Project 7: teapot

As I mentioned in my last entry I worked project 6 & 7 at the same time so this teapot was also made with a kilo of clay. I decided to experiment with a slightly different design with this teapot, so it was really enjoyable.

This teapot body had the most appealing shape. It was almost a teardrop or pear. 

I tried several different styles with the teapot handle. This was the one I decided to go with. I wanted it to be almost bucket like and to appear used so I left the marks in the clay from my hand.

I then decided where the handle attached it needed a little something extra so I added some little clay bits to look like rivets.

I felt it made a huge difference.

After attaching the spout I decided I did not like the handle on the lid. I wanted something more artistic to go with the handle design. In the picture below you can see the change. Again I wanted to leave the movement in the clay so I did not try to make a perfect squared off attachment.

Next I decided I wanted to paint a design on the sides in slip. Slip is just clay with oxide mixed in. This particular one is best left without glaze over the top. 

I decided to go with dragonflies and bamboo.

Overall I was really happy with it, although the design took away from the shape a bit. The next class I went in and my instructor said he had thought about my design and wanted to show me something. He showed me a way to carve the painting out a bit and give it more detail on a piece of clay he had.  I loved it and decided to try it on my teapot.

I feel like it made a huge difference! I was really happy with the way it looked.

After the first firing I applied wax to the design so I could glaze around the design.

Then I glazed the teapot. I decided to use a light matte blue that shows variation according to its thickness. There was not much left so I had to pour the glaze instead of dip. I was a bit worried as this glaze needs to be applied a bit thick to come out blue otherwise you get a more yellow color. My instructor said not to worry as I could not control it :)

I was a bit disappointed as it was not as I had hoped, but most people really liked. In fact it was the one everyone liked the most. This is the process of ceramics though and if you do not try new things then you can not learn or get more interesting results. In the end I have grown to like it more as it looks like someone poured water over it but it was not what I had envisioned and I would definitely have tried it again if I was still in the same studio.

Project 6: Teapot

First of all my apologies for the huge gap in my posts. I have moved abroad so I was a bit preoccupied. Hopefully I will be able to be a bit more consistent with my posts. Project 6 is another teapot; however I decided to try to increase the amount of clay I was working with. I worked project 6 & 7 together and the body of the teapots both started with 1 kilo of clay. This time I tried a couple of new techniques. One was to square the body of the teapot after I threw it. 

The next was to make a rim underneath the lid so it would sit inside of the body of the teapot.

Before I turned the bottom of the teapot and worked on the lid I threw some spouts and pulled some handles so they could dry enough for me to work with them. Here is a picture of a handle in process.

Assembling the teapot.

Here is the assembled teapot.

I decided to carve the sides of this teapot and take a slice of the spout to make a more appealing shape. I was only going to do about five diagonal lines in the sides; however my instructor suggested I should be less precise and just carve randomly.

This was the result.

Here is the lid.

After carving I sponged off where I carved so no rough bits would be left after firing.

I decided to go with the ginger glaze. It comes out a deep brick red with some dark black areas. It is a beautiful and very consistent glaze.

Here it is after being dipped in the glaze.

Next the wait to be fired...

The most exciting part of the ceramic process for me is the final firing. Sometimes it can be a bit disappointing but most of the time it's wonderful!

Here is the final result from both sides.

I am getting better and better at my teapots. Each one I learn more and improve part of my design. Overall I am very happy with this one. I still have not got the smoothest pour but I am working on it.

Project 5: A Teapot

This time I decided to go with a more familiar form of a teapot, at least in the Western world. Again I chose to use the brown clay. Actually I worked on project 4 & 5 at the same time so it made sense to use the same clay. I had planned this one in my head already. Teapot 4 sort of evolved as I made it.

This time I got the shape I was trying for and I got the full lift out of the clay! That felt great!

I threw the spout for this teapot and then curved it a bit to fit my design and also of course pour more smoothly. I pulled the handle instead of throwing it like the side handles. I then curled it in place to fit the design and let it dry before attaching it.

Assembled teapot.

After the pot had dried some I painted a tree on both sides in black slip (which actually fires brown).

Here is one side:

The other:

And the lid:

I wasn't completely sure how I felt about the trees until they were bisque fired.

I loved the result! Next I waxed the tree leaving a rough outline so the clay would also show as a sort of outline and applied the glaze. I choose a matte white to go with the natural look of the design.

Here is where I started to worry again that it looked sloppy and not like I had imagined; however before you get use to the behavior of glazes and clay the final appearance seems so much of a mystery. As you can see here it does look sloppy. The final result totally made up for all the worry...










Here it is!

I was absolutely thrilled again!

It was exactly as I had hoped for.The way the handle curls with the design of the trees and the spout leaned  away from them.The beautiful way the clay showed around the tree and the glaze completely fit the earthy feel of the design and colors.

What I learned:

1. This spout has a much smoother pour then the teapots in projects 2 & 3. 

2. It is also a bit larger because I managed to get the most out of the clay and I improved the ball shape of the body compared to the others. 

3. I was a little sloppy when I made the holes for the filter inside. I need to remember to clean it up a bit before firing.

Project 4: Another Kyusu Teapot

This time I used a brown clay which has a wonderful earthy feel.

I did not get it lifted as much as I hoped, but it left the body a bit thicker and it gave me an idea of a design I wanted to try. I did get a slightly rounder shape this time so that made me happy that I had improved a bit more. 

After the body and lids had dried a bit I turned a knob out of the chunk of clay left on the lid.Again I forgot to take pictures of the spout and handle, but after I threw them they dried a bit and then I attached them to the pot. 

This teapot had a fantastic chunky feel so I decided to carve into it deeply to create a really nice texture and look. 

I so completely enjoyed carving this pot and I am absolutely thrilled with the way it feels and looks. I believe carving the lid added even more depth to the pot as a whole.

Bisque fired and ready for glazing.

Glazed and ready for firing!

The color you see here is completely different then the end result. I have never used this glaze before, but it seemed perfect for this pot. It is a matte glaze which varies according to thickness and has a really unique earthy look. I almost went with something I was more familiar with, but I have to say when I saw the finished result I was SO happy that I took a chance...

The finished teapot!

I am really ,really happy with the end result! It is beautiful and feels terrific! 

What I learned:


1. I resolved some of my spout issues in this teapot. This one has a much smoother pour and I think the shape is much more aesthetically pleasing. I hope to continue to improve my spouts.


2. A couple of my filter holes inside got clogged with glaze. It did not greatly disturb the pour but I need to be aware of this issue and check closely when I am finished glazing.




 I will definitely try this design again, perhaps larger. I originally thought I may have made the handle a bit too short but actually it fits perfect with the stoutness of the pot.

Each time I throw the same shape I get better and better which, I suppose is fairly common and it never stops feeling good to see improvement. In the beginning it is so difficult to even get the clay centered let alone produce a form. 

Project 3: Another Kyusu Teapot

This time I am going at it on my own. Of course I asked for advice when needed, but it's all me!

Teapot body and lids

This one is not as round as the one my instructor helped me with but it is a good start.  I forgot pictures of the spouts and handles again, but maybe I will remember next time. 

Lid finished and teapot assembled.

Now it's time for it to dry, so it can be dipped in slip...

This time I decided I wanted to make some matching cups as well. I threw these cups on the wheel and then squared off the top for a different look and feel.

I decided to decorate them both by applying slip and carving into the clay. I took pictures of them during the process to show the difference.The cups were dipped in slip and decorated while the teapot was drying.

Cups.

I dipped these about 1/2 way as they are small and I wanted to be able to see the pattern and texture.

First cup finished.

Cups bisque fired
 and waiting for the teapot to dry.

I really love the way the carving turned out!

Teapot dipped in slip.

I decided to only dip 1/3 of the teapot and a ring on the lid. I like the contrast of the earthy rough texture of the slip with carved details and the smoothness of the glaze.

Next the carving... 
I chose to carve the clay with a matching pattern into both the clay dipped in slip and the plain clay, because I am using a glaze that has beautiful variation according to thickness.  I am so excited and can't wait to see how the glaze comes out.

Carved teapot.

I really like how it looks so far.

Teapot and cups dipped in glaze
and ready for the final firing.

 Now the wait....

Finished teapot and cups!!

Again I am extremely happy with the results! 

These cups turned out to be excellent for drinking. They fit perfectly in your hand and the texture is nice with a smooth lip.

Things I learned:

1. The glaze was thin at the back of the teapot so the glaze was not utilized to it's full potential as when it is thin it does not show of the carving. You can see in the above picture between the spout and handle beautiful deep blue lines. That is what i wanted. On the back the carvings are more yellow like the end of the handle and spout. It's still lovely but next I will be more careful.

2. The other is again that this spout shape is not the best for pouring tea. It is functional but it drips a bit. I will work on that in the next teapots to come until I figure it out.