- 1). Make a jug from clay. Place a 6-inch ball of clay on a piece of canvas. Roll the clay into a slab that is 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick.
- 2). Cut a 6-inch round base from the slab of clay. Sign the top of the base with the artist's signature or stamp. Turn the slab over and place it on the 10 by 10-inch piece of hard masonite.
- 3). Start rolling coils the size of a pencil that is 1/4 inch in diameter. Add the first coil to the jug base by brushing slip around the top of the outside edge of the base. Lay the coil flush with the edge of the base and on top of the slip. Slip is a mixture of clay and water the consistency of first made pudding. The slip acts like a glue and holds the pieces of clay together.
- 4). Use your fingernail and gently smooth the back side of the coil to the bottom of the jug base. This ensures the two pieces will not pull apart.
- 5). Roll more coils and build the height of the jug by placing them on top of one another. Hold your hand to the back side of the coils and smooth the front coils together. This is done every inch to create a smooth outside or front surface to the jug. Continue this process for 6 to 8 inches.
- 6). Roll more coils and begin tapering the neck at the top of the jug. Instead of laying the coils directly on top of one another, lay each coil on the back half of the previous coil. Remember to hold your hand to the back side of the coils and smooth the front coils together. This is done every inch to create a smooth outside or front surface to the jug. The jug will begin to taper in. Repeat the process until the jug opening is 2 inches in diameter.
- 7). Roll more coils. Place the coils directly on top of the previous coils to create the straight neck and spout of the jug. Repeat the process until the straight neck of the jug is 1 inch tall. Remember to hold your hand to the back side of the coils and smooth the front coils together. This is done every inch to create a smooth outside or front surface to the jug.
- 8). Cover the completed jug with a plastic bag and allow it to sit for 24 hours. Make sure the bottom of the plastic bag is tucked under the hard masonite. Remove the plastic bag and see if the clay is leather hard. Allow the clay to sit in the open air to dry to leather hardness. This should take from one to two hours. Leather hard means if you push the clay in with the end of a finger it will not dent. This is the perfect hardness for adding the face.
- 9). Begin by making the nose shape. Take a piece of clay and sculpt a nose that is 2 inches long. Carve out the back of the nose so it is no more than 3/8 inch thick.
- 10
Hold the nose up to the jug and decide where it will be attached. Take the needle tool and place a hole through the jug directly beneath where the nose will be placed. This is the breather hole to let the moisture escape when the jug is fired. - 11
Paint a layer of slip over the back edge of the nose and on the jug where it will be placed. Center the nose over the hole made with the needle tool. Make sure the hole made with the needle tool is not plugged with slip. Reinsert the needle tool if it is. Gently push the nose into place. Smooth the seam along the edge of the nose flush to the surface of the jug. This will make the nose look like it is part of the jug and not something added on. Repeat the process for the eyes, mouth and any other desired facial features. - 12
Place the finished jug under a plastic bag. Do not tuck in the bottom of the bag. This allows air to flow around the jug and dry it slowly. Remove the plastic bag after two days and allow the clay to dry completely and turn it into greenware. - 13
Fire the dried greenware clay. Remove the fired bisque from the kiln. Greenware becomes bisque once it is fired. Glaze the jug and re-fire.
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