Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
This past week, I was selected by Ceramic Artist Guild to be their Ambassador for Home Studios and Small Businesses.
I’m really excited and a little bit scared; but I really look forward to being part of the effort to revitalize the ceramics industry.
I believe that each and everyone of us who love this muddy, messy craft can bring ceramics back to its past glory just by working together. In fact, I think the future will find that ceramics will be bigger and greater than ever, because now – with the internet – there are no boundries.
If you have not had the opportunity, be sure to visit and join www.CeramicArtistGuild.com It is free and it is exciting.
Let’s keep ceramics growing!!!!
Monday, October 26th, 2009
At some time during every ceramist’s career, they will want to make a mold of something. Sometimes it is just the challenge of learning how, other times it is to be able to reproduce something they created multiple times. Mold making is in itself an art form that takes some skill and practice to master.
The best place to begin is to learn the basics with a one piece, or open cast/press mold. This type of mold creates a product that is detailed on one side and flat or plain on the other side. Most often these molds are cast solid, but can be cast as a ceramic shell. Open, one piece molds can also be used as press molds for use with various clays.
Like the negative of a photo, a mold reflects the opposite of the product, so everything is in reverse until you press or cast it then the resulting item will be the positive match for the original piece.
Disclaimer – The approach I am about to lay out is but one way to make a mold for ceramic and clay use. The general principles may be the same, but some of the materials and steps may vary from mold maker to mold maker.
My approach is to teach the novice the principles of ceramic mold making in its simplest form
To read more of this article, click here.
Monday, October 26th, 2009
Making things from molds has dated back thousands of years, Historians have found evidence of the use of molds dating prior to 3000 BC. Among the earliest forms of mold use was evidenced by the finest pottery of the time crafted in Babylonia.
So what is a mold? Quite simply it is a form or shape with a cavity or pattern that is filled or pressed with a substance which once the substance is dried or mature, it can be removed and used.
The development and use of molds is as varied as one’s imagination. Stop and think for a moment of all the things you use daily that come from molds. Soaps, cookies, candies, butter, cheese, car parts, candles, machinery, dishes, even shoes and hats and of course ceramics. You will find molds made of rubber, plastic, wood, stone, glass, metals, cement, and plaster – all with the purpose of making repeated castings of a desired item.
To read the rest of this article, click here
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Porcelain produces a very fine dust which can be bothersome to people with breathing problems or allergies. Though normally, one does not use water to clean porcelain greenware, there is a technique which does allow the use of water.
This method eliminates the fine dust that pervades the work area, thereby making the environment safer and easier for the individual.
To read the rest of this article, click here
Friday, October 16th, 2009
It doesn’t matter how much experience you have with ceramics, you are bound to have mistakes. Whether it be casting your rmolds, bisque or finished pieces, you can often turn those disasters into something useful.
This is first of a series of articles that will give you options for your ooopsies other than the trash barrel
Sometimes pieces collapse, or split with stress cracks during the casting process. No problem if you have a reclaimer, just toss the ware back into the recycling vat. But if you want to get really creative, try this:
To read the rest of this article, click here.
Friday, October 16th, 2009
When handling porcelain, one must follow an entirely different set of rules compared to cast earthenware. It is much softer and much more fragile. It requires a lighter, more delicate touch. Once you get the hang of it though, working with porcelain is a real delight.
Cleaning Porcelain greenware doesn’t require any tools if you have fingernails and dry skin. Not to worry though, there are a lot of tools available on the market and some are designed for specific purposes such as a wooden ball to size and shape eyes in dolls, or a finger tool to help clean between doll fingers, etc. But generally, all you need is a clean-up tool (knife) and a piece of ladies nylons. It is useful to have a soft bristled brush available also. Kemper and other companies as well, have a double ended tool that has a spoon shaped knife on one end and a triangle shaped knife on the other. This is a versatile and necessary tool to have in your arsenal.
The first thing you need to know about porcelain is: DO NOT use water. With rare exception, it will ruin the piece. Please note: There is a method of cleaning porcelain IN water; but that requires a pre-fire at a low cone setting. This will not be discussed in this article.
To read the rest of this article and to learn how to clean porcelain, click here.
Friday, October 16th, 2009
I have always told my students that even if you dip your ceramic piece in pure gold it is not worth two cents if you do not clean it properly to begin with. Good cleaning is the difference between ceramics as a craft and ceramics as an art. Even a beginner can create a work of art.
Spending a little extra time to remove all traces of seams and re-incising details will always pay off in the long run. There are lots of little tricks of the trade that will help speed up the process, but you should never sacrifice quality for speed. Giving that extra bit of attention to your piece can raise its value and garner you a reputation that will keep your customers happy and returning.
There has been a lot of information written about the ‘how to’s’ in cleaning ceramic greenware, but my wonderful teacher showed me a method that I have passed on for almost 50 years that makes the process easy and quite fast. As you become experienced, you will be amazed at just how fast you can whip through a table full of greenware.
If you would like to learn how, and to read the rest of this article click here
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Firing your kiln is really simple, but there are so many variables and factors that come into play that one should not take anything for granted.
There are many types of kilns and several types of firing processes. Here we will primarily address the basics of firing and address specific types and situations in separate articles.
Newer kilns have computerized controls which is pretty much just a matter of setting and forgetting.
Older kiln styles are either manual or come equipped with kiln sitters and/or timers. Some people with manual kilns will use Guide Cones and/or pyrometers to help control temperatures. A timer is used as a back up to help prevent over firing and meltdowns.
Pyrometers are also used in the place of kiln sitters and timers.
To read more about how to fire a kiln, click here.