Completed Projects

I completed this mug on 12/14 (when it came out of the kiln). I decided to use the darted clay slab technique and follow that design throughout the entirety of the piece. This was my first piece in the class, so I learned how to score and slip, use the slab-rolling machine, how to wedge, and use glazes. Because this was my first piece, it took quite a while to adapt to working with clay. I used only underglazes the first time, then clear glaze for the body of the mug and opalescent glaze for the dolphin.

 

My inspiration for the dolphin design was to make a present for my mom. The idea to make a mug was from the video shown in class with a similar mug design. I think using the underglazes and taking my time worked well on this project. I didn't rush, so  I had the time to perfect errors and design the cup to my liking. I also like how the color combination andglazes came out, which was probably the most difficult thing in this project.

 

In the future, I would have put a piece of clay on the front of the mug and waited for it to get leather hard in order to carve the dolphin instead of layering the clay on while it was still wet. It was quite difficult to get the shape I wanted, and if the clay was more firm I think it would have been a far easier process.  

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After seeing the final product, I realized that I made a mistake in putting on the glaze, missing some areas, and making the colors too dark, however, I am still happy with the final product. In the future, I would definitely use clear glaze on the detailed designs instead of opalescent and ensure I evenly coated all areas of the design.