Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination

Arts and Design

Unit 2- Paper 02
Applied Arts

Name:
Teacher:
Centre Number:
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Question: 1
 What are ceramics?

According to the Crucible website ceramic objects are made by combining naturally occurring

raw materials, such as clay, earthen minerals, and water, and shaping them into forms using hand

building, wheel-throwing, or mold casting techniques. The website further explains that once

shaped, the ceramic is fired in a kiln at a high temperature which makes them hardened and heat

resistant. The website posits that ceramic objects are used as building materials, functional

dinnerware, decorative sculpture, and more.

Types of Ceramics: Traditional Types of Pottery

The Crucible website posits that earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, and bone china are common

examples of traditional pottery. It also states thatdifferent types of clay and combinations of clay

with different variations of silica and other minerals result in different types of ceramic pottery.

Earthenware website explains that nowadays we

commonly see planters made from terracotta
According to the Crucible website (a clay-based and unglazed ceramic), along
earthenware is pottery that has not been with bricks, water pipes, and more.
fired to vitrification, which is the process of
crystalline silicate compounds bonding into
non-crystalline glass compounds. As a
result, the pottery is more porous and
coarser to the touch. It was most common
type of ceramics until the 18th century. The
 porcelain ceramics are bathroom and kitchen
tiles, vessels, decorative sculptures, and
Stoneware more.

The Crucible website posits that stoneware

is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic that is
coated in enamel to make it appear glassy
and to make it nonporous. The website
explains that stoneware is fired at high
temperatures compared to other ceramics
and is typically an earth tone color because
of impurities in the clay and it is normally
glazed.
Porcelain
Bone china
According to the Crucible website bone
china, or fine china,is a type of porcelain
that is known for its translucency, high
strength, and chip resistance which was
developed by English ceramicist Josiah
Spode around 1800. It ismadefrom bone ash,
feldspathic material, and kaolin. Bone china
ceramics can be shaped into thinner forms
than porcelain because it is such a strong
material. It is vitrified but is translucent due

The Crucible website states that porcelain to differing mineral properties.

ceramics are made by heating materials,

generally kaolin clay, in a kiln to
temperatures between 2,200- and 2,600-
degrees Fahrenheit. Porcelain is very heat-
resistant and strong compared to other types
of ceramicsbecause of the vitrification
process and formation of the silicate mineral
mullite when fired. Common types of
 Brief History of Ceramics

According to the Crucible website the oldest known ceramics date back to at least 25,000 BC.

The ceramics uncovered in Czechoslovakia by archaeologists, were in the form of animal and

human figurines which were made from a mixture of animal fat, bone, bone ash, and clay.They

were fired in ground kilns at low temperatures around 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, or simply dried

in the sun to harden. The website further explains that the first examples of functional ceramics

vessels are believed to be from about 9,000 BC and were likely used to store food, grains, and

water. This was also around the time that small farming communities became more common in

Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.Moreover, the website also states that early ceramics were

generally simple in design and texture and were fired without glazes. Greek Attic vases showed

the first known use of oxidizing and reducing atmosphere during firing to achieve surface

patterns and varying colors, in the 6th and 5th centuries BC.

The Crucible website posits that the wheel was invented in 3,500 BC which allowed potters to go

beyond the restrictions of hand building, and to dive into creating pieces with radial symmetry.

According to the Crucible website,Chinese potters introduced high-temperature kilnsaround 600

CE, and developed porcelain from kaolin clay, which is also known as China clay. This allowed

for less porous and much stronger ceramic vessels. The website further posits that throughout the

16th century, low fire earthenware wasthe most common type of ceramic in Europe and the

Middle Eastuntil the Middle Ages where trade through the Silk Road allowed for the

introduction of porcelain and high-temperature kilns throughout Islamic countries and Europe.
 Ceramic Hand Building Techniques

According to the Ceramic Arts Network Daily website, hand-building is an ancient pottery-

making technique that involves creating forms without a pottery wheel, using the hands, fingers,

and simple tools. The most common hand-building techniques are pinch pottery, coil building,

and slab building.

Pinch Method

The Lakeside Pottery website states that the Coil Methods

pinch method is similar to the way Native
According the Lakeside Pottery website,
Americans shaped clay into useful pots. The
coils of clay can be used to build bowls,
website explains that you begin a pinch pot
vases and other forms in various shapes and
by forming a lump of clay into a smooth
sizes. Ceramic Arts Network Daily website
sphere that fits the size of the hand. Ceramic
further explains that the coil building is a
Arts Network Daily website further explains
forming method that uses ropelike coils of
that you insert a thumb into a ball of clay
clay, assembled in successive courses to
and continually pinch the clay between the
build up wall of vessel or sculpture.
thumb and fingers while rotating to thin out
and raise the height of the vessel.Pinching
can deliver a pleasingly organic look, but
can also yield beautiful, refined results.
 of clay that are then formed around molds or
shaped by hand.Furthermore, the website
states that although the slab technique can
be used to create many of the same shapes
that are achievable on a wheel, it also allows
the potter to create more angular shapes that
are more challenging to make on a wheel.

Slab Methods

The Ceramic Arts Network Dailyposits that

the slab technique starts with smooth slabs

Desk organizers

According to the Cambridge dictionary, a desk organizer is a container for holding pens, pencils,

paper, etc. that is kept on top of a table that you work at. The Staples we site posits that desk

organizers keep office desks tidy to allow for ample working space and smooth workflow. The

website also highlights that desk organizers come in a variety of sizes and shapes so every

individual can apply the unique organizational system that works best for them.

Examples of desk organizers:

 Bibliography

Cambridge Dictionary. Desk organizer. Retrieved on May 5, 2022 from

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/desk-organizer

Ceramic Arts Network Daily. Hand-building Techniques. Retrieved on April 25, 2022 from

https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/handbuilding-techniques#:~:text=The%20most

%20common%20handbuilding%20techniques,the%20height%20of%20the%20vessel.

Lakeside Pottery. Methods of Clay Hand-building Techniques. Retrieved on April 25, 2022 from

https://www.lakesidepottery.com/HTML%20Text/Methods%20of%20Handbuilding.htm

The Crucible. Guides to Industrial Arts. Intro to Ceramics. Retrieved on April 25, 2022 from

https://www.thecrucible.org/guides/ceramics/.
Staples. Desk Organizers & Accessories. Retrieved on May 5, 2022 from

https://www.staples.com/Desk-Organizers-Accessories/cat_CG22