Extruder, Mold and Tile: Forming Techniques (Ceramic Arts Handbook),Used

Beyond the world of pinch and coil constructions and wheelthrown pots lies a vast array of opportunities for the ceramic artist. In Extruder, Mold & Tile: Forming Techniques potters will discover a wealth of information, techniques and inspiration on topics that span the usual to the unusual as well as the functional to the sculptural.The advent of the extruder centuries ago has served to benefit the artist in many ways, facilitating work that cannot be done easily, or at all, on the wheel or by hand. Molds have been used since the dawn of ceramics beginning with making pots inside baskets. And with tile making, ceramic artists find the twodimensional aspect of claywork challenging and create astonishing works with both traditional and nontraditional forming methods.Here is just a sampling of what youll find:In Steve Howell: Creating Forms with Hump Molds author Harriet Gamble provides a detailed look at how Steve Howell creates his elegant, yet simple, forms and also reveals his technique for making the lightweight molds he uses.If you think an extruder is limited to the number of dies you can purchase, youll be amazed at what can be done beyond the plain, round and square tubes or coils that are standard fare. In The Versatile Extruder, Bill Shinn discusses the many possibilities of this tool and how its ideal for sculpture, both abstract and representational.Laura Reutter, a professional tile maker, shows you how to make Flat Tiles the Easy Way with detailed stepbystep instructions.Tim Frederich solves the problem of making an extrusion directly onto a wareboard to minimize handling and create a cleaner extrusion with an Extruder Table that pivots between the two positions.David Hendleys Homemade Extruder Dies allow you to make shapes with finer details.Daryl Baird saw some Extruded Boxes and set about developing his own technique for making them with his 18step process.By Following the Catenary Curve youll turn your trash can into a source for creating beautiful works of art.Cara Moczygemba enjoys Creating Sculptures with Molds. These ghostly intimate figures combine press molding and slip casting earthenware and stoneware along with slip and terra sigillata surfaces.Clive Tucker gets into Dusting Off the Mold and incorporating molded pieces and parts along with thrown works to create fantastical assemblages.Dannon Rhudy likes Throwing Molds. While this sounds absurd, her technique is exactly that throw a form then handbuild something inside of it at the leatherhard stage. When the piece sets up, peel off the thrown mold.Jerry Goldman describes how you can make Poured Mosaics by casting slabs of clay then stacking and firing them so theyre crushed by their own weight.Jeanne Henry creates deep Sculptural Tile Reliefs and DeBorah Goletz creates textured tile murals that are reminiscent of Ceramic Postcards. From Jeannes stunning use of bas relief to DeBorahs architectural scale, the work of both artists is inspiring.A Clay Draw Plane is a tool you can make to cut slabs for sculptures and tiles. This simple tool is easy to make and you can create several at one time, each with a different cutting angle for right angle or bevel cuts.If you dont want to work with plaster, you can try Making Platters with Molds made from wood and clay. Bill Shinn demonstrates making slump molds using thrown parts attached to a piece of plywood.After draping clay over or into a mold, gently pummeling it into place is done with a pounce bag. Its in the Bag for you when you make this simple tool according to Judy Adams instructions.