Reginald Laurent Plates

4th Graders created ceramic plates in the style of African American artist Reginald Laurent. First they rolled a slab of white clay and traced a paper plate with a fettling knife. Then they flipped the slab on to the top of the plate and gently smoothed it into the plate. After they dried for a few days I fired them. Then students glazed their plates with a dark color (Black, Brown, Dark Blue etc.) Then I fired them again. On a separate sheet of paper students drew an abstract line design and then filled in between the lines with abstract shapes. With puffy paint, the students drew their designs on their plates. First the white lines, then after they were dried they used colored and metallic puffy paints to add the shapes. They turned out great! This project could also be done with bowls or other ceramic projects.