time favorite foods is chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. This ice cream is basically made up of a base of vanilla ice cream and then sprinkled on with chocolate chips and big chunks of sugary cookie dough. Since I've never really loved chocolate as a child and I was never open to the idea of eating chocolate, I only very recently started to eat this delicious ice cream. But now that I've tasted the sweet vanilla ice cream and cookie dough, I don't think that I'll ever be able to not eat it again. I mean, sure I have to dig out the chocolate chips before I eat the ice cream, but it's a small price I'll happily pay because of the great things that come with and from chocolate chip cookie dough. The time I most appreciate the particular ice cream is when I'm sitting at home in America around the TV, with my cousins and eating bowls of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream as we watch movies during the summer time. Whenever I eat this particular ice cream, it reminds me of my fun times in America with my family and makes me happy. It also urges me to try new things and step outside my comfort zone. When I think about it, I figure, if I can handle chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and just have to take out the chocolate bits, then I think that I can try other foods with a little bit of chocolate too.


6. A couple main logos that I use or are the most familiar with ar Nike, Apple, and Singapore American School (SAS), and Apple. Nike is a store that I use to get my dance clothes from, and as you read above, dancing is one of my passions so I'm extremely grateful for these shops. Adding onto that, these two companies remind me of my time in the U.S. as I shopped with my cousin and bonded over sports stuff, creating life lasting experiences. Secondly, SAS is a logo that resonates with me and is one that I respect because of how much I've grown as a person here. Sure, in the U.S. I have lots of family and great times to cherish forever, but in SAS I've made life long relationships and have grown so more much as a person. So whenever, I see the SAS logo, I will always remember what SAS has done for me and the great times I've had in this school. Lastly, Apple is a logo I see everyday, whether it be on my laptop, iphone, or even other apple products around the house, I'm very used to it. Apple is also a logo that I really like because I like the story of Apple as a company and the people behind it that fully transformed that world into what it is today.


7. I think that the picture at the very bottom defines me best as a person as it is a picture of my family, and to me as a person family is everything. Family is home and family is who and what will always be with you no matter what. Though this photo has an endless amount of meanings related to it, ranging from birthdays, to family get togethers, to even times that we play wiffle ball on the street or jump on the trampoline, I don't think that I would be able to make an object or pot that could truly sum up this photos. If I wanted to make an object that symbolizes my character I think that I would want to go with something that represents one of my passions... traveling. As briefly stated above, traveling is something that I love to do and especially when it's with my family and friends, it makes the trip a whole lot more special. Since I was recently in Turkey and during this break learnt a lot about its ancient pottery techniques and pieces, I would love to create a traditional turkish pot. This will sum up me in ways relating to family, travel, and creating new experiences and trying new things as I said I would after eating chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.