How I started to be a potter. 4th month. September 2020
Hi there, I am Kate, beginner potter. This is an article about the 4th month of me doing pottery. You can check the previous post here.
This month I have mainly consolidated the previously acquired knowledge and skills I have learned and also I started to study glaze chemistry.
Metal Stamp
I almost haven’t bought any new tool this month. My studio is already fully equipped. I just ordered a new metal logo stamp on etsy.com (https://www.etsy.com/shop/SozDat). It is slightly smaller than the previous one. I am totally satisfied with its quality. The stamp imprint looks clearer, it pushes the clay easier and it goes not so deep into the clay.
Ceramic Materials Workshop
I usually mix the glazes myself using recipes or buy already mixed powders, but I realized that I absolutely don’t understand the chemistry and processes that happen inside. I only know the basics. Therefore, I signed up for the ceramic materials workshop, where I study chemistry of the glazes. I really like the way the training is going, the topics are very important and detailed, and the explanation is very clear. The online learning format is 100% suitable for me, where there is always an opportunity to review the material in my free time and ask questions. It’s especially priceless during pandemic happening. I’ll keep you informed on how it’s going overall. At the moment, I have just prepared the tiles for labs.
Also I bought the book about glazes “The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes” by John Britt. It’s about the cone 4–7 glazes’ chemistry, it explores mixing, application, specific firing and cooling cycles, and all the factors that make glazes work. Also there are hundreds of “good” glaze recipes.
Progress
I didn’t mix any new glazes this month, but I tried new combinations and new application techniques.
Basically I practiced making multiples. I began to make the pots look more similar to each other. But the mugs that I managed to make after firing were only 150–200ml in volume.
I also started to practise throwing larger pieces of clay. I had the same difficulties with centring and pulling. For about a week I didn’t manage to finish a single pot. The problem was still there and also my personal standards have grown so I cannot now keep the same crooked pots I had in the first months when I began doing pottery. But things are going better now. The last pots I made were 350–400 ml.
I counted how much the height of the pots decreases after drying and firing. It turned out that my dark clay bots lose about 1.5–2 cm in height since the moment they are thrown.
Also I’ve tried the slabbing technique without pottery wheel. I made a mortar. I have some ideas for pots that I’m going to create using this technique.
I also made a heart and round shaped plates of different sizes with my drape forms by Hartley & Noble. The process is improved and accelerated.
I also tried to make my first vase. It turned out to be small and crooked. But I will use it for my herbarium.
That’s all for this month. Next month I am going to continue studying chemistry of glazes, gradually start throwing larger pieces of clay, train the multiples and also I’m going to sketch the shapes that I like and will try to create the shapes as per design.
Here you can check my instagram account.
Thank you for reading 🍯 ✌
