View Larger Image Tips and techniques in our weekly series Great Ideas for Potters come from all levels of experience: studio artists, production potters, students, teachers and industry experts.

July 6, 2007

Great Ideas for Potters

by Ceramic Arts Daily | Read Comments (0)

Every Friday, Ceramic Arts Daily provides you with a selection of helpful hints and ideas drawn from suggestions submitted by Ceramics Monthly readers. The willingness to share techniques and studio practices has contributed significantly to the growth of pottery. Today’s secrets to success are not closely guarded, passed only from master to apprentice, but freely shared between friends, at workshops and on the Internet.

These ideas come from all levels of experience: studio artists, production potters, students, teachers and industry experts. They run the gamut from eminently practical for many production applications to project-specific advice. As you'll see from the weekly series, some ideas are quite serious (especially those directed toward health and safety precautions), while others are more lighthearted. You'll find ideas for forming processes, decorating, glazing and firing, along with tips for outfitting your studio and creating and using tools.

Whether you're looking for a solution to a particular problem or a variety of hints to facilitate production flow, our weekly series "Great Ideas for Potters" is sure to meet your needs and comes just in time for the weekend...TGIF!

Handbuilding
Throwaway chopsticks from Oriental restaurants make excellent armatures for small sculpture. When making life-size busts or quarter-scale figures, the neck of the person (or animal) tends to lean forward because of the weight of the clay mass. To avoid this, drive a chopstick from the top of the head straight down the spine. Usually one stick is enough, but you may use two or more. After the clay stiffens, hollow out the bust or figure. The chopstick is usually removed at that point because leather-hard clay alone can hold the form in place. Sometimes, however, the chopstick may simply be left in; it burns out during the bisque firing.

Resists
For wax resist crayons that leave colored areas after firing, make a mold by shaping a chunk of form clay into a large cube; its size will depend on the number of crayons desired. Punch holes into the cube with some crayon-shaped object such as a tool handle. Melt enough wax for one crayon at a time (candle wax works well) in a small container that pours cleanly. Then add the desired coloring material, such as oxides, carbonates or commercial stains (iron, cobalt or chrome work very well). It may be necessary to experiment a bit to find the right amount to add for the size crayon being made, but one teaspoon is a good starting point. Now comes the tricky part of the operation, which is keeping the hot mixture agitated enough to prevent the colorant from settling while you pour it into a hole in the clay block. A little practice will do it though, and after that you've got it made. Just let the wax harden, pull the clay away and there are your crayons.

Clay   
When working with reclaimed or scrap clay of uncertain origin, it's a good idea to make a few simple tiles on which to test potential glazes. This is a quick, easy way to avoid disappointments, as many glaze defects originate in the body, and glaze colors are profoundly affected by the fluxes and colorants in the clay.

Ribs
One of the many wonderful things about working in pottery is the simplicity one can encounter in materials and processes. Often this simplicity extends to the common, everyday things one can find and adapt as tools. One indispensable tool is of immensely humble origin. It is also quite inexpensive and couldn’t be easier to adapt. Simply pull the handle out of a form rubber spatula (check the kitchenware section at your local grocery) and you have a perfect rib. The rubber shape has enough variety to make it versatile for myriad applications--from compacting the bottom of a large platter to forming a softly curving underlip of a jug. It's a great tool at a great price. And, as a bonus, the handle can be carved into a scoring tool. Hence, no waste.