Key Stage 2 art and design · Techniques and materials

KS2 art: clay sculpture, pinch, coil and slab explained

In Key Stage 2 children are expected to improve their mastery of sculpture, with clay given in the curriculum as an example of the material. They learn the main hand-building methods, how to join and shape clay, and why it must be handled in a particular way. Making in three dimensions teaches planning, patience and problem-solving, and builds on the work with form and space they began in Key Stage 1.

Sculpture with clay, explained

The curriculum lists drawing, painting and sculpture as techniques to master, and gives clay as one example of a sculpture material. That is a choice schools can make or leave: some use air-drying clay with no kiln, and others work with papier-mâché, wire, card, plaster or found objects. Sculpture can be made by modelling, shaping soft material; by carving, taking material away; by constructing, joining parts; or by casting, pouring a liquid material into a mould. Clay is popular because it is forgiving, cheap and shows clearly the marks of the maker’s hands.

There are three main ways to build with clay by hand. In a pinch pot the child pushes a thumb into a ball of clay and pinches the walls out evenly, turning it as they go. In coil building they roll long snakes of clay and stack them in rings, joining each one to the one beneath, to build up a pot or a figure. In slab building they roll clay flat, often between two wooden sticks so the thickness is even, cut shapes with a wooden or plastic tool, and join the pieces into boxes, tiles or relief panels. Schools vary on the order, but pinch and coil commonly come first.

The most important technique is joining. Two pieces of clay simply pressed together may look fine, but clay shrinks as it dries, and a weak join often cracks or comes apart. So children learn to score, which means to scratch criss-cross marks on both surfaces to be joined, and to apply slip, which is clay thinned with water to a creamy paste, then press firmly together and blend the join. Children also learn to keep walls an even thickness, and to remove air pockets. Trapped air or very thick clay can make a piece crack or even burst when it is fired in a kiln, so large pieces are hollowed out.

Clay goes through stages. It starts soft and workable. After some hours or days it becomes leather-hard, firm enough to hold its shape but still easy to carve and smooth. It then dries to bone-dry, pale and very fragile. Finally, in a kiln operated by adults, it is fired to make it hard, and may be painted or glazed. Children plan their ideas in a sketchbook first, look at the work of sculptors and potters, and evaluate their pieces at the end.

Words your child will hear

Pinch pot: A small pot made by pushing a thumb into a ball of clay and pinching the sides thinner.
Coil: A long, rolled snake of clay, used by stacking coils to build up walls.
Slab: A flat piece of clay rolled out like pastry, used to make flat shapes and boxes.
Score and slip: Scratch both surfaces to be joined, then paint clay mixed with water between them before pressing together.
Leather-hard: The stage when clay has dried enough to hold its shape but can still be carved or smoothed.
Kiln: A special oven that heats clay to a very high temperature to make it hard.
Glaze: A coating painted onto pottery after its first firing. A second firing turns it glassy, adding colour and making the pot waterproof.

What the National Curriculum says

In Key Stage 2, pupils should be taught to:

Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]
Develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: building a small coil pot

Make a pot about the size of a mug using coils, so the walls are strong and the pot doesn’t crack.

Make the base. Flatten a ball of clay into a disc about 1 cm thick, roughly the size of the base of a mug. Smooth the top so it is level.
Roll the coils. Use flat fingers to roll a lump of clay on a table, working from the middle outwards, until it is a long snake a little thicker than a pencil. Keep the thickness even, and don’t let it flatten or crack.
Score and slip. Scratch a rough ring around the edge of the base and score the underside of the first coil. Brush on a little slip, then press the coil onto the base in a ring, trimming the end so it meets neatly.
Build up. Add coil on coil, scoring and slipping each join. Press down lightly and smooth the inside with a thumb or a modelling tool, so the coils merge and no gaps are left. You can leave the coil ridges visible outside as a pattern.
Check and finish. Look from above and from the side: are the walls even and the shape balanced? Stop when the pot is about as tall as you want. Leave it to dry slowly, away from heaters, so it doesn’t crack. The school will fire it for you.

A strong pot has even walls, no gaps between coils and a base that is firmly joined. It can be turned in the hands without wobbling or splitting. A child might say: “I scored and slipped every coil so the pot stays together when it dries, and I made the walls about the same thickness all the way up.”

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking water alone will stick clay together

Wet clay seems to join when it is pressed, so scoring and slipping seem like extra effort.

What helps: Join two pieces with just water and let them dry, then see what happens. Compare with a scored and slipped join. Seeing it split is memorable.

Making uneven walls or very thick lumps

Children focus on the outside shape and don’t notice the thickness, or want the piece to look strong.

What helps: Aim for walls about as thick as a finger throughout and hollow out big pieces. Rolling slabs between two sticks gives an even thickness every time.

Using lots of water to smooth the surface

A wet finger makes clay glide, so more water seems better.

What helps: Use a damp fingertip or sponge, not a wet hand. Too much water turns the surface sloppy and weakens the piece. If it gets sticky, let it firm up a little.

Believing a cracked or collapsed piece can’t be rescued

Mistakes in school work usually feel permanent.

What helps: While the clay is soft, cracks can be repaired with score and slip, and a failed piece can be squashed back into a ball and remade. Clay forgives mistakes until it has dried hard.

How to help at home

Air-drying clay or modelling dough. Both are available cheaply from craft shops. Follow the pack’s instructions, work on a board, and supervise younger children. Clay should be kept away from mouths and washed from hands afterwards.
Make a pinch pot and a coil. Roll a ball and pinch it into a bowl. Then roll a snake of even thickness and coil it into a spiral. These two simple actions are the basis of most hand-building.
Plan it in a sketchbook first. Before making, draw an idea from the front, the side and the top. After making, compare the sculpture with the drawing and write down what you would change.
Use simple tools. Blunt household items such as a wooden lolly stick, a spoon, a bottle top or a fork can make texture and pattern. Press real objects into the clay, such as leaves or shells, to print marks.
Look at pots and sculptures. Look at the mugs and bowls at home, or at pots and statues in a museum or a park. Ask how each was made. Can you see joins, coils or the marks of tools?

Builds on

Leads on to

Key Stage 3: Painting techniques and media
Key Stage 3: Print, collage and mixed media
Key Stage 3: Handling different materials