Innehållsförteckning för #60 från ClayCraft

It's always lovely to hear from readers, and one email this month made us stop and think. It was an appeal for us to give more details about some of the things we use to make the projects. In this case, it was nichrome wire, but it made us realise that perhaps we've been taking things for granted a little bit. It's all too easy to assume that people will be familiar with terms, methods, tools, and materials. New potters are joining us all the time, and it's important not to forget this. Every single well-known potter was once a beginner, and everyone's knowledge and skills are built from an initially blank slate. So, if you've felt confused or excluded by any of our content, please do let us know.…

If you love the stunning effects that can be achieved by alternative firing methods firing but don't have the equipment needed to achieve them, then this book could well be the answer! Jolanda van de Grint explains how to use your electric kiln to create unique colours and patterns by using saggars (closed pots). And the best bit? It doesn't damage your kiln. By using a saggar containing combustible materials, you're essentially creating a mini wood-kiln inside your electric kiln and can achieve similar results – muted earth tones and unpredictable colour flashing. Beautifully illustrated and presented in a very engaging way, Jolanda takes us through her journey of discovery, which started with firing a pot every week for a year in an effort to fine-tune the process. She shares…

Last month, I covered how to make and fire glaze tests. This month I will explain how to analyse your glaze test results and adjust the glaze or correct any defects Linda Bloomfield is a scientist turned potter. More glaze recipes can be found in her books, Advanced Pottery (2011), Colour in Glazes (A&C Black 2012), The Handbook of Glaze Recipes (Bloomsbury 2014) and Science for Potters (The American Ceramic Society 2017). Her new book Special Effect Glazes, and the second edition of Colour in Glazes are both out now. Linda has recently launched her online glazing course, How Glazes Work, on her website: lindabloomfield.co.uk Once you have fired your glaze test and unloaded it from the kiln, you can begin to use your new glaze, make up a bigger…

PROJECT THREE The process for making this figure is a slow one because it has to be built in stages, allowing the clay to firm up in between times – it should be the perfect project for those who don’t get long stretches of time to work with their clay You will need: ■A grogged clay of choice – earthenware or stoneware. Craft Crank is a good option ■ Plastic sheet ■ Rolling pin and 5mm thick roller guides ■ Wooden modelling tools ■ Ribs 1 The idea for this sculpture came from several sources – Renaissance images of the Madonna, the artist Modigliani and other contemporary references – making it something of an amalgamation of ideas that are stylised during the making. Yours can be even more stylised than…

I always find the winter the hardest time of year, particularly after a break from the workshop, the likes of which we had over Christmas. Trying to get back to work, doing our best to pretend everything is as usual, after the sadness of just a few weeks ago, has taken some doing. Still, the routine of getting Pippin onto the school bus and Fred to nursery has thrust us back into enforced normality. It’s been a slow start to the year, inspiration is hard to find, but I know that the only thing to do is not to set our objectives too high, start with something simple that we know how to make without too much complication and, in the fullness of time, the clay will start to…

Confessions of a novice Delayed for a year due to Covid, a long-awaited Anglian Potters demonstration finally went ahead on January 16th For almost two years, I've seen my fellow local potters only via my computer screen, in a fortnightly Anglian Potters Zoom session. In the earliest days of lockdown, this was a great way to stay connected with the group. It was also the perfect opportunity for more experienced potters to share their knowledge with newer ones. People who wouldn't have known each other's names have formed friendships, and many of us have learned not just from our own questions but also from those asked by other members. But there's a limit to the social possibilities of a video call. It's one big discussion, whereas if you had 20…

IN THE NEWS If you have a news story, product launch or details of some other topical item you’d like our readers to know about, email claycraft.ed@kelsey.co.uk We've been contacted by a reader asking if we could include more details of some of the materials used in our projects, including where to buy them – for example, the nichrome wire in the fox sculpture in our last issue. This is really helpful feedback for us and is something we'll be implementing in future issues. The wire used for the fox project was 20-gauge (0.8mm), but since this was a small and light project, a lighter gauge would have been fine, eg 22-gauge (0.6mm). This, along with other gauges, is in stock at bluematchbox.co.uk If there's anything you'd like us to…

Hannah Billingham has been awarded Ceramic Artist of the Year at the Corporate Live Wire Yorkshire Prestige Awards 2021/22. "It has been an amazing year for me,” said Hannah. “I've worked with some brilliant galleries and had a series of successful online exhibitions. It's amazing to receive this award as I prepare to move to a bigger studio and create new works in 2022." The award adds to Hannah's other accolades from galleries in England and Wales. Hannah said, "It is a privilege to share my passion for ceramics by creating works in my Beverley Studio that sell around the globe. The past year has allowed me to develop my practice, and I am excited to build on this success in the coming year." ● Hannah's work is available to…

PROJECT TWO Make this oriental-inspired box to keep your little treasures in. Red and black continue the theme of the orient in the decoration, but other colour combinations would work just as well You will need: ■ A sheet of stiff card, ruler, craft knife, pencil, cutting mat if you have one ■A small wooden stamp – the example shown is available from MKM tools ■ Clay of choice – earthenware or stoneware ■ Rolling pin, 3-5mm thick roller guides, plastic sheet ■ Glaze to fit clay type ■ Underglaze ■ Jewellery cord – can be thin leather or other 1 Working on a cutting mat and beginning at a corner of your sheet of card, measure and draw a line 1cm in from both edges. The lines don’t have…

TKJ Throwing and Handbuilding Body is a versatile clay for use on the wheel and in hand-building. This clay has been developed in collaboration with Tom Knowles Jackson, with properties specifically suited to throwing on a momentum wheel. The clay is responsive to work with on a slow-moving wheel yet retains the plasticity necessary for full-bellied forms and larger vessels and has excellent green strength. TKJ Throwing and Handbuilding Body fires to a gentle warm brown in reduction and a golden buff in oxidation (recommended firing range 1200-1300°C). Available now at: potclays.co.uk…

PROJECT ONE This super two-part feeder makes a lovely feature in the garden, and if you hang it somewhere visible from a window, you will have hours of pleasure watching the birds come and go – and a few pesky squirrels, if my garden is anything to go by! You will need: ■ 2.7-3kg (6-7lb) of stoneware clay plus clay to throw a pad for a batt if you don’t have a quick-fix mechanism ■ Tools for throwing – batts, water bowl, ribs, sponge, serrated edged tools for texturing ■ Turning tools (optional – see steps) ■ Glaze of choice to fit stoneware clay ■ Rope for attaching sections together and/ or strong wire Before you begin: A reminder when throwing – to save wordy repetition! Always compress the clay…

Continuing from our profile of ceramic maker Wendy Lawrence in the last issue, we follow up with a step-by-step guide to her working process A word from Wendy to begin: “I make for the enjoyment of the material and, therefore, have a variety of hand-building techniques. I gouge out solid pieces, slab build, coil, drape slabs into moulds and formers and carve solid pieces of clay. I use a heavily grogged stoneware clay from Scarva that is really strong. I start by developing the form then progress to carving, which is by far my favourite stage. I use lots of different tools to carve and texture the clay: loop tools and found objects such as coral, beach pebbles, stones and wood. METHOD 1 – pitted disc form 1 Working on…

PROJECT FOUR This is a somewhat stylised monolith compared to the aged examples we see in stone circles – and, of course, very much smaller in scale. However, covered in magma-like glaze and given time to weather in the garden, it won’t be long before the sculpture looks like something from another time Before you begin: For once, this is a project where fine attention to form and surface aren’t needed. You can work roughly because the objects we’re replicating come in all shapes and sizes. You don’t have to make the shape shown here, but the principles for building would be the same no matter what the profile. Note: precise dimensions aren’t given for this project because the ultimate height of your sculpture will depend on the availability of…

SURFACE DECORATION This is a real playtime technique. Practice on test tiles or old pieces of bisque ware before trying it out on your work PROJECT FIVE You will need: ■ Bisque samples to practice on – they can be tiles, plates or even three-dimensional objects if you have spares sitting around on your shelves ■ Small jug or similar container ■ Washing-up liquid ■ Body stain/powdered underglaze OR oxide ■ Drinking straw ■ Optional: Pale coloured glaze and a selection of glaze colours. Try Mayco Foundations and Stroke & Coat colours to practice with ■ Resists: eg, paper tape, wax emulsion, latex ■ Fine brushes for wax and latex application (not your best ones because either of these can ruin a brush if you’re not careful!) Before you begin:…