Decorative Ceramic Plate

Materials

• 2 sheets of large white construction paper
• 1 ink pen
• 1 sharp end pencil
• 1 dull end pencil
• 1 paper plate
• 1 pair of scissors
• 1 rolling pin
• 1 slab of clay
  • Your choice of clay will be dependent on your resources. If you have access to a kiln, use the clay that could be fired in a kiln. If you do not have access to a kiln, use oven-bake clay. This type of clay can be fired in an oven.
• 1 ruler
• 1 needle tool or large needle
• 1 flat wooden board
• Paint and Gloss, or Glaze
  • This option is dependent on the artist. If you have access to a kiln, glaze is the best option. If you do not have access to a kiln, you can use acrylic paint to paint the clay and then go over it with glaze
• Paint Brushes
• A kiln or an oven
• 1 bottle of super glue
• 1 roll of masking tape

Step 1: Doodling

1. Take a sheet of white construction paper and lay it in front of you
2. Using an ink pen, start doodling or drawing on the sheet of construction paper
   • These drawings do not need to be anything special or specific. The drawings can be squiggly lines or actual shapes.

Step 2: Creating the Paper Slice

1. After your drawing is complete, pick the area of your favorite design on the paper
2. Place a paper plate upside down on the area of your favorite design
3. Using a black pen, outline the paper plate so that you have a circle on the paper.
4. Cut out the paper circle using a pair of scissors
5. Once you have cut out the circle, fold the paper circle in half
6. Fold the paper circle in half again, and then fold in half once more
   • This will divide the paper circle into eighths
7. Unfold the circle and outline the creases with a black sharpie
8. Of the eight slices on the circle, pick the slice of design that you like the most, and cut it out using a pair of scissors
9. Trace over the doodle lines of the slice you chose with a sharpie

Step 3: Creating the Geometric Paper Circle

1. Place the second sheet of paper in front of you
2. Place a paper plate upside down on the construction paper
3. Using a black pen, trace around the paper plate so that there is a circle on the construction paper
4. Cut out the circle using a pair of scissors
5. Place the paper slice created in Step 2 under the paper circle so that the circular edges line up
   • Make sure that the sharpie-lined side of the paper slice is facing up
6. Using the sharpie lines as a guide, take a sharp-end pencil and trace over the lines
   • The easiest way to trace over the lines is to place the paper circle and paper slice against a window. This will allow the light to shine through so that the lines from the paper slice can be seen through the paper circle.
7. Once you trace over the lines, take the paper slice and flip it so that it is adjacent to its original spot
   • This time, make sure that the sharpie-lined side is facing down
8. Take the sharp-end pencil and trace over the sharpie lines
9. Continue flipping the paper slice and tracing over the sharpie lines until the entire circle is filled with your design.
10. Next, take a sharpie and trace over the pen lines to make the design more prominent.

Step 4: Rolling Out the Clay

1. Place a large slab of clay on a flat surface in front of you
   • The type of clay you use is dependent on your resources. You can use oven-bake clay if you have access to an oven or kiln-fire clay if you have access to a kiln
2. Take a rolling pin and roll out the clay so that it is three-eighths of an inch thick
3. Next, place the paper plate on top of the clay so that it is upside down
4. Using a needle tool or a large needle, trace around the plate so that you cut out a large circle

Step 5: Etching the Design Into Clay

1. Place the clay circle made in Step 4 on a flat wooden board
2. Place the geometric circle created in Step 3 on top of the clay circle
   • Make sure the paper circle's edges line up with the clay circle's edges
3. Using a dull pencil, trace over the sharpie lines
   • Repeat this step as many times as needed so that the design is seen clearly on the clay
4. Once the design is etched onto the clay, set the clay circle aside to dry
5. Depending on what type of clay you used, place the clay into either a kiln or an oven and fire it at the recommended time and temperature

Step 6: Painting the Clay

1. Once the clay is fired in the kiln or oven and cools down, take it out of the kiln or oven and place it in front of you
2. Next, paint the ceramic piece using a paintbrush
   • Before you start painting, you have two different methods you can use:
     1. If you have access to glaze and a kiln, paint the piece with glaze
        1. Before glazing any shapes, take a small paintbrush and dip it into black glaze
        2. Using the small brush and black glaze, go over all the lines on the clay
           • The lines you would go over are similar to the sharpie lines on the paper plate
        3. Next, in order to make this piece geometric, pick one shape from the clay circle and paint it with a specific color of glaze
        4. Then, paint all similar shapes in your circle with the same glaze color
        5. Repeat Steps 3-4 until all shapes in the circle are painted
        6. Repeat Steps 1-5 so that your piece has two coats of glaze
        7. Once you have finished painting the piece with glaze, place it in the kiln again and fire it as recommended
     2. If you do not have access to glaze or a kiln, paint the piece with acrylic paint
        1. Before painting the shapes, take a small paintbrush and dip it into black paint
        2. Using the small brush and black paint, go over all the lines on the clay
           • The lines you would go over are similar to the sharpie lines on the paper plate
        3. Next, in order to make this piece geometric, pick one shape from the clay circle and paint it with a specific color of acrylic paint
        4. Then, paint all similar shapes in your circle with the same acrylic paint color
        5. Repeat Steps 3-4 until all shapes in the circle are painted
        6. Once you have finished painting the piece and the paint has completely dried, paint over the piece with gloss.
           • The gloss will give the decorative piece its shine.

Step 7: In Case Something Breaks

1. If your piece breaks, it is fixable:
   • (a) If it breaks after you put it in the kiln, but before you paint the piece:
     1. Arrange the pieces together so that you can see the circle
     2. Next, using either painting method described in step 6 and paint the pieces
     3. If needed, place the pieces in the kiln to fire
     4. Once the piece is fired, align the pieces together so that you can see the circle
     5. Next, put super glue on the sides of each piece and press the pieces together
     6. Once you have glued all pieces together, take long pieces of masking tape and tape over the crack lines on the top and bottom of the plate in order hold the pieces together
     7. Allow the glue to dry for an entire day
     8. On the next day, remove the tape and make sure that the pieces are intact
   • (b) If it breaks after you paint it or after the glazed piece comes out of the kiln
     1. Arrange the pieces together so that you can see a circle
     2. Repeat steps 1(a) 5-8