Simple tool for cutting templates

My pottery work does involve a lot of slab work. My mugs, cups, boat bowls etc.. are all cut out from slabs of clay.

I have always used sheets of plastic or stiff paper on the clay and cut with my knife. Works great, but when you have to do hundreds of these it can get very tiring.
I made these template cutters similar to tile cutters. I initially got the idea from seeing a video where stacks of denim fabric were being cut into templates for legs, pockets etc... with these hydraulic cutters.

I made these cutters from wood and some out of chopping boards and metal straps. It takes time making one, but it sure speeds up the process. I used them extensively in 2014 and am making similar ones for all the pieces I need to cut.

Mugs, Tumblers and Cup Marathon

Working in production can sure teach you a lot fo things. I have been making mugs, cups and tumblers with buttons for 5 years now and never did I have a problem with the buttons. Recently I was running really low on them and decided to go for a marathon of making mugs and cups. These are entirely handbuilt from slabs of clay and wrapped around to emmulate the look of fabric. To add to the effect I add buttons. With this marathon, I made 80+ mugs/tumblers/cups. It was a fun guessing game on Facebook when everyone jumped in guessing the number of buttons I had to put on these cups. I had to make 308 buttons total!! Since this was a lot of buttons, I changed my method slightly. Instead of making 10 buttons at a time and sticking them, I made 20 buttons at a time. This did speed up my process but everything comes at a price. Everything came out fine in the bisque firing and great in the glaze firing too. And then it was like watching a horror movie unfold in front of me. While sitting on the shelf after 3-4 hours of getting out of the kiln, I started hearing pops and pings. Curious to see what it was, I noticed a button from a cup just pop out! This has never happened so I was in complete disbelief. I did loose quite a few and I am now working on figuring out how to fix them and sell them as seconds. So look out for an online seconds sale coming up soon, where these will be sold at 50% off. I will make them look pretty again, so they will still be good. And while I am still stratching my head wondering what went wrong, I get an email which brings back a smile to my face. One of my repeat customers, Robyn, has been purchasing my mugs over the last few years. She sends me a picture of all my mugs and bowls she has purchased sitting pretty in her kitchen. She is using them everyday and loving them.Just made my day seeing a dedicated shelf for my work!

Extruded and Pulled Handles

As potters know, a comfortable and aesthetically balanced handle is a goal we all strive for. And for many it is a dreading part of the whole process. It is a constant learning process and now I actually enjoy pulling handles. I have kept experimenting and changing my handles to get them consistent and the shape that I want.

Since I love my extruder so much, potters at shows and online always ask me if I pull or extrude my handles. Well.. I do both. I extrude mostly for getting a consistent shape for all my handles and also it is a lot faster. But plain extrusions and result in a very lifeless handles. So then I go ahead and pull my handle.

I cut my oval shape extrusions to 5" in length. To make this a more pleasurable experience, you clean warm water for pulling. My left hand is always dry to hold the handle. Dip the handle in water and taper it with your right hand.

After tapering, I run my thumb in the center a few times to create a curve. When finished, this slight curve makes a good place for the thumb to rest.

Check the video below to see the whole process. When attaching the handle to the mug, I cut with a cookie cutter as this lets me join the mug to the curved surface of the mug without distorting it. I got that tip from Ginger Steele on one of our clay play dates.

And here is the finished result.

Below are pictures of pots from Ginger Steele and Kristen Kieffer whose handles I really admire.

Feel free to add your tips on handles in the comments.

A Great Wedding Gift!

It always thrills me more when people buy my work as gifts. One can always spend money on themselves, but when they spend it for someone else, it shows they have confidence in their purchase and the the receiver is going to love them.

And of course it is great when people combine different items as gifts. This last order was just the perfect gift for a wedding. Sugar creamer set, a butter dish and salt pepper shakers.

Wouldn't this be just great for a wedding gift? Other popular items in my shop for gift are my Oil vinegar bottles, teapots, set of mugs.

Best wishes to everyone receving these gifts!

Handbuilt Tumbler Video

Last Friday, my video on making Handbuilt Tumblers/Vases was featured on Ceramic Arts Daily and it was great to get the responses from so many potters and artists. Looking at google analytics, I got hits from all around the world, majority from the United States. I had hits from every State except from North Dakota. Wonder if there are no potters there? And you can see the most are from California.

I enjoy sharing my techniques and it is always fun to see another artist's take on the same technique. If you try this technique or do handbuilding feel free to share pictures of your work in the comments section.

I got more confidence in handbuilding with slabs after taking a workshop from Ginger Steele, a potter from Oregon. I also saw a few videos on Yixing teapots from which I picked up other techniques.

Here are the steps for the process and the video

Cut template for your tumbler or cylinder from a thin slab (1/8 inch) of compressed clay. The clay needs to be a little stiffer than fresh out of the bag.
Roll the top rim with a brayer to round it making it comfortable for drinking. Roll the side of the slab to bevel it later for joining. The brayer can be purchased at a clay supply store.
Roll patterns or use stamps to decorate. This is where you can let your creativity show through. I make some stamps and some I purchase at thrift stores.
Apply slip to the sides and roll over a rolling pin to form your tumbler. To true up the roundness, use a round object like a Styrofoam ball which won’t stick to the clay.
Score and slip to add the bottom. The bottom is finished by running a profile tool (made from a popsicle stick) along the edge.
My tumblers are embellished with buttons to capture the look of embroidered fabric wrapped around and held together with buttons.
These tumblers are further decorated with slip to give more texture.

Secret Santa..... Shhhhhh

This time of the year it is the time of gift giving. It sure is very thrilling to receive a gift... isn't it?
I see so many of my customers purchasing gifts for their loved ones these days from my shop and from other places. What fills my heart is that sometimes they are willing to spend that money for a gift someone rather than purchase something for themselves. It is the season for gift giving.

So I have decided to gift something to my customers too. All my customers shopping till the end of this year (Dec31st 2009) will recieve a Secret Santa number in their packages. On New Years Day (Jan 1st 2010), you will receive an email with instructions to redeem your gift. What is it? Well.... it is a secret. And the gifts are different... OK here is a hint, it ranges from a discount all the way to a free piece of my pottery. I have said enough. :)

Just hold on to your Seceret Santa number when you receive your packages and wait for my email on January 1st 2010.

On a different note, here are some pictures of my new Dancing Divas I have listed in my etsy shop.

Slip decoration

There have been several requests from potters, friends and customers who want to see the process of my slip decoration. So here it is....
These are done on my Bollywood inspired mugs and of course I have to listen to Bollywood music while making them. If you put one of my mugs against your ear you might still hear some music. :) I hope you enjoy the clip.
The music track is taken from the movie Saawariya starring Ranbir Kapoor
To purchase, please visit my store http://creativewithclay.etsy.com/

Mugs

I was reading through some blogs and came across this one from Garciela http://glyntpottery.blogspot.com/2008/08/why-pot.html

Very interesting note. I think mugs are the most intimate thing a potter makes. It is a simple form but creates this intimate connection between the potters hand and the user. When I drank first out of a hand thrown mug... I couldn't help but think who made it, whose finger marks are those, glad they made the lip of the mug in such a way that it felt so soothing to me, the handle was made for me to hold it.

Every potter I know is always perfecting their mugs. They want their work to be individual and at the same time make a connection with every person who buys them. So from being a very simple form it becomes a very complex execution.

Below you can see my transformation of cups starting from earliest to current and I am still learning to make the perfect mug!