Monster Mug

Put the FUN in functional with a playful project that teaches the basics of ceramic hand building. Either come up with your own set of beastly attributes or use a random generator for the number of eyes, type of teeth, and more.

Download Lesson Plan

Supplies List

Versa Clay No.20 Moist
Tool Hardwood No. 8
Rubber Rib No. 2
Fettling Knife
Scoring Tool
Ceramic Brush Set

Plan Monster

Discuss monster ideas with students. What makes something a monster rather than a regular face? Texture, eyes, teeth, claws, etc. Have students come up with attributes of the monster they want to recreate as a mug. Optional: have students draw numbers and attributes out of a hat as a random monster generator.

Draw

Have students draw their monster as a mug, including planning the handle.

Cut out and Texture Slab

Cut out and texture a slab 11.5” x 5”. Fur can be imitated with a comb, scales with net fabric or a roller stamp. Try out different items, like pine cones or rocks, to see what kind of textures you can make.

Form into Cylinder

Curl slab into a cylinder with the texture on the outside. Slip and score the ends of the cylinder.

Base

Cut a circle from a slab for the base and score and slip to cylinder.

Eyes

Make eyes. Roll balls of clay, score and slip and press gently into the mug. Use hollow tool or texture stamp to make iris and pupil.

Eyelids

Use small coils for eyelids, if desired.

Mouth

Make a mouth. If it’s an open mouth, lightly press the clay inward, and smooth.

Teeth

If there will be teeth, make those and attach them before making the lips. Make lips with thin coils of clay. Score and slip.

Nose / Snout

Make a nose, if desired. Nose can be any shape. If it will be large, make it hollow and poke a hole it to vent in firing.

Handle

Make a handle. If the handle will be more than ¾” thick (like the claw / horn handle pictured) make it hollow and be sure to include a hole in the base to allow it to vent in firing. For a tentacle type handle, it can be solid. Texture the handle to match the mug.