im not feeling.

i am not feeling pottery i am just in a slump. i am having trouble throwing most days, i dont really want to cut the things i make and i am tired of the same old white glaze. the book is something i dread and this class has become more of an obligation than an enjoyment. :( its very sad.

trimming.

i am tired of ruining everything i make.
i stopped making vases because i cant trim them.
so i moved onto bottles.
i wonder how i am going to handle trimming those.

Kristen Kieffer Surface Video

We watched the Kristen Kieffer video Suede to Leatherhard and it was all about surface and different surface techniques! here are the ten techniques she reviewed and some notes about them!

1. Stamps

~Tools used-exacto knife, pencil, arrowehead

~carve into plaster the design you want

~ cut off the excess after pressing the clay into the plaster

~make sure that the lines are deep enough

~"suede" stage-after the clay is not sticky anymore

~cornstarch and finger used to mold, bend the clay and rock the stamp

*kristen keiffer

2. Slip Trailing

~bulb tool

~slip needs to be the consistency of yogurt

~use a practice tile before moving to the piece

~pause before the ending of the line then pull the tool straight up

~leather hard

*artist- catherine weisener

3.Sponging on Slip

~burn the sponge and the design desired onto the sponge

~paint the slip onto the surface of the sponge

~press the sponge straight onto the surface and the design will come out

~leather hard

*artist- erin furimsky

4. Paper Resist

~xerox paper

~use any shapes or cut paper

~get the paper wet enough to stick to the pot then press it on

~paint the slip on and using a needle tool, pull the edge of the paper up

~colored slip usually works best for this process

~leather hard

5. Combing and Dairy Queen

~paint the slip on and using the metal comb, comb through it to make designs

~using the slip brush make lines in the slip or designs

*tom coleman

6. Banding

~Banding wheel

~slip, straight lines, curved lines

~center the pot before working on it

7. Sgraffito

~dip the piece in black slip

~using the needle tool, carve away an image that will appear on the peice

*eva kwong

8. Mishima

~carve into the clay at the leather hard phase

~lay underglaze in the carved lines then sponge away the excess just leaving the thin intracate design in underglaze

*harris deller

9. Water Etching

~paint on the stuff (i forgot what is is called)

~ wash it off

*matt terhune

10. Sprigging

~making a mould of something and attaching it to the peice