Simple Glaze Modifications That Can Reveal a Lot
Tom Turner has a new glaze video out and today I'm happy to announce that it's available in the CAD bookstore! In this clip, Tom explains simple modifications you can make to a glaze recipe that can...
View ArticleHow to Create Cool Surfaces with Wet Slip Inlay
Wet slip inlay is a great technique for getting fantastic organic patterning on pots. Basically it consists of layering contrasting colors of slip on a slab and jiggling the slab to distort the slip...
View ArticleHow to Use Auto Detailing Tape as a Great Resist on Bisqueware
There are lots of different ways to create resist decoration on pots - wax, latex, stencils. But not all of them are right for all situations. If you want to make a sharp line on bisqueware, auto...
View ArticleVideo of the Week: Adding Depth to Tiles Using Underglaze as a Joining Slip...
Summer is flying by and school is right around the corner (sorry kids!). So this weekend we thought we’d have a little back to school sale on one of our most popular DVDs for teachers (and students):...
View ArticleMaking Simple Molds for Slabware
My son starts kindergarten this year (how could that possibly be?!), so the rapid pace at which this summer is flying by is on my mind quite a bit. This might also be the case for all of those school...
View ArticleCool Colors: Ceramic Glaze Recipes for Greens, Blues and Turquoises
If you've seen anything I have made in the last several years, you know that I'm a little bit obsessed with pale-turquoise and pale-green glazes. I can't get enough of them. So today, I thought I would...
View ArticleBrushwork on Ceramics: A Multitude of Decorative Possibilities for Pottery
Robin Hopper talks about the importance of a good brush and demonstrates one type of maiolica-style on-glaze decoration that can be created on pottery using different colored glazes, a brush and a slip...
View ArticleHow to Use Subtractive Layering to Make Surfaces with Great Depth
Angelique Tassistro's intense layered surfaces came about through what we in the ceramics world call a happy accident. After spending hours creating a checkered pattern on a large platter, she dripped...
View ArticleCircular Logic: How to Explore Shapes for Handbuilding
I find it challenging to go from a flat slab of clay to a functional vessel (probably explains why I mostly throw). It is just hard to picture what a two-dimensional shape is going to do when it's...
View ArticleGlaze That Glitters: A Little Experimentation Leads to Some Nice Low Fire...
When Deanna Ranlett was in school, she wanted to find a glaze that looked like eye shadow. She liked the effects of some high-fire crystalline glazes, but could only fire low in the school studio....
View ArticleSupport Systems: What it Takes to Make Lightweight Wheel Thrown, Altered, and...
Making thin, curved walls out of clay requires support throughout the process. In today's post, Wouter Dam explains how he uses foam swimming pool floats for support during construction, and customized...
View ArticleCarving with Care: How to Carve Exquisite Patterns on a Mug
There is something about carving into leatherhard clay that is so satisfying. It's probably why trimming pots is my favorite part of throwing. But using carving as a decorative tool is something I have...
View ArticleSave Your Back with an Adjustable Height Work Table
I have a long way to go to make my studio as ergonomic it should be but since I spend more hours behind a desk than behind my wheel it hasn't been too much of a problem yet. But if you are spending...
View ArticleGoing With the Flow: Using Soft Clay and Darts to Preserve Fluidity in the...
In today's post, Jane Sawyer explains how she throws with extra soft clay and cuts darts during the throwing process to create work that looks fluid even in the finished fired state. She also explains...
View ArticleHandle Making Video: Can You Handle It? Great Techniques for Textured Handles
Today, in a clip from his full-length DVD, Get a Handle On It, Tony Clennell demonstrates a couple of great methods for making attractive coil-built handles for functional pottery.
View ArticleMaking the Perfect Pottery Tools with the Tools at Hand
Clay tools are a potter's best friend - especially homemade tools designed to be perfect for specific tasks. Just by doing some creative searching, it’s amazing how many useful tools can be gleaned...
View ArticleTips for Making, Firing, and Finishing Saggars and Saggar Fired Pottery in a...
Charlie and Linda Riggs began experimenting with saggar firing after being disappointed with the results of some of their pit firings. Today, the Riggs share their saggar firing process which they have...
View ArticleTips for Throwing a Perfect Tall Cylinder
Not only does Adam Field go over his meticulous carving techniques on his new DVD, Precision Throwing and Intricate Carving, but he also demonstrates his throwing chops on some fantastic forms. But...
View ArticleLarge and In Charge: Four Helpful Tips for Throwing Large Pots on the Pottery...
Today, I am presenting some tips from large-pot-potter extraordinaire Nic Collins for upsizing your pots. I liked what Nic had to say here because it addressed some simple, but often overlooked, things...
View ArticleResistance is Not Futile: Great Decoration with Resists
The options are many when it comes to creating decoration on your pottery with resists. In the latest issue of Pottery Making Illustrated, Deanna Ranlett put several of them to the test. In today's...
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