Ceramic Practices/
Anatomy of a Pot
Elements of Art: The Basics
Elements of Art: Properties
Principles of Art & Design
100

The process of applying a thin layer of liquid glass-forming material to bisqueware.

Glazing

100

The top edge of a ceramic vessel.

Lip/Rim

100

The basic building blocks or visual components that an artist uses to create a composition.

Elements of Art
100

This element is derived from reflected light and has properties like hue, value, and intensity.

Color

100

The feeling that all the parts of a work belong together as a cohesive, harmonious whole

Unity

200

These heat-resistant supports are used during the glaze firing to prevent a glazed piece from fusing to the kiln shelf.

Kiln Stilts

200

 The area of a pot located just below the rim.

Neck

200

In ceramics, these elements define the contour of a form or are used for incised decoration; a mark with greater length than width.

Line

200

The lightness or darkness of tones or colors used to create a sense of depth and volume.

Value

200

The relationship of the sizes of elements within the piece to each other and to the whole.

Proportion

300

The specific type of firing process that makes a ceramic piece waterproof and permanent.

Glaze Firing

300

This curved section leads from the neck to the main body of the pot.

Shoulder

300

A closed, two-dimensional area that is flat and can be geometric (squares) or organic (free-form).

Shape

300

The area around, between, or within components of a piece, which can be positive (the object) or negative (the empty area).

Space

300

Created by the regular or irregular repetition of elements to produce a sense of visual motion.

Rhythm

400

The main mass or volume of the pot that rests upon the base or foot.

Body

400

A three-dimensional element that encloses space and has height, width, and depth, such as a cylinder or the body of a pot.

Form

400

The surface quality of an object that can be felt or visually represented, ranging from rough unglazed clay to a smooth gloss glaze.

Texture

400

Creating a focal point that draws the viewer's eye first, often through contrast.

Emphasis

500

The repetition of an element (motif, line, or shape) across a surface.

Pattern