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For my final firing before assessment I wanted to explore a couple different designs.
1st- Using stamps of the leaves as a patterned background instead of a scene.
2nd- Using just '3d' plants.
3rd- A mixture of stamps/sgraffito and 3d plants.
4th- Rolling a pattern as a background.
I had the original idea of trying to hang the plates I had made but with how heavy they were I didn't want to risk them falling or breaking. So I had the idea of making hanging pieces with Twine- Check out my blog on 'Hanging Ceramics' to see more on why I chose this form.
Bone Dry Hanging Forms
Making Stage
Making Stage
I forgot to time lapse any of the making process but it's a very tedious, time consuming process hand building ceramics so sorting out a time lapse would have taken up unnecessary time. When hand building, time is a very precious thing. Once the clay is rolled out into a slab it has to be not too wet or dry, and in my case on of the clays I use can be too wet so once I roll out a slab of it, I leave it for a couple hours before handling it. Once the desired forms are created I then leave the clay to get leather hard, and once again timing is everything, if I leave it too long the clay will be too hard to attach any feet or 3d plants to it but o wet, and the form falls apart. I also try and sgraffito in my designs while the clay is leather hard or in the case of my plate forms I try and do it before even forming the form.
The Glazing Process
The Glazing Process
One my pieces were bone dry, I could start the process of underglazing. I use Amaco Velvet Underglazes on my bone dry clay and not bisque because it allows me to re apply any imperfections that show at the bisque stage. It also allows a quicker turn around between a bisque firing and a glaze firing. I apply 3 coats of every colour and also mix a few of my own colours such as a green, pink and skin tone shades. Here are a series of time lapses of me glazing my pieces, each video is around 30 seconds long but in reality took over an hour to glaze.
IMG_2396.MOVIMG_2399.MOVIMG_2402.MOVGlazing my larger forms
IMG_2405.MOVIMG_2411.MOVIMG_2417.MOV
Bisque firing results
Bisque firing results
When being bisque fired at cone 06, a slight colour change occurs in the glaze colour but it still doesn't change to it's final colour yet. The clay also changes colour to white from grey. At this stage I can add more underglaze to any imperfections and glaze any parts I hadn't yet.
Before Bisque this one
After Bisque
this one
An insight into what Glazing in my kitchen looks like, I have all my bisque pieces out, my tools, brushes, underglazes, a palette and water.
Glaze Firing
Glaze Firing
Once done topping up or adding anymore underglazes I did 3 coats of brush on clear on top of every piece. I then had to tidy every piece up and make sure no glaze was on the bottom (or they'd stick to the kiln shelf!) and make sure all the holes in my hanging pieces weren't clogged up with glaze. Then they were fired to Cone 6.
Before Glaze Firing
After Glaze Firing
this one
Here's a sneak peak at the finished pieces but the results will be shown fully in my blog post 'The Final Display'.
this one
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