Four more bowls

Another four bowls are finished. I decided to glaze them all with the same two glazes, "vintage green" on the inside, and "elderflower" on the outside. I like the textured effect of both of them, and I think they go well together. And I managed to make not a too bad job of the glazing, although this time, it got almost a bit too thick on the outside. But you can't really see that.

My "collection" of bowls is growing, and I don't really know quite what to do with them all. Most of them are too wonky to be given away as presents. I've thrown the last time I was in class, two weeks ago, and hopefully, they'll turn out well and can be used for something. As small salad bowls, maybe.

While three of the four new bowls are again "eggbowls", this one I'm really pleased with. It's the first one that I did all by myself, where I managed to open it without loosing the centre, and where I finally, and for the first time, succeeded in pulling the wall. The trimming also went well (after having ruined the one I trimmed before that, but it was a particularly ugly and wonky one, so it wasn't a great loss). And the glazing went okay too.

Two weeks ago, we got the form for the new class, which will start straight after this one, in April. I singed up again, but almost immediately regretted it a bit when I got home that same day. The course programme of another school had just arrived by post that day, where I had taken a portrait class two or three years ago. I had really enjoyed it, and always wanted to go there again.

I really enjoy pottery class, but it's all getting a bit too much. If it was the only thing I was doing, it would be different. But it isn't. And I can't do it at home, only in class. And it's quite expensive too. So, I've decided to take the next class I've signed up for, but not to continue when that class finishes in summer. Instead, I want to concentrate on my drawing and painting, and take that portrait class again in autumn. And if I want to take another pottery class again some time, well I can just always go back, and make some more wonky "eggbowls" to add to the collection.

Three bowls, a cylidner, and some progress with glazing

Another four pots are finished. And although it's still far from perfect, or at least from how I meant it to turn out, there's definitely some progress in the glazing department. This time I used green for the insides, but kept it neutral on the outside. I prefer the green, it looks fresher, and it fits perfectly into my living room, which has a lot of green in it.

I used a dip in-glaze for the insides of the cylinder and one of the bowls. They come in big plastic tubs and you use a pair of tongs to dip the pots into the glaze for glazing them on the outside, or you ladle some glaze into the pot, swirl it around so it covers it all the way up to the rim, and empty it back into the pot. It gives a nice even layer, and I like the fact that it has some tiny cracks that give it texture.

For the other two bowls, I used a paint on glaze again, 'vintage green'. I think I didn't paint the layers on thick enough, even though there were three layers. The glazes are just so different to the colours I'm used to, and I have to learn to use them differently.

The outsides are looking a bit better too, compared to last time. Still a bit patchy, but altogether a lot more even, and I seem to have managed to cover everything. I used paint on glazes for all of them, two different ones, both light with a bit of a mottled effect. Most of my course colleagues seem to prefer bold, smooth colours, almost black on the outside, and bright yellows, oranges, reds and greens on the inside. But I prefer the more muted, uneven colours with different effects. I think it somehow suites the natural material they're made of better. But that's of course just my personal taste.

I'm especially pleased with my cylinder (which my teacher helped me made, of course, otherwise it would have ended up just another 'eggbowl'). While I don't really know yet what to use all the others for, this one I made with special intention - to keep my brushes in.

Eggbowls and the magic of ceramic glazes

Last Tuesday was the last day of my pottery class, but I've already signed up for the next class, which is seamlessly starting next week. There's still so much to learn, one class certainly isn't enough, far from it. Also, it's not something you can easily do at home. Although I could definitely do with the extra practice.

The three weeks ago, I produced a couple of "egg bowls". No, they're not bowls for eggs, I call them so because they're not nice and round, but all wobbly - which in German is 'eiern', from 'Ei', i.e. egg. You can see in the first picture the lump of wet clay that my teacher cut off, to save what could be save. It still looks a bit sad.

My teacher reckoned it was because it wasn't properly centred in the first place. It was, though, centering is the one thing I manage not too bad. But there's so much else that can go wrong afterwards, when opening up or pulling. Pulling is something I still totally struggle with. I was trying to pull up a bowl, totally focused on what I was doing, when I noticed my teacher shouting and pointing. I hadn't noticed, but the wall had totally collapsed at the bottom. I had pushed and pulled too hard. There was no hope for that piece, it had to be cut off. 

Last week, I took a little break from the wheel, and spend most of the evening glazing four pieces that had been fired the week before. (My teacher had helped me throw the big cylinder, which is why it looks good. The ones I did myself are all wobbly, chunky, uneven flat bowls). Apart from the brush on glazes, I tried dip glazes too this time. The glazes still amaze and confuse me. They're texture is so different to the paints I'm used to. And not to speak of the colours. How that light mauve will turn into a shiny light green in the kiln is quite beyond me. It must be magic!

I didn't do a very good job last time I glazed my first pieces, so I'm hoping I did better with these. They should have been fired already. Can't wait 'til Tuesday to see how they turned out!

Room for improvement

So, my first four bowls I made in the wheel throwing pottery class are finished. I always thought that the throwing part would the most difficult thing. To centre the lump of clay on your wheel, make the opening, and especially pulling up the walls. And although they are difficult, especially the last part, which I have still to master, it seems that I was quite wrong. As I discovered, when taking my finished bowls out of the cupboard after their last firing. Glazing. A science in itself, I tell you!

I have to admit I had to laugh when I saw my four bowls. Could the glazes have been any more uneven, patchy, and messy? I don't think so.

My teacher said that I could add another layer of glazing, to correct the worst bits, but I decided to leave them as they are for the moment. They are going to be my measure, to measure my improvement by comparison.

The glazes dry almost immediately when painted on, but I think I didn't wait long enough before adding the next layer, after all. With the texture of the dry glaze, it's really quite hard to see any unevenness. I thought it looked pretty good after I had put it on! Maybe next time I should try the dipping glazes, instead of the brush on ones.

Well the first bowls are finished, but last Tuesday, I've already trimmed to more bowls, and thrown another small bowl. And with the help of my teacher, I have (or she has, really) made a beautiful cylinder for to keep my brushes in. I'm really looking forward to finish that one (and hopefully make a better job at glazing). The course runs 'til the end of January, but I've already signed up for the next course. I've still got a lot to learn!

Almost finished! - Trimmed, fired, glazed, and ready for the last firing

Last week, I learnt how to trim my bowls in order to prepare them for their first firing in the kiln. To trim a bowl, you fix it on to the wheel, cut the excess clay off and establish a foot on which the bowl will stand. It's a bit of a scary process, so much that can go wrong. But it all went alright. Mostly because my teacher did most of the trimming, and I just scraped off the bits in the middle, which took me ages. And apparently, I didn't do a very good job at it. But I was just too afraid to cut too deep and make a hole.

This week's pottery class was really exciting! After last week's trimming, my first four bowls had gone into the kiln for the first firing, and were ready for glazing. 

Glazing in pottery is completely different than painting. You can't mix colours, like you would with paints, but have to use ready mixed glazes instead. There are different glazes, and different methods of applying them, such as dipping the objects into them, or painting them on with a brush. I decided to use brush on glazes, as this involved at least something that was familiar.

The glazes dry almost immediately, and they look completely different than what they do after having been fired. This glaze here, for example, is called "Iceflower", and is a lovely white with a cool blueish marbled effect, which you can't see at all here. It's just white. Another glaze I used was a deep ocean blue/gree. The liquid glaze was just a very pastel mauve, nothing at all like the intense dark deep blue/green colour on the label. I still find this rather confusing. It gives you no clue at all as to what it will look like when finished. You have to rely completely on the samples, and hope that it will turn out like that. Also, the glazes are very dry, matt and powdery. Nothing like the smooth, shiny and hard finish they'll get in the kiln.

My bowls should have gone into the kiln for the second and last firing already, or if not, should do so tomorrow. In any case, they should be all done and ready to take home by Tuesday. I can't tell you how excited I am! I just hope they all made it savely through the firing, that none of them burst, or had the glazes running, or whatever else can go wrong in a kiln at a temperature of around 1200 degrees Celsius. And maybe one of them might even make it under the Christmas tree as a present.

Throw it 'til you break it

I just came across this video, and I just love the bit towards the end, when he says that on the first day of wheel throwing class, he always has his students throw it 'til they break it, as this is an important step in throwing - and growing. Yep, did that, though not really on purpose. And my teacher could save it by cutting off the top, as it was the wall that broke because it got too thin. So I guess I can only grow now (and hopefully my bowls too, when I finally get the hang of pulling the wall).

He's got a great series of videos for beginners. Of course, it's much better to go to a class, do it yourself, and have a teacher helping you. But watching and observing others is helpful too. But of course every potter has their own way, and my teacher is doing some things differently than he does. But the basics are the same. And I still just find it simply magical when they pull walls!

Learning something new, and loving it so far

A a few weeks ago, I decided to try out something new, something I've always wanted to do: pottery. I thought long and hard about whether to go for a sculpting or wheel throwing class, and eventually signed up for the latter. Mainly because I thought that this way, I would end up with things that would not only stand around gathering dust, but could actually be used.

So three weeks ago, I went to my first pottery class ever. I was a bit nervous, because, to be honest, while I love learning, I hate being a complete beginner. Having no clue, no control, no skill at all. But there's no other choice. I was glad that there was another beginner besides me, and the teacher took time to explain all the basics to us, and show us how to prepare the clay, and it wasn't long before we threw our lumps of clay on the wheel (so exciting!).

To prepare the clay, you have to knead it properly, to get all the air out. It's hard work, and it can take quite a while until it's ready, but it's important to do it well. When you're done, you form your clay into a ball, and then throw it on the wheel, as much into the centre as possible. Then switch on your wheel, and start to centre the clay, pulling it up and pushing it down again at first. This can take ages, and I always feel that when I finally got it centred, I've got about half of the clay I started with left. The next step is to make an opening, and then to pull the whole thing up, ring by ring, and give it the form you want. It always fascinates me watching my teacher pulling it up. It's a bit like magic. And I just absolutely can't do it. It just won't go up. I still have very little "feel" for the clay. How much pressure is too little or too much. I'm still a bit afraid of the clay. But I hope it will come soon.

Now we let the bowl dry with the help of a blow dryer for a few minutes, with the wheel spinning very slowly, and afterwards shape it with a round tool from the inside, to give it a nice round bowl shape. Then it's time to take it off the wheel and let it dry for a week or two. That's how far we got. So far, I have thrown four pieces, two bowls, and two smaller flat bowl thingies. Flat because with the first ones, the walls got so thin when I tried to pull it up that it broke and it had to be cut down, the other one because I just couldn't get it up. That last one was one that I did all by myself, without help of the teacher. Her comment on it was: "Considering that you did it all by yourself, and it's only your third day of class, you did not bad". So you can imagine what it looks like: flat, wobbly, and with a quite thick and uneven wall and rim.

Next week, we'll learn how to trim our bowls. That is, to remove excess clay with the help of a cutting tool (oh my, I can just imagine so many things that can go wrong here!!!) and to establish a foot on which the bowl will stand (which is also important for the firing in the kiln). And then it's off into the kiln for the first firing, and then it's time to glaze it (I'm really looking forward to that part!), and then back into the kiln again for a last firing at very high temperature. And then it's ready to use!

I really hope that at least some of the pieces will be finished before the Christmas break. I just can't wait to see them all finished! And I just hope that I won't mess it up too much, and not break anything.

I still got so much to learn, but I'm really enjoying it. I love the feel of the wet clay, the spinning of the wheel, the concentration and how you just can't rush it. It's very meditative, and you can really switch off very well (you'll be far too busy trying to get it centred, and up, and not send the clay flying all over the workshop to think of anything else, really). And you can throw a bowl in a relatively short time, and it's just so satisfying to see how you made a beautiful (more or less, anyway) bowl from a lump of clay. It's something I'll definitely want to continue with. My goal is to learn how to make tea mugs one day!