The Face Mural! Made up of a multitude of individual faces, the finished project will consist of one or more 24”x 48” plywood and solid oak shadow boxes.

The Face Mural!

Made up of a multitude of individual faces, the finished project will consist of one or more 24”x 48” plywood and solid oak shadow boxes that could be mounted permanently on any

school wall or temporarily hung in some other location. Any kind of clay can be used. Fired to cone 05 the pieces are not

glazed. They of course could be, but that gets to be a bit more involved. The originator of this project prefers the raw clay. Yes,

it might attract dust, but a brush vacuum cleaner cleans the “masterpiece” in no time!

By Rogier Donker

Start out with a ball of clay the size of a ping-pong ball

Rogier Donker www.donkerstudio.org

Gently roll the ball between your hands in a see-saw motion


Once the ball is made, taper it – like a carrot or a turnip


Now go to town and add the features… nose, ears, eyes and mouth!


Use whatever tools at your disposal: pencil, modeling tool or the like.


Have fun with it!


Hair, eyebrows and beard or mustache can be added…


Each one will be different! Are we having fun yet?


See? Simple!


Take your time!


Use your imagination!


Just do it!


Pinch on some ears.


Pay particular attention to the joints & seams!


You can DO this!


These faces were mounted on a thrown form.


Yours are going to be mounted on flat panels


Sometimes, “gnomes” are made… check out those faces!


Ponder this! You will be using different colors of clay, reddish brown (like the color of a clay flower pot), a darker version of the preceding, buff (like the color of sand), speckled brown and white Once complete and mounted on the wall, the panels will look quite impressive! When the project begins, pay attention to the directions given by Mr. Donker, your teacher and the aides. The project is not something that can be completed in one or two sessions, so you will have to practice patience, be dedicated to the final product and behave accordingly! It will take several weeks if not months before the project is finished, but once it is you can find and show off your face to your parents, grand parents and fellow students. “Yes”, you may find and touch YOUR creation, but please do so gently so future students (who will be doing this same project) can do the same! Be gentle and kind! Above all else: Have fun!


The 6th Grade efforts!


Impressed?


Create your own!


Read! Observe! And Learn!

• Clay is wet with water when you work with it. As it dries, it shrinks as the water evaporates.

• During the firing in the kiln, it shrinks even more.

• If you do not firmly attach appendages (pieces!) to the underlying body (the face, in this case) said appendages will come off! As seen on the next slide – Face is now useless


No nose, no tongue, no eyebrows, no hat…


Placing the fired faces on the panel


Hole in face will go over screw


With lots of “liquid nails”


Screwed ‘n glued!


The sixth grade’s shadow box panel.


Only two faces were lost during the firing!


…and there you are!


The Face Mural! Made up of a multitude of individual faces, the finished project will consist of one or more 24”x 48” plywood and solid oak shadow boxes.

Documents

rogier donker slide

motion rogier donker

turnip rogier donker

pingpong ball rogier

flat panels rogier donker

finished project

kind of clay

raw clay