One of the things I love about pottery and ceramics is that they are very elemental. With its dramatic mix of earth, fire, air, and water raku firing is one of the grittier approaches to pottery. So, what is raku pottery, and how is it made? Raku is a low fire process, reaching around 1830F…
Usually, pottery is fired two times. The first firing is the bisque fire, where the clay is turned into ceramic. The second firing is the glaze fire, where the pottery is glazed. But do you have to bisque fire pottery? Or can you skip the bisque firing stage? No, you don’t always have to bisque…
Slip and underglaze are just two of the many ways you can decorate pottery. But, what is the difference between slip and underglaze? And which one should you use on your pottery? Slip and underglaze are both made of a mixture of clay and water. However, slip contains more clay and can add texture to…
Clear glaze is often used to enhance the colors of underglaze and slip decoration. It is also used to bring out the natural beauty of a particular clay body. But even a little cloudiness can ruin the look of a piece. So, what does turn clear glaze cloudy, and what can you do about it?…
Underglaze can be used for detailed and precise designs on your pottery. Usually, these designs will stay in place when they are fired. But sometimes underglaze can smudge, bleed, and run. What causes underglaze smudging and what can you do about it? There are three points at which underglaze can smudge or bleed. They are:…
If you are taking pottery classes, the chances are that the school or studio has some glazes for you to choose from. They may even glaze your pottery for you. But once you start buying your own glaze and glazing your own pots, you need to consider a few factors when choosing a pottery glaze.…
Underglaze is an incredibly versatile way of decorating clay. So, I thought I’d put together an overview of some of the best underglaze techniques for inspiration. Different Underglaze Techniques If you don’t have time to browse through all these underglaze ideas, you can use the links below to jump to the section that catches your…
Pottery glaze melts when it is fired and will stick to the kiln shelf if it isn’t wiped off. But what about underglaze? Can you put it on the bottom of your pots, or does underglaze stick to the kiln shelf? Many types of underglaze don’t stick to the kiln shelf when they are fired. …
There are a few situations where you might need to rehydrate bone dry clay. Perhaps you have a bag of unused clay that has dried out in a big block. Maybe you have some dry unused clay scraps, or perhaps your pottery has become too dry to trim. Either way, there are some simple ways…