Over time I have collected a wide range of underglaze colors and brands. Nevertheless, I still sometimes find that don’t have the exact color I want. And I found myself wondering about mixing underglazes. Questions came up for me like whether you can mix underglaze colors? What about mixing different brands of underglaze? And can…
I recently made my first pot with a lid on it. I was at pains to make sure the lid was a perfect fit. But I know that clay shrinks when it dries and can warp when it’s fired. And I didn’t want my perfect lidded pot to be ruined. So, before I let it…
If you are making pottery without a wheel, you may be wondering about the best clay for handbuilding. Pottery clay for handbuilding needs to have certain properties. In this article, I will look at what those properties are and which clay you will find them in. The best clay for handbuilding is stoneware or earthenware…
The first step in making coil pottery is learning how to roll a clay coil. This might sound simple, and of course, in some ways, it is. But, it is also a bit of a skill. When I started making coil pots, I was surprised by how tricky it can be to roll a clay…
Since I started using my DIY raku kiln, I have picked up some tips on the raku firing process. It took me a few tries at firing a raku kiln to use it successfully. And I imagine that the same is true for other people starting out. So, I thought I’d write an article and…
You may be a pottery enthusiast or, better yet, an antique collector. At one point in your endeavors, you might have come across the term Anna pottery and wondered, “what is Anna pottery?”. Well, worry not. This article will provide a description of what Anna pottery is all about. Anna pottery is stoneware from Anna,…
Glaze is the glass coating on the surface of pottery items. It can give the surface a glossy, matte, smooth, textured, opaque, or clear finish. Varying glaze compositions result in different glaze outcomes after firing. Each component has its function that like magic, transforms the glaze’s appearance after firing. Pottery glazes consist of three basic…
If you’re new to pottery, you may have the term throwing on the wheel, and wondered, ‘what is wheel throwing’? It’s a curious phrase and open to some misunderstanding. So, this article is all about wheel throwing and what it means. Wheel throwing pottery is the process of shaping clay on the pottery wheel. Throwing…
When I started to make pottery from home, I really just made it up as I went along. En route, I encountered a few practical issues that I had not anticipated. So, I thought it would be helpful to write a simple guide on how to make pottery at home. To help you avoid some…