Pottery

[gt6267a]

a few more pics. this is a new shape for me. a proof of concept of sorts. the next gen is swoopier. pics of the next gen bowl thrown this week didn't come out well so i'll leave that for another day.

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a little background on the glaze. i'm working at a public studio. the previous person firing the kiln was a wildman on the controls. my blue celadons require a nice reduction firing and they weren't working. i switched to something more forgiving which is the light tan glaze on bmix which is the combo of this bowl. the wildman was replaced by a recent mfa graduate and she is getting the kiln under control. i'll be going back to porcelain and the blue celadons for the next round.

[Too Tall]

Dewd...perfect foot. Me like.

[gt6267a]

a second attempt at swoopy bowls. to my eye the swoops and proportions are much better.

foot is clean but i like it deeper. need to leave a little more clay next time.
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why make one when you can make 20?
baby swooper in front. very curious to see how this one takes the baby blue celadon.
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[sonicw]

Here are some cylinder halves from today...about 1 1/4 lbs each. I feel comfortable pulling but I still am uncomfortable about my centering technique

[Too Tall]

Nice cylinder. You could leave more on the floor to allow for a nice trimmed foot. Other than that keep on rockin'
Do some situps ;) A serious core makes for better centering. It is not all arms.

[gt6267a]

Here are some cylinder halves from today...about 1 1/4 lbs each. I feel comfortable pulling but I still am uncomfortable about my centering technique

this is a great start. a few thoughts to help improve:

1) a common idea when learning to pull is to use the same pressure from bottom to top. the result is a thick bottom and thin top as above. another idea to try: firm pressure at the bottom that reduces throughout the pull to light pressure at the top. the result is a more even side wall.
2) looks like there is more pressure on the outside hand than the inside. at the bottom, push harder on the inside. as the hands go up, make the inside / outside pressure more even.
2a) when making the bottom, push the inside out firmly towards your outside hand supporting the clay. that will help get a nice side wall to the base.
3) making mugs or cylinders without trimming is an advanced technique. for now, leave 1/2" of clay at the bottom and trim your cylinders. when learning, i always hated this advice because it seemed like such a waste to center that clay and not get a bigger piece. i give the same advice now because the skill of trimming is just as important to learn as anything else.
4) per centering, make sure the elbows are firmly planted / supported by the legs. when the hands come together on the clay, it makes a connected and supported triangle from the legs. then, lean forward just a tad and the power of using your legs will have the clay centered in a flash. 1-2 lbs of clay can be centered in 30sec, at most a minute, this way.
5) this is the most important tip here that no beginner understands. every pro i have ever watched does this. the improvement to your pots will be incredible. once you have opened and made a bottom there is a ton of clay very low. grab the clay with the left hand. the left hand will be in the shape of a C. place the right hand over the left to support it. firmly push in and up. the cylinder will look like traffic cone and it will be half thrown.
5a) the nice advantage to this move is that it re-centers the clay. so if there is a wiggle after opening, with the C maneuver, its possible to straighten that out.

[sonicw]

Thanks PSalon. Been coming back to this post throughout the week. Tip #5 is the bomb. I can use 80-90% centered clay and instead of getting wobble or uneven thicknesses, it'll either maintain the slight variance or even correct itself. Sadly I've got nothing impressive to show off this week but I am definitely throwing taller

[gt6267a]

Thanks PSalon. Been coming back to this post throughout the week. Tip #5 is the bomb. I can use 80-90% centered clay and instead of getting wobble or uneven thicknesses, it'll either maintain the slight variance or even correct itself. Sadly I've got nothing impressive to show off this week but I am definitely throwing taller

Happy to help. For < 2lbs of clay, a general rule of thumb is that a pot is thrown in 3 pulls after tip 5. I’ve heard some say any pot only gets 3 pulls. Especially for a big piece, I find 3 pulls means its going to be heavy or require a lot of trimming. That said, I’ve wrecked my share of pots trying to get the last bit of height out of a big piece.

I took a workshop with Bill Van Gilder at Haystack. He was teaching all kinds of tips and tricks. All of it was great, but I probably learned more in what he was doing but not even bothering to explain. I love watching a fantastic potter. One tip he shared that goes against everything anyone is teaching … if a pot is not crazy dry, handles only require a wipe of water before attaching a handle. Everyone will teach you to score and slip before attaching anything. There are times when the extra support is needed. That said, for most mugs and situations, wipe the attachment point with water, when the clay is wet but not slick attach away and you’re done. No mess, no problem. I’ve been doing this for years and never had a problem.

Inspired by this post, I threw a dozen mugs that will require trimming. This will be my first time trimming mugs in 10 years. Should be interesting. I’m traveling to Minneapolis this week and will be off the wheel. Send some pics and let’s see what your pots look like!

[sonicw]

Happy to help. For < 2lbs of clay, a general rule of thumb is that a pot is thrown in 3 pulls after tip 5. I’ve heard some say any pot only gets 3 pulls. Especially for a big piece, I find 3 pulls means its going to be heavy or require a lot of trimming. That said, I’ve wrecked my share of pots trying to get the last bit of height out of a big piece.

I took a workshop with Bill Van Gilder at Haystack. He was teaching all kinds of tips and tricks. All of it was great, but I probably learned more in what he was doing but not even bothering to explain. I love watching a fantastic potter. One tip he shared that goes against everything anyone is teaching … if a pot is not crazy dry, handles only require a wipe of water before attaching a handle. Everyone will teach you to score and slip before attaching anything. There are times when the extra support is needed. That said, for most mugs and situations, wipe the attachment point with water, when the clay is wet but not slick attach away and you’re done. No mess, no problem. I’ve been doing this for years and never had a problem.

Inspired by this post, I threw a dozen mugs that will require trimming. This will be my first time trimming mugs in 10 years. Should be interesting. I’m traveling to Minneapolis this week and will be off the wheel. Send some pics and let’s see what your pots look like!

Entering the final week of the class session. I have probably 8 pounds of clay left, so I'm going to make them count. What's surprised me the most was what I've been able to extract from the standard 1.5lbs I use each time. Started out with short, crappy cups now to a 10 inch tall vase (pre-fired of course). I want to build taller and bigger, obviously (pitchers and vases and perhaps one of Toot's umbrella holders) but sadly I probably won't have time in the fall for another session. Maybe the winter or a more flexible membership plan will bring me back.

Said 10-inch vessel: (spray bottle for reference)


Other misc. crap that I salvaged after I had to lop off the tops when they became too wet and thin:

[Too Tall]

Wow your skill took a huge leap. Nice.

[Too Tall]

Some more of my work unearthed! Most of these are 14" to 16" tall (for scale) all high fire natch.
I'm trying to kick myself into gear to go ahead and buy a used wheel and start again. This helps.

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[arimajol]

I've been throwing pots off and on for about 10 years, but just got a little more serious. This one turned out nice:

[Shinomaster]

Here are a few of my pots from a couple of years ago. My mom died just over a year ago and I've sorta been in a funk for a while. I need to pull my head out of my behind and get back in the studio. The patterned ones are salt fired and the others are ash glazes made from fireplace wood ash.

[gt6267a]

i'm loving the rim of that bowl and the two tone. you have a pic of that fired?

[Shinomaster]

i'm loving the rim of that bowl and the two tone. you have a pic of that fired?

They thanks so much amigo! That one got salt fired. *

* plus a few more mugs..