About this Unit

Students utilise the Creative Process, which involves a cycle of research, analysis, exploration and experimentation with clay, idea generation, reflection, development, further reflection, and realisation. They engage fully and authentically with this process as they work towards their creative goal of producing a clay mask that expresses a chosen emotion or personality trait, linking directly to their prior learning in the portraits unit. Students also acquire the skills needed to complete the following tasks:

Foundations: Observation and Perception

• Identify and illustrate concepts related to facial structure, expression, and emotional communication through form.
• Understand and apply the elements of art—including line, shape, texture, form, space, and value—in the development of ceramic artworks using appropriate art vocabulary.
• Discuss how facial features can be stylised, exaggerated, or abstracted to convey specific emotions or aspects of identity.

Creative Expression

• Create original ceramic artworks based on personal ideas, emotional themes, and symbolic representation.
• Apply hand-building and sculpting techniques—including pinch, slab, and coil methods—to construct clay forms.
• Manipulate clay at different stages (wet, leather-hard, bone-dry, bisque, and glazed) to achieve intended visual outcomes.

Historical and Cultural Relevance

• Explain how different cultures use masks in artistic, ceremonial, and storytelling traditions.
• Compare similarities and differences in mask-making processes, symbolism, and function across global ceramic traditions.

Critical Evaluation & Response

• Reflect on how effectively their clay masks communicate the intended emotion or personality trait.
• Use appropriate art vocabulary to evaluate their own work and the work of others.
• Curate and document their creative process in a portfolio, demonstrating the evolution of their ideas and techniques.