Yippee!!

I've received my first commission!

Scott's friend Dave has been visiting this evening, and he liked my "goblets" (as we have decided to call them) so much that he asked me to make a couple for his Mum and Dad! Yippee!!

I had no idea what to charge, but I just blurted out a price and he accepted, so Yay me! :D


In other news
I'm not sure what's going on with blogger but I've noticed that my new posts have not been listed in the blog roll feed thingy on other people's blogs. So if you're thinking this is my first post in a week, scroll down!

There's nothing like it

No, there's nothing like a few new glazes and coloured slips to spur you on! So, I've been quite busy with clay this week!

Leanne's beautiful work got me itching to do more sgraffito, so I started with a couple of tiles. I haven't been able to photograph them successfully yet though, so you may have to wait until they're fired to see them.

I also spent some time with my niece and nephew last weekend, so we made a couple of mugs for them to decorate themselves. Asriel did a great job decorating his over sized mug!


He's decorated it with coloured slips and added a few ivy leaves. He's carved his name on the other side, which again, doesn't photograph well at the moment.

Charise has decided that she will colour her mug with glazes. She plans to glaze the butterflies in pink.


When I was helping Charise put this mug together (well, ok, so I took over and just did it for her!) the clay was quite soft and started slumping outwards at the bottom. I decided to make a feature of it and pushed it out slightly further, which gave me an idea...

I'd been planning to have a girly night and wanted to make a gift for everyone. I gave small clay gifts last time (coasters and tiles) and it seemed to go down well. This time I thought I would make cups/tumblers/drinking vessels since I don't have many drinking glasses, and I decided I would personalise them and then my guests could take them home at the end of the evening. I couldn't decide on a shape though, and this is where Charise's mug helped! This is what I came up with...


These won't have any handles because they're meant for cold drinks. I think the shape is really pretty, even though I say so myself!

They're slab built, and I made them two at a time, since that's all I really have space for.


Here's the before and after! On the left I have wrapped the slab around the base, and joined it together. On the right I have smoothed the join, pushed the clay in slightly at the bottom to create a "foot" and then using a rounded end tool I pushed the clay out from the inside using stroking movements. Then I smoothed the rim.


Here they are, painted with coloured slip and ready to carve. If only these colours would stay those pastel shades! They're so pretty!


And here are the personalised cups, waiting to be fired and glazed. (This clear photo was a fluke! Since making more I can't seem to get a clear photo of the carving, just as with the tiles. Oh, and notice Asriel's huge mug in the background! He's just like his Nan and likes a big cuppa when he gets in from school!)


I've made six now, so only another... four to go, I think.

I've also been making another set of small coil built bowls. Here they are...


Just the square one to go and then the set is complete. They're both made with the same clay, but one is dry and the other is still damp, hence the different colours.

And that has been my week! It's been great to get back in the swing of things. I think I've been spurred on by this upcoming exhibition too, as well as the fact that classes finish in a few weeks.

This Monday I see how my Ivy vase looks glazed!

Getting Nervous...

After spending over four and half hours at home glazing my Ivy vase and then another couple of hours at class touching it up, I took a moment to say farewell to it before it went into the kiln. This is the worst part for me, never knowing if the glaze is going to enhance it's look or completely ruin it. I always get nervous at this stage, but more so this time because I really need this piece to come out perfect for the show.

One piece that had no chance of survival was the smaller Ivy vase, which I stupidly put in the kiln without stilts after I touched up the leaves, forgetting that the bottom had been glazed previously. This was the result:



I'd kind of "grown beyond" this piece anyway and wasn't really attached to it, but it's annoying because I know there was a lady who actually wanted to buy it!

The other vase that I touched up was the Tree Fairy vase. The leaves were too grey, so I put a greener glaze on them.

before

after

Hmm... what a rubbish photo. I'm getting really lazy with my photography aren't I? Daylight is better for photographing pieces really, but we don't get much of it at this time of year! And it's cold outside! So, the leaves are greener and the face isn't that bright, and I suppose you'll just have to take my word for it!

Other pieces that came out of the kiln this week were my two little vases:



The black one has pin holes, and you can still see the design under the glaze on the white one. I keep getting told off for being a perfectionist: "But it's hand made!" I keep being told. "If you want perfection, buy something from Tesco!" Why can't I have hand made perfection? Anyway, I think they're good enough for the show. Only I know that the design on the white one isn't supposed to be there (well, and you as well now!).

And now I wait to see how my pieces come out of the kiln next week...

My vase that Leanne carved all those months ago was finally glazed last night... by my new glazing technician! Ok, I wish, but you never know... if the results are good this could become a regular thing! She seemed to enjoy herself anyway, "she" being my niece, Charise (pronounced Sha-reece). (I had so much stuff to carry that my tutor said she could come with me to help)


I was thinking of paying her in chocolate. Would that be classed as child slave labour? :)

I just couldn't wait...

... and a good thing too!

No, I just couldn't wait to use my new glazes! But I am so glad that I started glazing my pieces early, because now I realise just how much time I am going to need to glaze that vase!! I just started on the leaves last night, and I can't tell you how long it took! And that was just one coat! So guess what I'll be doing all weekend!



It was so hard getting into all the nooks and crannies! I went round the vase quite methodically, trying to make sure I got every leaf, but today I've noticed an edge of a leaf that I missed! Argh! I don't want any white patches!

I also re-glazed the little bowls with a lovely matte English Blue. They look shiny here because the glaze is still wet. I can't wait to see what they look like when they come out of the kiln!



These glazes are so lovely to use, they go on so easily. Considering the surface of these bowls was glossy due to previous glazing, this glaze has covered it nicely. Maybe if I stick to Mayco from now on I'll have more glaze successes!


UPDATE

So I decided to carry on glazing the vase this evening. Remind me why I thought making something so intricate was a good idea? Four and a half back breaking hours later...

(yeah, blurry photo, I'm tired so I don't care)

... and I still need to glaze the inside!! I wasn't going to bother, but I have a crackle glaze on the outside, which apparently puts the vase under stress, so it needs a plain gloss on the inside to support it structurally - never mind the vase... I'm under stress!! After all that glazing, I need some support structurally!!

All this moaning, and yet we both know I'm gonna go and do it again! :D

Yippee Yippee Yippee!!

My glazes came today!

Wow, I didn't expect them so soon! I was really worried that they might not even get here by Monday, as the lady on the phone used words such as "hopefully" and "should be".

So I did a little happy dance in the kitchen while I was getting my cereal, and sang a little happy song...

"Zipadee doo dah, zipadee ay, my oh my, my glazes came today...!"

So, so far everything is right on schedule...

The Clock is Ticking!!

Firstly, I must say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Queeny, who has not only recently had her first show, but has also been asked to exhibit in a gallery, and has been kept very busy with orders for her beautiful necklaces!! Way to go Queeny!!

I also have an exhibition coming up, which I have booked my table for, and now I have to try to fill it! The date is Sunday 22nd November, but seeing as I can only access the kiln at class once a week, I am running out of time! It doesn't help when items come out of the kiln looking... not as expected! For example, my lovely little set of bowls which I collected from class this week...


They're streaky, which is never a good look, and the smallest one is a much lighter shade than the other two. Also, they have pinholes and little red dots that shouldn't be there. So these won't be included. Very frustrating. (Ignore the green splodge on the table - I took these photos at class which is held in a school classroom where kid's flick paint around all day!)


They don't look too bad in the photo, but trust me, the camera lies!!

So all I really have ready for the exhibition right now is my polar bear and swan! I've touched up the tree fairy vase and the original small ivy vase and they are back in the kiln (the leaves on the tree fairy vase needed to be more green, and a leaf on the ivy vase broke, leaving a bare patch), and I finally decided to glaze the other two little vases instead of leaving them bare and firing them to stoneware. They are in the kiln also.

I have to say that glazing those two little vases was pure pleasure! How easy it is to forget what a difference good quality glazes make! It made me realise that, no matter how skint we are at the moment, if I want my large ivy vase to come out looking beautiful, I really have to buy my own glazes. So that's what I did today. Monday will be my very last opportunity to get that vase in the kiln if I want it to be ready in time, and the supplier has said that they will get the glazes to me by Monday! Please don't be late! The clock is ticking!


UPDATE

Damn it, damn it, damn it! I've realised I did a really stupid thing yesterday - after retouching the small ivy vase I popped it in the kiln... forgetting that it had previously been glazed on the bottom... so I didn't put any stilts under it! I've just called the tutor John, and he didn't check it because, well, he didn't expect me to do anything as stupid as that! So the vase will now be stuck to the shelf. That's another ruined piece and one less piece for the show! Not to mention a ruined shelf, which John was great about actually. Thank you John.

Lots of Photos!

Yes, I know, I didn't post at all last week, so I have lots of photos for you this week to make up for it.

Let me first say a big hello to Anne from the clay class, who was on holiday this week with her family. Hello Anne!


And as promised, here are some photos of her amazing chess pieces. Just look at that detail!


There's just one piece there on the right that doesn't seem to fit in with the rest! I suspect someone has made this piece and put it in with the others!


But what's happening here? Yes, I'm afraid that while Anne was away John our tutor (on the left) and Anne's so called friend Pete (on the right) decided to bash Anne's pieces to pieces!!


Here's one of Pete's amazing miniature vases, which he has decorated too! (Click photo to enlarge)


Actually, we have a lot of very talented people in this class. Look at this beautiful plate by Sam! Such pretty detail!


Those are Lesley's hands hard at work. I love love love this lady's work! She's very productive and makes amazing sculptures.


And Zandra's stuff is amazing too. Look at this beautiful horse.


This is a sculpture that Zandra is working on at the moment. Both Lesley and Zandra work from imagination without photo reference!


So as you can see, I'm surrounded by lots of inspiring people at class!

Just as Cynthia has done previously, Lesley was encouraging me to just "play" last night, with no expectations. So I started with a lump of clay and cut away at it, and without putting too much pressure on myself, started my first figurine!


Ok, it's very simple and it's not that great, but it was just an experiment really. I'd love to eventually be able to produce beautiful figurines like Peter Holland.


It was so good to get my hands in some clay again! I really have to make some time for that at home!


It didn't matter how many photo's I took, her body looked too long and her skirt/legs too short, even though she looked in proportion in the flesh. The average person is supposed to be about 7 head lengths, so I drew out the markings just to prove to myself that the camera was lying!


She ended up in the recycling anyway. If I was making a figurine for real I think I would start with a hollow skirt, to save damaging it later when I try to hollow it out.

And finally, here are my naked vases with a pattern painted on with iron oxide. I say "naked" because they have no glaze on and they will possibly stay that way. John thought they would look good left bare and fired to stoneware, and I agree.



No class next week as it's half term holiday and also our 12th wedding anniversary! I hope you are all keeping well?