Glaze results

Glazed Bowls. Good white dipped glaze from 1st batch of white glaze. Bleeding blue 2nd glaze. too thick? May not have bound to 1st layer/left to dry too long?

Glaze results-I'm Melting!

The glaze results are not great. The glaze was too thickly applied and the second batch of glaze was thicker than the glaze used for the bowls. The bowls white glaze has turn out fine, the blue glaze use on top has bled maybe because of the length of time the white glaze was allowed to dry (overnight). I read in a ceramics book that the 2nd colour should be applied when the 1st glaze has just gone off. I like the bowl anyway the bleeding looks quite nice like ink on plaster or anything porous. The pots look like the glaze has melted off. The glaze must have been way too thick. I like the effect on the striped pot though. Unfortunately there is also crawling and patches. This was probably due to the thickness of glaze and maybe dust. The mistakes to rectify are to : wipe the pots with a damp sponge, build up layers of glaze, don't apply so thickly, don't leave to dry for so long. So far as the firing I don't know the implications. I defiantly think it was the thickness of glaze. Though I have learnt how to do a nice waterfall cascading glaze for the future! The reason the attractive stripes remained in sort of formal lines is because the wide shoelace I used to mask made a superficial impression in the white undercoat. Also in the book I refered to you can apply glaze thickly for certain effects and then score to stop running completely.

Hand Building

This term has been about experiencing new ceramic processes and coming up with new ideas. I think I have achieved ideas more than outcomes. The execution of my ideas has not always been as successful as hoped, but I have gained a foundation to build on for future endeavours. I will also learn from mistakes, I feel at present only acquainted with clay but look forward to becoming at ease and enjoying clay more. Once I have more knowledge and understating of clay science and glaze magic.

Glazing attempt 1

Thick glaze with bubbles! I am expecting bubbles, crackles and lumps.

Dug clay as glaze test

Dug clay glaze test tiles

Alignments on tile Left 1 Left 2 Middle Right 1 Right 2
Potash added to dug clay % 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Potash
Whiting added to dug clay% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Whiting
Wood Ash added to dug clay% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Wood ash

Fired tabs look like slime or frogs.

Glazing

This is my first attempt at glazing. As the whole of the 1st year descended on the glaze room at the same time it was chaotic. I found it hard to work with the mess and commotion. I dipped the thrown bowls in white glaze and left to dry. I then brush painted a design onto one bowl and used a squirty bottle to create drips down the sides of the other thrown bowl. I used blue and white glaze for the bowls. The thrown pots were also dipped in the white glaze I then tried spraying green glaze onto the white. I used a shoe lace to create a design on one pot and some packing as a stencil for the second pot. The smaller column pot I tried spraying red glaze at different ranges around the pot to create different effects with the glaze (thick drippy/thin faint). I don't know how well these pots/bowls will turn out. I think some of the glaze is applied to thickly. I dipped the slip cast caterpillar in the white glaze.