Welcome back everyone. The photo below is an example of a slab method project that I created in a university art class many, many years ago. The assignment was to create an abstract vase with 2 or 3 protrusions and use various tools to complete a surface design and texture that would add interest to the piece. This was my final product.
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| Abstract Vase
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Lesson 2: ASaggy Bag
Before you slice off your new ball of clay, be sure to set up your workspace with your work board, water dish, baggie, baby powder (optional), and your slurry container from lesson 1. If the slurry is dry or too thick, add a few drops of water and stir it with a popsicle stick until it is pasty and smooth. Collect a few old utensils from the kitchen-knife, fork, spoon, or any other scrapers or tools that could be used to create a texture or pattern on the clay. You will also need a rolling pin and 2 flat sticks that are the same thickness (1/4 inch) is best. If you don't have the two flat sticks, 2 painting stir sticks will work in a pinch, but they are not quite 1/4 inch thick.
Slice off about a 1and 1/2 pound piece of clay. Reseal your large bag of clay and form your sliced-off clay into a ball. Wedge your clay to remove any air bubbles and then form it into a flattened ball. Slice off a small piece of this clay (about the size of a lemon) to form a cookie base for your saggy bag. Flatten the lemon and roll it out into a cookie shape. If your clay is fairly firm, you may occasionally have some cracking when you roll it out. Just smooth it out with a tiny amount of water. Don't roll it too thin. It should be 1/4 inch thick or slightly thicker. Trim the edges of the cookie base to form a circle or oval, and set it aside in or under your baggie. If you want to create a woven texture on your clay slabs, place a piece of burlap or heavy woven cloth onto the work board before you roll. Place the large flattened clay ball on to your work board between the 2 flat sticks. The sticks should be about 6 inches apart. Place the rolling pin on the flattened clay ball so that it will run over both sticks as you roll out the slab. Roll out the clay as you would with pastry. The sticks will keep the thickness of the clay uniform as it spreads out. Lift your slab and turn it over and roll again until it is level. The side edges should be straight like the stick edges, but the top and bottom edges will probably be wavy. At this point, you can trim the edges with a knife, or you can use the wavy ends to enhance your creation or trim them later. You need to have enough length of your slab to go around the top edge of the cookie base.
Roll your slab loosely over the rolling pin to move it off of the board and set it aside. Place your cookie base in front of you and rough up the top edge all around the cookie. Use a pick tool, a small knife, or even a sharp pencil to make scratches all around the top edge. This is called roughing up the surface. Take a popsicle stick and spread slurry onto your scratch marks all around. Fill in the rough up area well. Take one straight edge of your slab and rough it up as well. The scratches will be all along the 1/4 inch edge of the slab. Place the straight scratched edge of your slab on to your cookie base all around until your slab ends meet and that the scratches line up. Press firmly as you go to make a firm bond with the slurry. You can use crushed up newspapers inside the saggy bag to hold up your form better until it dries. If you have a problem that your cookie base is too big, you can cut it down, rough it up again, and add more slurry before adjusting your slab. To attach the slab ends where they meet, rough them both up, add slurry, and pinch them together. This adds more texture. If your saggy bag is firm enough to pick it up, you can make it a bit more saggy if you just pick it up over the work board, about 6 inches above, and drop it. This adds a rumpled effect.
Use any leftover bits to create shapes or designs, rough them up, add slurry, and press them on to the bag firmly. Trim and smooth any parts that you're not totally happy with.
Cover your saggy bag with a plastic grocery bag and place it on a shelf to dry overnight. Return to check it after a day, and if it is leather hard, scratch in your initials and the date. Leave it to completely dry on the shelf for several days before firing or underglazing.
I hope all of my rambling made some sense.
Have fun with it and I'll see you next week for the coil method.
Other slab method projects
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| Slab Method Vase |
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| Slab Bathroom Organizer |
View my Youtube tab for video instructions.
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