Carve Your Clay by Hilda Carr—book review and recommended Tools

This post includes an overview of the book Carve Your Clay, followed by a guide to tools that will help you get started with carving and shaping clay.

Carve Your Clay: Techniques to Bring the Ceramics Surface to Life is a 2020 book by Hilda Carr that is full of useful information and tutorials about carving and altering the surface of ceramic vessels. Beautifully illustrated with photographs throughout, it’s a great introduction to Carr’s pottery techniques in an approachable and easy to follow style that details each step of the process.

The Contents section of Carve Your Clay.

The book opens with a section on materials and techniques including an overview of clay, tools, and forming techniques. Then, in a quick but useful section, 14 different carving techniques are covered with one picture each. Finally, glazing is briefly discussed. The book does not contain any glaze recipes, but a simple web search or review of any glaze book would give approximate versions of the cone 6 oxidation glazes used by Carr, including glossy whites, matte whites, and glossy clears.

The main bulk of the book is 16 projects that involve carving, combing, faceting, or other ways of altering the surface of a vessel. Each project is clearly explained and illustrated, with 4 to 10 pages devoted to each project and step-by-step photos illustrating each project and technique. This is one of the clearest and easiest to follow ceramics technique books that I have ever read.

The first two pages of the Contrast-Carved Planter project.

The projects are mostly aimed at potters working on the wheel, with 11 projects that start with wheel-thrown pieces. Three projects start with slabs, and one project each using pinching and slip casting. But, if you are not a wheel turner, most of the projects could be modified and done using pinching or slab techniques. In any case, the main idea of the book is to take a clay vessel and alter or carve the surface, and the projects show a variety of approaches that are sure to excite any one working with clay.

Overall, this is one of the best ceramic technique books recently published and Carr really brings us into her world and shares her techniques in a beautiful, engaging, and inspiring way. This is a great book for beginners or advanced potters alike.

Carve Your Clay:
Techniques to Bring the Ceramics Surface To Life
by Hilda Carr
Published 2020 by Quarry Books
Hardcover or Paperback, 144 pages
Listed at $27 but typically available for $20-$25

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More Images from Inside the Book

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Carving Tools

Hilda Carr recommends 11 different carving tools, many from around the house. Carr writes on page 12, “Don’t limit yourself to purchasing specialist pottery tools; a number of my tools are either homemade or re-purposed items from around the house.”

With that in mind, use what you have or here is a guide to tools for carving, shaping, and faceting.

The Osti Wire Cheese Slicer has a thick and thin side.

Wire Cheese Slicer

Carr uses a double sided, stick-shaped wire cheese slicer like this. It can be tightened at the top, and has two thickness option. This slicer, from Osti, retails for $13, but there are a variety of slicers out there.

Ball-tipped Stylus

Kemper makes a few double-sided, ball-tipped stylus tools that are great for sgraffito.

Ball-tipped stylus tools are great for sgraffito work. They can be found in a variety of sizes such as the double-end tools made by Kemper. They are usually available for $4 to $6 each.

You can also use a dull pencil as a stylus, but it does wear down and require sharpening somewhat often. Or, there are plenty of generic double-ended stylus tool. Click the link below or search for “embossing stylus tool.”

Scoop-Shaped Clean Up Tool

The Kemper clean up tool.

Carving tools such as the Kemper Clean Up Tool features a scoop end with a point, and another end with a blade for cutting. It can be used for cutting larger areas, scraping, or as a fine point. Kemper makes a few different clean up tools and the clean up tools are also available as generics.

Wire Loop Sgraffito Tool

The Kemper Wire Loop Sgraffito tool is a great option for detailed carving.

Another great option for sgraffito carving is a small wire loop tool. Much smaller than a normal loop tool, these really help you get great lines. The Kemper WLS “wire loop sgraffito” tool is a great option with two loops on a double ended tool.

Ribbon Tools and Loop Tools

The Kemper R2 ribbon tool has a curved side and a flat side.

Ribbon tools and loop tools are another great carving tool. Both are a metal band or wire loop connected to a wooden handle, and often are double side. The small, curved ribbon tool is a great carving tool and there are also many options with different shapes and sizes. Loop tools are often larger and used for trimming pots.

Most introductory pottery kits come with a ribbon tool and a loop tool, but if you don’t have one, look into a Kemper R2 Double Ended Ribbon Tool. It typically costs around $6.

Combing Tools

A 6 pack of metal decorating combs.

Serrated ribs and combing tools are another great option for modifying the surface of clay. You can make these yourself, such as from metal or plastic, or there are plenty of options online for a few dollars per rib. Pottery stores carry wooden options, or you can find metal or plastic ribs by searching for “cake decorating combs.” Often, a 6 pack of cake decorating combs are around $10.

One note on these multi packs, is that you may only need one or two of these combs. Some of the smaller grooves may not be as useful for decorating ceramic surfaces.

Pottery Knives and Scrapers

More useful for clean up than making decorative marks, knives and flat metal ribs or scrapers are very useful for cleaning up designs after the piece has dried to the bone dry stage.

Fluting Tool

The Xiem Fluting Tool has three blades.

Our final recommendation is a bit of a specialized tool — you can get a similar effect from a rounded ribbon tool, but this Fluting Tool from Xiem is well thought out and nice to use. It’s a handle with three sizes of fluted carving tools that can be swapped out as needed. There are also replacement blades available, making this a tool set that you can keep using for a long time, even if the blades wear out. It typically costs around $18-22 for the set.

Conclusion

This post has covered the technique book Carve Your Clay, along with recommended tools for carving and altering the clay surface.

Do you you have a favorite carving tool? Let us know in the comments.

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Pinch Pot Vase With a Lid — Pottery Tutorial

Pinch pots are a classic beginning project in ceramics, but this tutorial shows how to take them a step further by combining two pots into a vase with a simple lid. For this project you will need clay, simple ceramic tools, glaze, and underglaze.

The complete tutorial is below or check out this video of the same process.

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Step 1: Make 2 Pinch Pots

Starting with a small ball of clay, stick your thumb in the center and then pinch the walls to an equal thickness.

As you are making the pinch pots, try to keep the walls an even thickness and keep the rim flat.

To help even out the rims, which we will be joining in the next step, you can turn the pinch pot upside down and tap it against your work surface.

After your first pinch pot, make a second. Try to keep the diameter of the two pinch pots roughly the same.

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Step 2: Join the Pinch Pots

After making the two pinch pots, it’s time to join them. Make sure the rims somewhat match up, but it’s ok if your pinch pots are varied shapes. Spherical, egg shaped, cylindrical—all will make a nice vase.

To join the pinch pots, first score with a serrated rib or fork, paint on joining slip, and then press the two pinch pots together.

Not pictured here, but it’s great to take a rib or other tool to really smooth the joint of the two pinch pots

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Step 3: Add a Foot Ring

This vase benefits from a small foot ring. To make one, first roll a thin coil and form it into a circle.

Then, score, slip and press the foot ring to the base.

A wooden modeling tool can help join and clean up the foot ring.

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Step 4: Cut and Shape the Lid

Now that you have a footed vessel, it’s time to make the lid.

Start by cutting the opening in the top.

Using the circle of clay you just cut out, you can pinch it a bit wider than the hole you just made. Add a curve or keep it flat.

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Step 5: Add a Bumper and Knob to the Lid

To help the lid stay in place, make a small ring with a coil of clay, and join it to the underside of the lid. This will help it sit and stay in place.

You can also add a small knob to the lid, as shown in the picture.

When you have finished this step, you can let the piece dry, and then bisque fire it.

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Step 6: Glazing

For this example, I glazed the lid with just underglaze by painting on 3 coats of an orange underglaze. I like to have a contrast between matte and glossy, but you can do whatever you want with your piece.

Using a clay shredder to clean up the outside rim.

For the vase, I layered two glazes to get the drippy blue and white effect. The first glaze was a white crawl glaze, which I poured inside the vase and painted on the outside. I applied a few layers to get it extra thick. Then, I painted a blue glaze on top of the blue crawl glaze.

Excess glaze was wiped away from the mouth of the vase, but I fired the vase and the lid separately.

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All done!

Here’s the final results, a small lidded vase with an orange lid and drippy, blue and white glaze on red stoneware.

There are so many variations that you can do on this, and if you try it, you will find your own way to make a lidded vase. Have fun.

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Press-molded Pasta Bowl from a Clay Slab — Pottery Tutorial

Using a woven wood salad bowl as a pottery slump mold is a great way to easily make plates, bowls, or pasta plates. This tutorial will cover how to use this technique, including rolling out the slab, cutting, and shaping the pasta plate

For this process, you will need a wooden salad bowl. A plaster form will also work, but do not use plastic or metal bowls as clay will stick to them. This tutorial uses a 14-inch wide wooden bowl which costs around $15, but you can do this technique with any size or shape wooden bowl.

You will also need a canvas or slab mat, and a large rolling pin (or a slab roller).

Here’s a video of the process and a full tutorial with pictures is below.

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Step 1: Make a Slab

Pounding the wedged clay to begin making a slab.

To make a slab, either use a slab roller and roll out a slab about 3/8 of an inch thick, or roll it by hand as shown here.

To roll a slab by hand, I first start by pounding or punching the wedged clay down on a canvas mat. A double layer of yardsticks is already set up to be ready to roll.

Pounding the clay roughly into a circle.

As I continue pounding it down using the bottom of a fist, I try to work the clay into a roughly circular shape.

Next, I throw the clay from the side at an angle, to stretch and thin the slab even more.

Throwing the slab at an angle to thin and stretch it.

When the clay is about an inch thick, then I will start rolling. I will first roll it evenly with the double layer of yardsticks. Then, to get the slab thinner, I will take away one yardstick on each side and roll the slab again until it is even.

Rolling the slab with a large rolling pin.

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Step 2: Cut Slab Using Bowl as Template

Using the woven wood salad bowl as a template to cut a circle of clay.

After preparing your slab, invert the bowl and use it as a template to cut a circular slab. I cut right along the edge of the bowl, but you could cut it bigger if you want to make a taller bowl.

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Step 3: Flip Slab and Shape Into the Mold

Preparing to flip the slab and bowl using the canvas.

After cutting your circular slab and removing excess clay, fold up the canvas on top of the bowl and use the canvas to help flip the slab and bowl right side up.

If done correctly, the slab should sit on top of the bowl or begin to drop in to the bowl. It may be a little bit uneven, but this is ok because you are going to cut off extra clay later.

Using the canvas to flip the slab into the bowl.

After flipping the slab, press it gently into the bowl form. You can use a sponge to aid in this process, or even tap the bowl against the table so that the slab drops in against the sides.

Gently forming the slab into the bowl shape. Don’t press too hard or you will make a bunch of fingerprint marks.

To tap the slab into place, hold both sides of the bowl and tap it against the table a few times. The slab will drop in and take on the shape of the wooden bowl.

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Step 4: Refine and Smooth

After your slab is in, you can use a sponge or a rib to smooth the inside, make sure everything is even, and make any adjustments to the slab.

Smoothing the inside of the bowl with a sponge.

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Step 5: Cut Off Excess Clay and Smooth Rim

Cut off excess clay with a clay knife.

After smoothing and organizing the inside of the bowl, you can cut off excess clay and clean the rim. For a plate, cut close to the base. For a pasta plate, leave about an inch for the wall. For a shallow bowl, leave about 2 inches for the wall. But it’s totally up to you! Make a shape that looks good to you.

Cleaning the rim.

After cutting off the extra clay, clean and smooth the rim with a sponge.

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Step 6: Dry Overnight, then Flip Bowl Out of Mold

Flipping the pasta plate out of the wooden bowl.

After drying a few hours or overnight (you can leave it uncovered) you should be able to flip the pasta plate out of the woven wood bowl. Take care! Leather hard and bone dry ware can be fragile.

Using a clay shredder to clean up the outside rim.

Smoothing the rim and removing tool marks.

Then, you can further refine the rim by using a clay shredder tool, a loop tool, or a rib.

After shaping the rim, it’s a good idea to smooth the rim with a damp sponge. But don’t work it so much that you “sand” away the finest particles. Just try to smooth it out.

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All done!

The pasta plate immediately after being removed from the kiln.

After cleaning the bowl, you can let it dry fully, bisque fire, and then glaze.

This pasta plate was glazed in a satin white glaze.

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Tutorial Recap

If you need a wooden bowl for this process, here are links to a single bowl ($15) or a 4 pack of the 14” bowls. These bowls are actually about 13.5 inches wide, but work great for making a plate that is around 11 to 11.5 inches wide.

You may also need a canvas, slab mat, and large rolling pin. I prefer a solid maple rolling pin.

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Turn a Bottle into an Oval Flask — Pottery Tutorial

Turning a bottle into an oval flask is a fun way to modify and personalize your pottery. This tutorial will cover every step of modifying a round bottle to make an oval vessel on the pottery wheel.

Here’s a video of the process and a full tutorial with pictures is below.

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Step 1: Center and Open

Beginning to center the wedged clay.

In this tutorial, four pounds of red stoneware clay was used, but you can vary the amounts based on the size of flask you want to make.

Remember that you will be cutting the form off the base, and then re-attaching a slab base in the new oval shape.

Opening the clay to throw a cylindrical form.

After wedging, join the clay to the wheel head and begin centering. Then, open the mass of clay and organize the clay into a base and walls.

For a bottle, you want a flat bottom, about 1/2 inch from the wheel head. But we will be cutting this off the bottom so the thickness of your base is not of great concern at this point, but you still want the walls to be even.

Pull the walls as high and thin as you can, but keep a good amount of clay at the top as the next step will be collaring in to make the neck.

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Step 2: Collar In to Make the Bottle Neck and Mouth

Begin collaring by using wet hands and slowly move the clay in.

After pulling the walls, beging to collar in the top to make the shoulders, neck, and mouth of the pot. This should be done slowly with multiple passes.

Bring the clay in to the desired width of your neck. You will be able to make adjustments later too.

Before putting the finishing touches on the neck and mouth, I clean up the walls as shown in the next step.

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Step 3: Cleaning the Walls and Shaping

Removing excess clay from the lower half of the form.

After collaring in the top, I like to do a quick step where I remove some excess clay from the base of the walls. You may throw perfectly thin, but I usually need this trimming to get rid of extra clay on the bottom half. I use a large trimming tool to remove clay.

Shaping the shoulder and neck with a rib.

Then, I use a rib to refine the shape of the neck and shoulder. This will also remove slip, making our next step easier.

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Step 4: Removing the Base and Pressing Into an Oval

After throwing and shaping your round bottle, use a needle tool to cut the form from the base. Pick the bottle up and set it aside. Place a rolled-out slab on your work area and return the bottle form. Then, with equal pressure from both sides, press the bottle into an oval form.

Cut the bottle off from the base.

Place a slab in your work area, the press the bottle into an oval shape.

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Step 5: Adding a Slab Base and Cleaning Up

Join the oval form to the slab base.

When you have your bottle top and base shaped just how you want them, score both sides, add slip and join.

It can be helpful to press the slab base up into the wall by running a wooden tool underneath the slab.

Then, cut off excess clay and smooth the base and wall together.

Pressing the base up into the wall with a wooden tool.

Cleaning up the base after removing excess clay.

Smoothing the walls.

Trimming the walls of the bowl.

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All done! After cleaning up, it’s time to let your oval flask dry and get it bisque fired. The wide sides of this form can provide a great canvas for decoration. Good luck!

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The 14 Best New Pottery and Ceramics Books of 2023

Lots of great new titles focusing on pottery and ceramics were published in 2023 and late 2022. Our top picks are below, including a mix of technique and art history books.

For more books, check out these posts from last year:

Best Pottery Technique Books 2022

Best Ceramic History Books and Monographs 2022

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By My Hands: A Potter’s Apprenticeship by Florian Gadsby

Florian Gadsby has been documenting his ceramic journey since his student days via Instagram, YouTube and other social media sites. A dynamic, exacting potter and engaging instructor via his videos, in By My Hands Gadsby shares a behind-the-scenes look at his journey in his first book.

Hardcover, 400 pages, published Fall 2023 by Ten Speed Press, $35

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Handbuilt: A Modern Potter’s Guide by Lilly Maetzig

Lilly Maetzig is a potter who has built a strong following online for instructional videos (search for Mae Ceramics) and in her first book, introduces more than 20 projects that you can do without a wheel including a pedestal bowl, pinched teapot, and nest plates.

Hardcover, 176 pages, published spring 2023 by Quadrille Publishing, $24

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Form and Surface: African Ceramics from the William M. Itter Collection by Diane Pelrine

This book celebrates the African ceramics held in the collection of the Sidney and Lois Eskinazi Museum of Art at the University of Indiana.

Hardcover, 192 pages, published Fall 2023 by Scala Arts Publishers, $50

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Ceramic Artist on Creative Processes by Miguel Ángel Pérez Arteaga

In this book, 25 ceramic artists from around the world describe their art making methodology and practice in their own words. Richly illustrated, it offers a deep insight into the minds of professional artists.

Hardcover, 304 pages, published Fall 2023 by Hoaki, $40

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Lucie Rie: The Adventure of Pottery by Andrew Nairne

Published to coincide with a UK exhibition of Rie’s work, this catalogue includes five new essays examining Rie’s work and career and includes more than 150 images in full color.

Hardcover, 240 pages, published September 2023 by Kettle’s Yard, $45

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Beginner’s Guide to Decorating Pottery by Emily Reinhardt

A thorough guide for beginners, this book covers glazes, inlay and surface decoration, lusters, patterns and mark making, and more in an easy-to-follow format. Part of a series of beginner’s guides to ceramics.

Paperback, 160 pages, published September 2023 by The Quarry Books, $25

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Kate Malone: A Life in Clay by Emma Crichton-Miller

One of the UK’s leading ceramic artists, this monograph examines the work and career of Kate Malone, born 1959. With essays, color photographs and more, this book will be sure to delight fans of Malone’s work and others, who may have seen Malone as a judge on the Great Pottery Throwdown.

Hardcover, 252 pages, published by Skira, December 2023, $60.

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Colors of Kyoto: The Seifū Yohei Ceramic Studio by Shinya Maezaki

This book takes a deep and comprehensive look, for the first time in English, at the Kyoto studio of Seifū Yohei, who was the first ceramist to be named an Imperial Household Artist. The book includes essays and images of 100 artworks, as well as discussion of technique, forms, and glazes that were unique to the studio.

Paperback, 216 pages, published September 2023 by Giles, $30

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Promise Me The Earth by Kristin Morgin

This monograph examines Los Angeles artist Kristin Morgin who makes unfired sculptures from a mixture of clay, glue, wood and other materials. Known for her wit, craftsmanship, and ability to twist pop art to her own ends, this book includes a lengthy interview with the artist as well as numerous illustrations. Each copy is signed by the artist and includes a small drawing.

Hardcover, 120 pages, published Marc Selwyn FIne Art, late 2022, $60.

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Earth & Fire: Modern Ceramicists, Their Tools, Techniques, and Practice by Kylie Johnson and Tiffany Johnson

Earth & Fire explores the techniques and practices of 45 ceramic artists, ranging from potters to sculptors to jewelers and more. The book includes more than 300 color photos and illustrations, illuminating a wide variety of ceramic techniques.

Hardcover, 272 pages, published by Thames and Hudson, September 2023, $50

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Ash Glazes: Techniques and Glazing from Natural Sources by Phil Rogers and Hajeong Lee Rogers

Updated and edited by Hajeong Lee Rogers, this classic by Phil Rogers explores the history of ash glazes, how to test and mix the, and how to apply them to get the best results. With images of potters who use ash glazes from around the world, this new edition provides inspiration for ceramic artists interested in exploring and reinventing this age-old tradition.

Hardcover, 192 pages, published October 2023 by Herbert Press, $40

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Nina Fránková: Hollow by Nina Fránková

The first monograph on the Czech artist, who was born in 1987, the book includes numerous images and five essays.

Paperback, 160 pages, published fall 2023 by Onomatopee Projects, $18

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Ceramics in America 2023 edited by Robert Hunter

The latest edition of the yearly journal, the 2023 edition includes essays on backwoods North Carolina potter John Wesley Carpenter, contemporary artist David Mack, a snuff box made in London in the 18th century from American clay, and more. Richly illustrated throughout.

Hardcover, 240 pages, published Fall 2023 by the Chipstone Foundation, $65

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Roger Capron: Céramiste by Pierre Staudenmeyer

(Book is in French) A vastly expanded reprint of a 2003 monograph that examines the life and career of French ceramic sculptor and ceramic manufacturer Roger Capron, 1922–2006. This richly illustrated edition includes text by Pierre Staudenmeyer and an interview between Capron’s wife Jacotte Capron and Flavien Gaillard.

Hardcover, 208 pages, published October 2023 by Editions Norma, $60 (French language edition)

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Are there any recently published ceramic books that we missed? Let us know in the comments.

For more books, check out these posts:

Best Pottery Technique Books 2022

Best Ceramic History Books and Monographs 2022

See all posts tagged “Ceramics Library”

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Make a Wide Salad Bowl Pottery Tutorial

A salad bowl is one of my favorite things to make on the pottery wheel. This tutorial will cover every step of making a salad bowl including centering, opening, pulling the walls, trimming, and glazing.

When making this shape, keep in mind that the key to this form is to make the walls more vertical, around a 45 degree angle when pulling up, and then gradually open and lower the walls in the shaping stage.

Here’s a video of the process and a full tutorial with pictures is below.

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Step 1: Center and Open

Beginning to center the clay.

In this tutorial, five pounds of brown speckled clay was used, but this style of bowl could be made in any range of weights and clay bodies.

Pushing forward and down after bringing up a cone of clay.

Recommended weights for this style:
Small bowl — 2 to 4 pounds
“Normal” serving bowl — 4 to 7 pounds
Large bowl — 8 pounds or more.

The first opening move.

After wedging, join the clay to the wheel head and begin centering.

I usually bring the clay up into a cone and then push it forward and back down at least three times, until the clay feels even, organized, and workable. This process is called “wedging on the wheel” but you should always wedge your clay before joining on the wheel head too!

The second opening “pinch” inwards.

Then, open the mass of clay. I first put my right thumb in and squeeze towards my left hand, then I do a second open where I pinch the clay in towards my torso. As this will be a bowl, it’s best to have a curved bottom rather than the flat bottom you would want for a cylinder.

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Step 2: Pull Up and Out

The first pull using an index finger wrapped around a thumb in a semi-fist position.

After centering and opening the clay, the next step is to pull the clay.

For my first pull, I use the knuckle / side of my index finger with my hand in a fist position. I find this to be stronger and results in less strain on my wrist.

Remember to ompress the rim after each pull.

Usually, I will make a bowl like this in three to four pulls, but do as many pulls as you need without overly softening the clay. After each pull, it’s important to compress the rim. Also, focus on bring the clay up more than out. In the next step, the bowl will be lowered and widened using a rib.

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Step 3: Opening, Shaping, and Lowering the Walls

Beginning to shape and lower the walls with a large rib.

After pulling the walls up and somewhat out, the next step is to shape and lower the walls. You may be happy with a more upright shape, and those can be great bowls! But these photos show how a large rib can be used to gently shape and lower the walls of the bowl into an almost platter-like form.

The second pass with the rib, bringing the walls even lower.

You should not be adding any water in this stage and as you are removing slip and starting to dry the bowl a bit, you can be somewhat adventurous in shaping the walls.

You can make numerous passes to really get the wall the shape that you want. You may need to find or make a rib that is your desired profile for the inside of a bowl.

The best tool for this is a large rib made out of metal, wood, or plastic. In this tutorial, I’m using a homemade metal rib that you can make following this tutorial.

The final step is to smooth the inside and remove any throwing marks.

The final step is to really smooth and refine the inside of the bowl (We’ll deal with the outside in the trimming stage.) For this, I use a red Mudtools brand rib, but you can use any flexible rib to compress and smooth the inside of the bowl.

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If you want to watch the centering, opening, pulling, and shaping process in one continuous shot, here’s a video of just that:

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Step 4: Trimming

Attaching the leather-hard bowl to a bat for trimming.

Trimming is the time to take care of the bottom of the bottom of the bowl.

First, center the upside down bowl and then anchor it in place with at least 4 lugs of clay.

Establishing the foot ring.

Next, lightly trim the outside of the foot ring, until you are at the outside diameter that you want. Then, make a shallow cut to establish the inside of the foot ring.

Trimming inside the foot ring.

After you have established your foot ring, you can trim clay from the inside of the foot ring. A few taps or gentle “pushes” will help you figure out if the clay is still stiff and therefore a bit too thick. Or, if it has a slight give when you push on it, you have trimmed enough.

Testing if the piece has any “give” to see if enough clay has been removed or not.

After trimming the inside of your foot ring, turn your attention to the outside walls. I usually start with a large loop tool and then switch to a detail tool to finish everything.

Trimming the walls of the bowl.

To complete the trimming process, lightly smooth the piece with a sponge, and then finish with a flexible rib to remove any trimming marks.

When you are done trimming, cover the bowl with plastic so it will dry slowly. Bowls and wide forms are especially prone to S-cracks that can be caused by uneven drying.

Final detail trimming with a small, detail loop tool.

Lightly cleaning / compressing with a damp sponge.

Using a rib to smooth out the bowl and remove any trimming marks.

Covering the bowl with plastic wrap for slow drying.

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Step 5: Glazing

Pouring glaze on the inside of the bowl.

After the bisque firing, it’s time for glazing. This bowl was finished in a matte white glaze and because it was made with a speckled clay, the black speckles from the granular manganese add to the glaze.

Pouring glaze on the outside of the bowl.

To glaze a pot, first clean it with a wrung-out, damp sponge to remove any dust or debris.

Then, you can paint, dip, or pour glaze. For this bowl, I poured the glaze, first on the inside, then on the outside.

Cleaning the foot ring with a sponge.

After applying the glaze, use a sponge to clean the footring and you are ready to glaze fire.

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All done! After glaze firing, it’s time to enjoy your bowl. There’s nothing better than eating off of hand made bowls and plates!

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Best Loop Tools for Trimming Pottery

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Make a “Phil Mug” pottery tutorial

View all How To posts

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The Best Loop Tools for Trimming Pottery

For this post, 10 professional-grade loop tools from 6 manufacturers were tested to find the best option for trimming and cleaning up pottery. Considerations included sharpness, comfort while using, durability, and whether the metal in the blade was stiff or more flexible.

Overall, these will all be fine tools for your studio but there were a few favorites including the basic Kemper loop tool and two loop tools from Xiem tools. The drawback for many of these tools was stiffer blades that while they may stay sharp longer, resulted in “chattering” or a slight bouncing while trimming.

Prices for these loop tools range from $4 to over $80 for the specialized tungsten carbide tools. The good news is that you don’t have to spend a lot. Our top picks range from $4 to $18 each.

This test did not include the very cheapest loop tools, such as those that come with light-colored wooden handles found in the budget tool sets. These tools are fine for beginners but the blades wear down very quickly. At the very least, more serious potters should upgrade to the Kemper loop tool (our top pick) or consider starting with the Kemper pottery tool kit. For beginners, also check out our tool guide for pottery beginners.

Every manufacturer makes a large variety of trimming tool shapes, but for the sake of comparison, this test mostly covers “pear shaped” loop tools. If you prefer different shapes, you could find those with the same blades and handles as most of our picks. The conclusion of the post covers some ideas of how to sharpen and maintain your loop tools. All of these tools can be sharpened at least a few times and many are designed to be sharpened over and over.

TOP PICK: Kemper 5” Pear Shaped Loop Tool (* Also the top value / top budget pick!)

The Kemper 5” Pear Shaped Loop Tool. This is also the large loop tool that comes standard in the Kemper Pottery Tool Kit.

After testing, the best option for most studios is the standard Kemper pear-shaped loop tool, which typically retails for $4-$6. This tool combines quality and durability in a very affordable package. It’s available at just about every ceramic supply shop or can be found for just $3.77 at Blick in the United States.

Coming in to this test, this was my default trimming tool, but even after testing all the other loop tools, this is the one I reached for most. The blade stays decently sharp and the metal is soft enough that it doesn’t result in “chattering” or bouncing while trimming. And while the blade does wear down over time, it can be sharpened at least one or two times. For me, these tools typically last 6 to 12 months before I need to replace them. At $4 each, it’s a fantastic deal.

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UPGRADE Pick: Xiem Pro TFT #03 Large Teardrop Shaped Loop Tool

The Xiem Tools Pro TFT #03 or large-sized teardrop shaped trimming tool features a blade that is 1.81 inches wide. Shop tool at Etsy.

The Xiem Pro TFT 03 is my top upgrade pick for a loop tool. The tool features a great blade, the tool is very comfortable in hand, and the handle has one side that is slightly flat so that the tool won’t roll away.

The blade is beveled on both sides and is a gold color when it arrives, although this gold wears away with use. The Xiem Pro line are advertised as “titanium-fused” and they claim it is “three times” harder than regular steel with enhanced rust protection. The blade was sharp but it didn’t stay as sharp as the much more expensive tungsten carbide blades. Throughout my testing, I didn’t notice even a hint of rusting with the blade on this tool.

Xiem makes 3 teardrop-shaped trimming tools, with blades that are about 1 inch, 1.4 inch, or 1.81 inches wide and they cost $17, $18, or $19 each. These tools felt most similar to the Kemper Pro line of tools, but I feel that the quality of the blade and distinctive handle makes them the superior pick versus the Kemper Pro tools.

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ALSO GREAT: Xiem Tools Pro Multi-function Loop Trimming Tool

The Xiem Tools Pro Multi-Function Loop Tool TFT05 has a blade that is about 1.4 inches wide and is available at Etsy.

I wasn’t familiar with these tools before this test, but this distinctive style from Xiem Tools quickly became my favorite detail trimmer. As in the the other Xiem Tools Pro Trimmers, the Multi-Function tools feature a titanium-bonded steel blade and ergonomic handle with a flat bottom.

Where this tool really shines is its versatility and distinctive shape. You can trim broad areas, slight curves, or create a nice right angle on a foot ring or other part of your ware. The multi-function tools have a thinner blade, so they may not be the greatest for your first few passes in trimming, but they are great for detail work.

The blade is beveled on two sides, and is also golden color when new, although that wears off with use. The tool is advertised as being rust-resistant and it stayed rust free throughout the months of testing.

These tools are available with blades that are about .9, 1.4, and 1.9 inches wide, and cost $17, $18, or $19 each. I liked the medium so much that I went ahead and ordered the other two.

For the complete review of every tool tested, keep reading below.

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Table of Contents

1. Top Picks

2. How Loop Tools Were Tested

3. Kemper and Kemper Pro Loop Tools

4. Xiem and Xiem Pro Loop Tools

5. Hsin Tools

6. Groovy Tools Loop Tools

7. Diamond Core Loop Tools

8. MudTools Do All Trim Tool

9. Sharpening Stones and Tools for Ceramic Tools

10. Summary

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How the Loop Tools Were Tested

For this test, every readily available loop tool on the market was purchased. When multiple sizes were present, such as the Xiem Pro line, the medium option was selected so that tools could be compared on a one-to-one basis with relatively similar sizes. Because they were harder to find, Buffalo Pottery Trimming Tools and the Dolan Tools were not tested. (Dolan Tools appear to be unavailable however, it appears that the Kemper Pro line are the exact same tools.)

My own personal biases and preferences also come in to play with this test, so I’ll share that information here: For years, I only used the basic Kemper pear-shaped loop tool and that shape and style of metal just feels “natural” to me. And though I have tried the open-ended L-shaped trimming tools, they have never been something I used regularly and so I am leaving those tools for a future test.

Finally, if you have a loop or trimming tool that feels good to you, that is probably the best thing to keep using as we all have different styles of using these tools.

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Kemper and Kemper Pro Loop Trimming Tools

The Kemper Pro PT310 Loop Tool at top, and the standard Kemper Pear-Shaped Loop Tool at bottom.

Two styles of Kemper loop tools were tested, including the basic Kemper pear-shaped loop tool, and the Kemper Pro PT310 loop tool.

As detailed above, the basic Kemper pear-shaped loop tool is our top pick for its combination of quality, durability, and affordability. It’s often available for $4 or less such as at Blick in the US.

The Kemper Pro line feature thicker blades that are beveled on both sides, and a straight handle. The Pro blade is thicker but not quite as wide as the standard tool, and can be sharpened numerous times. While stiffer, the Pro blade is still forgiving enough that it didn’t result in any chattering in use. The steel blade is somewhat prone to rusting but if you clean your tools after use, this should be a long-lasting tool.

The standard Kemper loop tool typically retails for $4-6 and the Pro tools are available at ceramic supply shops for around $15.

The Kemper standard loop tool at left (it’s worn down after about a year of use) and the Kemper Pro blade at right.

A detail shot of the Kemper Pro PT310 blade. The steel blade is slightly prone to rusting, but it can be sharpened, cleaned, and oiled for years of use.

Kemper and Kemper Pro Trimming Tools
A wide variety of shapes are available with similar blades but tested here were:
Kemper Standard Pear-Shaped Loop Tool $4-6
Kemper Pro PT310 Loop Tool: $15

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Xiem and Xiem Pro Loop Trimming Tools

Top view of the three Xiem Tools trimming tools tested.

Three styles of Xiem loop tools were tested, including the basic LTT05 with a green plastic handle, the TFT05 Multi-Function Loop Tool, and the TFT03 Pear-Shaped Loop Tool. As detailed above, the Xiem Tools Pro line models were definite favorites for their combination of durability, and ergonomic handles. All three Xiem Tools tested feature a flat bottom, so the tool won’t roll away. It’s a nice feature that doesn’t take anything away from the ergonomic, pleasant feel of holding these tools.

The Xiem Tools all have a flat bottom, which is nice feature to keep your tools from rolling away.

The Xiem Loop Trimming Tool or LTT05 tested was a fine trimming tool with a very flat but wide blade with a slight bevel on both sides, and a plastic handle. After a few uses, it wasn’t a tool that I instinctively reached for, and at $15, it’s quite a bit more expensive than the standard Kemper tool. The tool features a blade that is 1.6 inches wide.

I won’t restate everything mentioned above about the Xiem Pro line of trimming tools, but these were definite favorites that I will be ordering more of. They have a great combination of durability, ease of use, quality of materials, and a decent price that is competitive with all the other “professional” loop tools out there.

Close up of the three tools. From left is the Xiem Pro Loop Tool, the Xiem Standard loop tool, and at right is the Xiem Multi-Function Loop Tool.

The Xiem Tools medium sized Multifunction Titatanium Fused Pro Trimming Tool. Shop this style at Etsy.

The Xiem Tools Pro TFT03 pear-shaped trimming tool. Shop this style at Etsy.

The Xiem “standard” Loop Trimming Tool or LTT05. Shop this style at Etsy.

Xiem Tools Trimming Tools

A wide variety of shapes and styles are available. Tested here were:
LTT05 Trimming Tool: $15
TFT03 Teardrop or Pear-Shaped Loop Tool: $18
TFT05 Multi-function trimming tool: $18

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Hsin Tools Trimming Tools

The Hsin Tools tungsten carbide loop tools feature a super-sharp, replaceable tungsten blade and also come with a sharpening tool.

Hsin Tools are designed by potter Hsin-Chuen Lin (You may have seen his many YouTube videos) and the loop tools all feature super-stiff tungsten carbide trimming blades with beautiful wooden handles. The pear shaped tool tested is not cheap—the current price is $88—but the blade is replaceable and they are definitely the nicest looking loop tool tested. It also comes with a sharpening tool so that you can keep it as sharp as possible.

The loop tool features a straight bevel on both side, making it easy to sharpen and maintain.

As a trimming tool, I found it comfortable to hold and although the loop opening was smaller than other tools, it worked fine for a wide variety of trimming purposes. The blade itself has a nice thickness and angle and stayed extremely sharp throughout testing. And although the finish on the handle seemed to fade quickly with clean up, they can be oiled as needed to bring back their shine.

The drawback to this tool (in addition to the price) is that the stiff tungsten material is prone to chattering. As much as I wanted to love this beautiful tool, after a few uses I just didn’t reach for it because I knew that somehow every pot I trimmed would end up with chattering marks. This might be me—I do prefer softer trimming tool metal—but I just didn’t connect with this tool even though I wanted to love it.

Hsin Tools Loop Tools
Available in pear shape or square shape. $80-$88 each
Replacement blades available for $60

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Groovy Tools Loop Tools

Groovy Tools Trimming Tools. At top is the thinner 301 model. At bottom in green is the thicker 205 model.

Groovy Tools are an interesting entry in the loop tools category because of their plastic handles and hardened and tempered blades. Made by Kentucky Mudworks, the tools can be resharpened for a long life and are are available in a variety of shapes. For this test, the pear-shape tool from the 200 and 300 series were tested.

The 200 series has a thicker blade and the 300 series is slightly thinner. In practice, both could be used for a wide variety of trimming tasks and I would consider the thinner 300 series to be a “normal” thickness while the 200 series is beefier, and might be great for sculpting or use with rough clays.

The thinner 300 series is at left, and 200 series at right.

The blades feature a flat edge and bevels on both side. In practice, they felt very similar to the Kemper pro line of trimming tools. As with other harder / stiffer blades, I had problems with chattering with these tools and while I kind of like that they have plastic handles (easy to clean!) the stiffness of the blade was a drawback for me.

This line of tools has a wide variety of shapes so it might be worth taking a look to see if something works for you.

A close up of the 200 series blade.

Groovy Tools Loop Tools
$15-$17 each
Available at ceramic supply stores or directly from Kentucky Mudworks.

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DiamondCore Trimming Tools

The DiamondCore T7 Avocado shaped trimming tool comes with one replacement blade.

DiamondCore is a beloved brand of ceramic tools out of San Diego, California. In addition to diamond sharpening pads, the company makes stylus tools for sgraffito, fluting and carving tools, and a variety of trimming tools. The T7 avocado shaped tool was tested although since ordering this product, DiamondCore has rolled out some larger sizes of trimming tools. I assume those larger tools feature the same sort of blade material tested here.

The blade of the tool. I found the opening to be quite small on the T7.

The Diamond Core T7 tool features a rather small blade that is attached to the squared wooden handle with 4 screws. The tool arrived with one replacement blade and more blades can be ordered as needed. The blade is thin, sharp, and basically flat. I think it could be sharpened a few times but I would expect it to wear down under heavy use.

I didn’t try unscrewing the blade, but I imagine it would be a simple task and this feature definitely makes this the most environmentally sound tool tested. A used-up blade could be recycled and the handle can be reused indefinitely.

I did find the blade opening to be quite small. This was fine for detail work, but it wouldn’t be the tool I reach for on a first pass of trimming a bowl or other larger ware. And while the blade attachment is great for the longevity of the tool and replacing blades, it was easy for clay to get gummed up and stuck around the screws and bottom of the blade. I’d only recommend using this for trimming quite dry pieces, so that clay doesn’t get stuck.

At $48, this was one of the more expensive tools tested. Yes, you are getting a beautiful handle and the ability to replace blades easily, but unless DiamondCore makes a larger model around 1.4 or 1.5 inches wide, I wouldn’t recommend this trimming tool except for detail work.

DiamondCore T7 Trimming Tool
$48 at DiamondCoreTools.com

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Mudtools Do-All Tool

The MudTools Do-All Tool is a carbon steel trimming tool.

The Mudtools Do-All Tool is slightly different from the other tools tested, but because it has one curved end, I thought it would be a good comparison. The tool features two sides. The “L” or “spade” side is beveled on the 3 exposed sides, and the curved or hooked side features a double bevel similar to a teardrop or pear-shaped loop tool.

The tool is made from carbon steel and can be sharpened. The middle handle of the tool is slightly beveled for ease of use and the metal appears to be finished with a matte paint.

The “L” shape or “spade” side of the tool.

It’s a comfortable tool that is really versatile but as mentioned above, I have never really connected with L-shaped tool and as much as I want to love this for the variety of shapes and trimming angles you can take with it, I’m not sure it’s the right tool for most. Personally, I’m just more comfortable with a standard loop tool with a nice chunky handle. But, this is a really interesting option and might be right for your tool kit.

MudTools Do All Trim Tool
$27

The curved or hooked side is somewhat similar to a teardrop shaped loop tool.

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Sharpening Tools

Almost every tool in your ceramics tool kit can be sharpened and loop tools are no exception. Standard loop tools can be sharpened a few times and professional-grade loop tools with thicker blades can be sharpened numerous times.

Pictured here are a few options, including the sharpening tool that comes with the Hsin Tools, a small 4 inch long whetstone, and a small motorized whetstone.

Close up on the small whetstone. I use this for polishing the bottom of pots as well as sharpening tools.

Similar to sharpening knives, loop tools can be sharpened with repeated passes of a whetstone, while taking care to keep the bevel even.

Some choose to use motorized bench grinders or whetstones to sharpen their tools but this may be overkill. Some of the softer blades, such as the Kemper standard or basic Xiem loop tool, will get chewed up by a motorized tool.

As with any tool, you’ll have to balance the time and effort to sharpen tools versus the cost of replacing. With the professional grade tools, it is definitely worth it to get a small whetstone and at least try sharpening them. Once you start paying attention to your blades, you’ll notice how you get slightly different results with sharp or dull blades.

Top: the sharpening tool that comes with the Hsin tools tungsten carbide loop tool. Bottom: A 4-inch long backpacking style small whetstone.

The Hsin tools sharpening tool.

A motorized whetstone system, available for $140 at Amazon.

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Summary

A wide variety of trimming tools were tested, with a focus on finding the best standard or teardrop shaped loop tool. Top picks included the Kemper standard pear-shaped loop tool, along with the Xiem Pro TFT03 loop tool and the Xiem Pro TFT05 Multi-function loop tool. Most of these tools are available in a variety of other shapes as well, but with the same handles and blades, so it is worth shopping around to find what is right for you.

What is your favorite trimming tool? Let us know in the comments.

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Make a Pineapple Vase — pottery tutorial inspired by Shozo Michikawa

A Pineapple Vase is a very distinctive style of wheelthrown pottery invented by Japanese potter Shozo Michikawa. You can find Michikawa’s work in galleries and museums worldwide, and there are a number of online videos of Michikawa demonstrating this technique and others.

For this tutorial, I made my own version of the Pineapple Vase, and at the end of the video, I show how I alter it to make it more my own.

The main way to approach this technique is to make a narrow cylinder with a thick wall, around 1 inch or about 2 cm thick. Then, score and alter the sides of the cylinder. Finally, you open the cylinder with one hand, stretching out the decoration into a helix pattern as you open and widen the vase. It’s really fun and worth trying. Check out this video, or keep scrolling for a complete tutorial with pictures.

If you would like to learn more about Shozo Michikawa, check out this catalog of his ceramic art at Amazon.

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Make a Pineapple Vase Pottery Tutorial

Step 1: Center, open, and pull

Wedge, center, open, and pull the walls up.

To get started, wedge and center around 8 to 10 lbs of clay. Open and pull the walls. Be sure to keep the walls as thick as possible, around 1 inch thick.

Step 2: Collar In

Collaring in.

After raising your walls, collar the cylinder in to make it as narrow as possible.

The more narrow your cylinder, the more the pattern will “travel” when you open it up.

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Step 3: Clean Slip From Sides

Removing slip from the cylinder.

After collaring in your cylinder, remove any slip from the outside with a rib. This will help you get a crisp design.

Step 4: Add Design

Adding the horizontal design.

After creating your narrow cylinder and removing slip, it’s time to add your design. Using an angled tool — a sharp metal tool is best — add horizontal lines. If desired, you can undercut these a bit.

Step 5: Cut Vertical Lines

Lightly score vertical lines.

Next, use a needle tool to lightly score vertical lines from top to bottom. Unlike what is shown in this image, keave the rim unscored, or you may have to recompress and join the rim back together.

Step 6: Open

Opening the cylinder.

After adding your horizontal design and vertical scoring, work your hand back in to the cylinder and begin to open up. If you can do this with very little water, it’s best, as the added friction will help you twist the design into a helix pattern.

Step 7: Clean Up and Done!

Cleaning the base

After opening your vessel, the next step is to lightly remove material from the base, cut off, and dry.

Congratulations! You’ve mastered a new technique.

Cutting off the bat with a wire tool.

Done!

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You might also enjoy:

Make a Wide Rim Bowl tutorial

Sgraffito Decoration on a Large Bowl tutorial

Make a Slab Plate on the Pottery Wheel tutorial

Make a “Phil Mug” pottery tutorial

How To Make a Metal Pottery Rib

View all How To posts

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Spray Gun Buyer's Guide for Glazing Ceramics

A spray gun is a great tool for applying ceramic glazes, allowing you to quickly and efficiently cover large or complex surfaces, easily layer glazes, or create gradients and ombre effects.

Spray guns for applying glazes range from simple pots that you blow into, to all-in-one HVLP sprayers, to complete set ups that include air compressors and spray booths. This guide will cover all these options.

This post starts with our top pick, the HVLP sprayers from Wagner. The post also includes a guide to set ups with an air compressor. This post concludes with some tips and tricks for spraying, along with some thoughts on upgraded “pro level” sprayers.

Safety note: Anytime you are spraying glazes, it’s also extremely important to consider safety precautions including high quality respirators, spray booths with filters, and well-ventilated rooms (or outdoors.) Don’t take any chances with the health of your lungs!

Top Pick: Wagner Control Spray QX2 Sprayer

The Wagner Control Sprayers are great option for an all-in-one spraying option for individuals and small studios.

This is the simplest way to get into spraying glazes, and is our top pick for individuals or small studios. You may not have used or seen one of these in a ceramic studio, but they work, are affordable, and they are space efficient. An HVLP or “High Velocity Low Pressure” sprayer works in basically the same way as a spray unit with an air compressor, but instead these hand-held units have a fan that creates a siphon from the cup up into the spray nozzle. They are heavier than holding just a spray gun, but they are not too heavy and are well balanced.

The HVLP sprayers have a “softer” spray but in my experience, it is just as effective. It’s what I use in my own personal studio. The only trade off is a bit of a “spit” at the start of spraying but I haven’t noticed that this creates any issues with the glazes I apply. (This initial “spit” might be less ideal for applying thicker underglazes or slips, or for detail effects.)

There are lots of HVLP sprayers on the market but what I use and recommend is one of three smaller Wagner sprayers designed for applying stains. These are usually called the “control” sprayers in the Wagner product line. The sprayers have adjustable nozzles to control the spray pattern in a vertical, horizontal, or round pattern, and the cup holds about a pint and a half of liquid. These sprayers all have an on / off switch for the fan. Larger models have an adjustable fan speed dial.

The Wagner Control Spray QX2 model is slightly larger with a bigger fan, 27 ounce cup, and costs $89.99.
The Wagner Control Spray QX1 is slightly smaller, has a 20 ounce cup, and costs $79.99.
The smallest option is the Wagner Control Stainer 150 model with a 20 ounce cup for $69.99.
Note: these guns are available under a few different product numbers but I went with the most current names from the Wagner website.

More info on the Wagner HVLP sprayers

About a year and a half ago, I bought the Wagner Flexio 590 kit, which includes two sprayers, the larger “iSpray” and the “Detail Finish” nozzle. The “iSpray” was waaaay too big for my purposes, but I find the “Detail Finish” nozzle to be perfect for glazes, which is why I’m recommending any of the smaller Wagner spray guns, such as the QX2 Control Sprayer. One nice feature of the larger gun that comes with the Flexio kit is that it has an adjustable fan, whereas the smaller Wagner models just have an on / off switch. (I think you’ll be fine either way.) More info in the image captions:

The Flexio 590 kit from Wagner comes with two nozzles and a briefcase style storage unit. The larger nozzle is overkill for ceramic glazes, so I’d recommend just getting one smaller “Control” or “Detail” sprayer.

The assembled unit with the “Detail Finish” nozzle and cup attached.

The nozzle and cup can be broken down into 6 pieces, which can all be submerged in water and cleaned. The motor / fan unit on the right can be lightly cleaned with a damp sponge.

I use the unit at the 3.5 setting, but not every Wagner sprayer has an adjustable fan.

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Table of Contents

1. Top Pick: Wagner Control Sprayer

2. Pro-grade set up: Spray Gun with Air Compressor

3. Stainless Steel Atomizers for small projects

4. Spray Booths

5. Tips and Equipment for Spraying Glaze

6. Professional-Grade Spray Guns

7. Summary

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Professional Spray Gun Set Up

If you will be doing a lot of glaze spraying or want the most control, you’ll want to get a good quality spray gun that attaches to an air compressor. This combination of equipment is fairly quiet and the compressor should fit underneath your spray booth, so it won’t take up a huge amount of space (more on spray booths below.) In addition to a spray booth, this set up involves an air compressor, spray gun, and a hose and coupling to connect the compressor and spray gun. Using the recommended links below, the spraying set up will cost around $245 and up, depending on the spray gun you select. The spray booths start around $900 but will easily get to $1500-$2000 when you add in needed features such as an exhaust fan and shipping.

Air Compressor

California Air Tools 1 gallon / 0.6 HP compressor is a great option for a small air compressor.

Aside from the spray booth, the biggest part of this set up is the air compressor, and the California Air Tools 1 gallon / 0.6 HP compressor is plenty strong for spraying glaze and at $165, not terribly expensive. It weighs 29 lbs and is rated at just 56 decibels. At Home Depot this compressor comes with a 25 foot hose, or get it at Amazon without a hose.

Spray Guns

The K-Grip siphon spray gun is a basic model that is durable and long lasting.

There are a lot of spray gun options, and they can be roughly classified into siphon style where the cup is on the bottom, and gravity feed, where the cup is on top. Both are fine for ceramic glazes. A lot of ceramic artists like the cheapo Harbor Freight spray guns for around $20 but I tried those and they failed with a few hours of use, so in this guide, I’m only recommending spray guns of better quality and durability.

For a siphon-style spray gun, a good place to start is with a simple K-Grip Siphon Spray Gun for $45-$50. Sometimes this is sold under the name “Critter.” This gun has almost no moving parts, so nothing to break, but it is not adjustable and can only spray in a cone pattern. This spray gun will connect to mason jars or plastic underglaze jars, allowing you to easily switch between glazes.

The TCP G6600 spray gun is the entry-level model in the TCP line and is available with a variety of tips, starting around $70.

For a gravity-feed spray gun, a decent option is the G6600 Model from TCP Global. These guns start at around $70 and have a variety fluid tip sizes. A good model is the sprayer with a 1.5 mm fluid tip for $70, or you can get a 3 pack of guns for $140 that comes with a variety of fluid tip sizes. The main advantage of these guns is they come with adjustable nozzles that can be set to spray in a cone, vertical, or horizontal pattern.

These guns also come with replaceable nozzles and needles, so if parts wear out they can be replaced. Or you can switch between different tips for different uses. In general, smaller tips are for detail applications, and wider tips are best for general use. Click here to view TCP replacement parts, and make sure to pick the nozzles / needles that match the gun you are using.

These are just a few of the many options for spray guns out there, but I think a good place to start is something in the the $50-$100 range. With a lot of use, your spray gun may wear out so you might want to keep things simple for your first spray gun. Also keep in mind that professional-grade spray guns from Binks or Devilbiss will cost $200 or more. There is more info on “pro-grade” spray guns near the end of this post.

Hoses etc.

Air hose

After picking out your air compressor and spray gun, you’ll need a few attachments including a hose and possibly a brass coupler set. The air compressor comes with a female air outlet, so the hose should connect to that easily, but you might need an additional quick release to connect to your gun. If you haven’t used these couplings before, they are simple quick-release style all metal couplings. If they get sticky, lubricate the bearings.

Below are links to a hose, and brass coupler set. If these don’t work for you, you might need to plan a trip to a hardware store to get all the right parts that fits to your system.

Brass coupler

Here are the same links as above:

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Small Projects Option: Stainless Steel Atomizers

A stainless steel atomizer is a an affordable option that is great for occasional or small spray jobs.

For small projects or very occasional use, a stainless steel atomizer is an option for spraying. These are basically mouth spray guns. They are probably too much work for applying a normal layer of glaze, but if you were looking for a simple way to apply underglaze or oxides, this is worth a try. They are available in 100ml to 300ml sizes. For most, I’d start with the 200ml atomizer or consider the smallest 100ml size. The largest size gets a bit hard to use effectively.

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Spray Booths

The Laguna Pro-X Spray Booth on a mobile base.

If you are spraying indoors, you need a spray booth with a filter and a good fan that will suck all the exhaust into the filter. (You should still wear a respirator) The best and main option is the Laguna Spray Booth, which is available in the Pro-X model and the wider Pro-V model. These start at $845 and $1,640 respectively, and expect to spend quite a bit more as it’s a good idea to add the fan and all the options that will make this work properly. The Laguna spray booths are easy to clean, effective, and well sized for pottery and small to medium sized sculptures.

The Paasche Spray Booth is an option for a smaller, table top spray booth.

For smaller options, you might look into the various Paasche Airbrush spray booths, which start around $300. These will need 4 inch ducting to run the air out of your room, and they are not very tall.

Another option is to do all your spraying outdoors. Wherever you spray, indoors or out, wear a high quality respirator or dust mask.

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Tips and Tricks for Spraying Glaze

This section will cover a few ideas for spraying glazes, along with a few products that will make your experience easier.

Glaze Viscosity / Thickness: Always make sure that your glaze or underglaze is well mixed and ready to apply. It can be thick or thin—as long as it works with your spray gun, it should be fine. If it is too thick, try thinning your glaze with water until you reach a stage where it will spray. But generally most glazes that are ready to dip or paint are also suitable for spraying.

Clean up: Plan to clean your spray gun immediately after spraying. You do not want glaze material to dry inside the gun, especially if you are using anything with gums that will be very hard to clean when dry. Most spray guns can be take apart and the whole apparatus can be submerged in water for easy cleaning. A cleaning kit might be overkill for most users, but having a small brush or two can really help you clean tubes and hard-to-reach parts of your sprayer.

Spray Gun Oil: You may need a bit of a light oil for your spray gun. Definitely consult your owners manual, but for an easy-to-apply and light oil, I like the Wahl hair trimmer blade oil as it comes in a convenient 4 oz size with a long applicator tip.

The following two items will make spraying glaze much easier for you:

Sieves

The Adamas-Beta test sieve is a small sieve that can be used for screening glaze directly into your spray gun cup.

Make sure to sieve all your glazes before screening (Yes, every time you fill a cup). You don’t want any small chunks of glaze material or bisqueware clogging your spray gun. It’s best to run glaze through an 80 mesh screen, such as a Talisman test sieve or the Adamas-Beta stainless steel sieve.

Banding Wheel

A Shimpo banding wheel will spin easily and can be cleaned after use.

A banding wheel inside your spray booth makes it easy to turn and get all sides of your piece with one spin. Choose a high-quality banding wheel such as Shimpo or Falling In Art, which are all metal and easy to clean.

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Professional Grade Spray Guns

If you do a lot of spraying, it can be a good idea to invest in a high-quality spray gun. Starting at around $100, these guns can range up to around $300 or more. What you are getting with these guns are higher-quality parts along with the ability to buy replacement needles and nozzles. This means you might be making an investment in a gun that will last you decades, with proper maintenance.

Here are a few options for professional grade spray guns.

Binks

The Binks 2100 model is a traditional (not HVLP) spray gun.

Binks makes amazing spray guns. They are not cheap, but will last a lifetime. I’d recommend these if you really want ‘the best’ or if you had a ceramic factory where you need a gun that can handle non-stop spraying. I would also say that they are a good option for an academic institution, because they can take the abuse students will throw their way.

The 2100 model is a great option, and costs $385. You will also need to buy a cup and pair it with a good air compressor. The main advantage of Binks is that you can buy needles and nozzle tips that are designed for use with the relatively rough materials found in ceramic glazes (as opposed to paint). This information and specific product numbers are usually buried in Binks product manuals, but do know that Binks has needles designed for ceramic glaze materials.

Devilbiss

Devilbiss is another company that makes professional spray guns. Usually a bit more affordable than Binks, they are high quality and will last forever.

The FLG is the entry-level spray gun in the Devilbiss product line. It costs $206 and comes with a cup via Amazon.

TCP Global

In addition to the entry-level G6600 model covered above, TCP GLobal has four more models of spray guns. Three of the models are gravity feed and one is siphon style.

The TCP-Global Pro-88 gravity feed gun.

Pro-33, $109 at Amazon
Pro-44, $150 at Amazon
Pro-55, $150 at Amazon (siphon style, cup purchased separately)
Pro-88, $180 at Amazon

To be honest, I couldn’t quite figure out the difference between these models except that the Pro-88 claims a nozzle with better mixing capabilities.

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Summary

This guide has covered a wide variety of options for spraying glaze in a ceramic studio.

Our top pick is a control spray model from Wagner, as this all-in-one system is affordable, compact, and effective. But if you have the space or desire, you can upgrade to a complete system with an air compressor and gun. The more expensive guns do have replacement parts available, and give you more control, so they can definitely be worth it.

Regardless of what you are using to spray, it’s very important to wear a respirator and either spray outside or buy a quality spray booth to suction the air through a filter and out of your workspace.

Spraying glaze is a great option that can give you great results. What are you using in your studio? Let us know in the comments.

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Make a "Phil" Mug — pottery tutorial

This is a style of handmade mug I learned many years ago from Phil Cornelius at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California. Phil was a great potter and artist, and his demos often involved small moves that really highlight the handmade quality of pottery made on the wheel. (One of his popular demos was making a teapot in 5 minutes.)

For this style of mug, which I’m calling the Phil Mug, you throw a cylinder with about one pound of clay and after cleaning it up, give it a slight pull to take it off center. Then cut it off the wheel head, attach a handle, and it is ready for decorating and firing.

The complete steps are below, and here is a video of the entire process:

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Making a “Phil” Mug Pottery Tutorial

Step 1: Wedge and Center

Start with one pound of clay. Attach it to the bat or wheelhead, and center.

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Step 2: Open and Throw a Cylinder

Pull the walls.

After getting your clay centered and organized, open the clay and create a flat bottom. It can help to compress the bottom with a wooden rib.

As this mug will be slightly off center, generally the plan is no trimming later. So you want to take care to make your bottom even and about the thickness that you want it.

After getting your bottom set, pull the walls up.

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Step 3: Clean Up

Shape and clean the walls with a metal rib.

With this style of mug, it’s important to remove all the slip. After you finish your pulls, use a metal rib to shape and clean up the cylinder.

After finishing the walls, use a wooden knife to remove excess clay at the bottom of the cylinder. You can also give the bottom a small bevel.

Remove excess clay from the bottom of the cylinder with a wooden knife.

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Step 4: Give the Cylinder a Small Pull

Giving the cup a small pull

After throwing and cleaning up your cylinder, leave it attached to the wheelhead. Then, with clean dry hands, give the cylinder a little pull to take it slightly off center.

This is your chance to personalize and really make this process work for the style you want. And if the rim is a bit off center, that’s ok. You can easily work it back into a circle as it is drying.

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Step 5: Cut Off

Cut off the cup with one pass of the wire.

After shaping your cup, cut it off the wheel head. Then, you can either leave it on the bat or move it to a board. Because it is a small vessel, I usually just move it to a board.

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Step 6: Make and Attach Handle

Flattening the coil.

Next, it’s time to make and attach a handle. I usually do this right away after making the cup. You can do any style—pulled, extruded, etc—but for this style of mug I usually make a quick coil handle.

Cut into a handle shape.

To make this handle roll out a coil about 1/2 inch thick. Then, slowly tap it downwards on a clean work surface. This is similar to a whip motion, but I think of it as guiding the coil down to flatten it out. Alternate the sides of the coil as you flatten it. Within 3 or 4 taps, you will probably have a nice flattened coil. If these instructions are confusing, be sure to watch the video to see it happen live.

Attach the handle.

After making the handle, cut it into the shape that works for you, score the coil and mug, and join with a bit of slip or water. Join the top first, then the bottom.

If your mug goes a bit off center in this process, that’s fine. The fun part with this style of mug is just being loose and letting the clay find the way it wants to be.

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Step 7: Clean Up and Done

The finished Phil Mug.

After attaching the handle, the rim may need a bit of an adjustment or clean up. You can also make adjustments as the mug becomes leather hard.

That’s it! The Phil Mug, inspired by Phil Cornelius, who was a long-time professor of ceramics at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California. Enjoy trying out this style.

Here’s the ASMR version of this process with just ambient studio sounds:

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You might also enjoy:

Making a Wide Rim Bowl tutorial

Sgraffito Decoration on a Large Bowl tutorial

Make a Slab Plate on the Pottery Wheel tutorial

How To Make a Metal Pottery Rib

View all How To posts

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Making a Wide Rim Bowl — pottery tutorial

The finished wide rim bowls from this tutorial.

A wide rim bowl is a great project for the pottery wheel, and it’s so fun to use for soup or pasta at home. This tutorial includes images, texts, and videos, so that you can learn how to make them.

What you’ll need:

• A pottery wheel and absorbent bats such as Hydrobats

• Basic pottery tools including a sponge, rounded ribs, wooden knife, and cut-off wire

Complete tutorial below, but here’s a video of this entire process including making and glazing:

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Making a Wide Rim Bowl pottery tutorial

Step 1: Wedge and Center

Centering the clay on the wheel.

Start with soft clay and weigh 3 lbs, 12 oz. Then wedge until the clay is homogenized. I usually count to 75 while wedging. Then attach to the wheel head and center.

If your clay is not very soft, try adding a small amount of water to the bag a day or two before you use it.

After centering, open your clay. Be sure to leave enough clay on the bottom so that you can trim a foot.

Step 2: Finish Opening and Begin Shaping

Starting to shape the rim with a rib.

After opening the clay and pulling the walls up, it’s time to switch to shaping the bowl.

For this process, I always clean my hands. You have much more control with dry hands and dry tools.

Further shaping of the rim.

To start, I first apply the rib to the rim and start shaping that. Then I return to the middle of the pot and refine the inside bowl shape. Finally, I’ll pay special attention to the transition point between the bowl and rim, and make sure the rim is well compressed.

Shaping the inside of the bowl from the center to the rim.

Step 3: Finish Shaping and Clean Up

Check to make sure the rim is compressed.

After getting the shape of the rim and inside of your pot just right, you’ll want to clean up the bottom of your bat with a wooden knife or rib. Then, I double check that the rim is compressed, and I’ll remove the whole bat from the wheel.

If I have time, I’ll let the pot dry for an hour or two, then cover with plastic. Because I use absorbent bats, within a day or two, the bowl will just pop off the bat and be leather hard. Now it’s time to trim.

Step 4: Trimming

Begin by setting the outside of the foot.

When your bowl is leather hard, it’s ready to trim. I like to trim on the dry side of leather hard as you will get more crisp lines, and it’s easier to remove small amounts of clay and let the high speed of the wheel and many rotations do the work for you.

Trimming the bottom of the bowl.

I start by trimming to the line that will be the outside of my foot.

Press gently throughout the trimming process to gauge the thickness of your wall. If there is any “flex,” you have trimmed enough in that area.

Then, I created a line that will be the inside of the foot. After that is set, I will start in the bottom center of the pot and do a number of passes from the center to the inside edge of the foot, removing a small amount of clay each time.

As I’m throwing, I will stop and press gently on the clay. If the wall has any “flex” or “give,” it is about 3/8 of an inch thick and where it needs to be. Doing this kind of testing can really get you locked in on trimming your pot to an even thickness.

Cleaning up throwing marks with a sponge.

After trimming, I’ll run a damp sponge over the pot to remove any trimming marks and clean things up. You can also use a soft, flexible rib for this process.

At this stage, you could also choose to carve or decorate your bowl with slip. On this design, the rim is a great area for that, but you could decorate any part of this form.

After trimming, I put my pots on a board upside down and loosely cover with plastic until they are bone dry. Then, the pots are ready to be bisque fired.

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Step 5: Glazing

Cleaning the bisque ware with a damp sponge.

After bisque firing, it’s time to glaze your pot.

Start by cleaning the bisque with a damp sponge to remove any dust, but don’t saturate the ware with water! If needed, you can also clean up any bumps or flaws by sanding. Just be sure to remove any sanding dust before glazing.

Pouring on glaze.

Then, you can dip, pour, spray, or brush glaze onto your pot. If I had a large enough bucket for glaze, such as a 10 gallon bucket, I would dip these. But as I have a smaller volume of glaze in my studio, I pour glaze on my pots. While grabbing on to the foot, I rotate the pot and pour glaze evenly over the surface.

After glazing the piece, clean up any drips or flaws and let it air dry. Then it is ready to be glaze fired. In this example, I’m firing to Cone 6 in oxidation in a top-loading electric kiln.

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All Done

Unloading the glaze firing.

After the glazing firing, you’re pot is all done! It may need just a quick sanding on the foot ring to make sure it won’t scratch anything.

I love making this shape because the rim offers possibilities for carving and decoration, and the final result stacks nicely and is a great way to showcase food.

Have fun!

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You might also enjoy:

Sgraffito Decoration on a Large Bowl tutorial

Make a Slab Plate on the Pottery Wheel tutorial

How To Make a Metal Pottery Rib

View all How To posts

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Here’s an ASMR video version of this tutorial with ambient studio sounds:

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Sgraffito Decoration on a Large Bowl — pottery tutorial

Sgraffito is a technique of carving through a contrasting clay or slip to reveal the clay body below. It’s a fun way to get a very bold decoration on your ceramics.

This tutorial will cover how to apply the slip, carve through, and clean up. Keep scrolling for step-by-step instructions.

Tools Needed
> A banding wheel or turntable is very helpful
> Slip or Underglaze and a brush
> Carving tool, such as a pencil or a sgraffito tool
> Dry brush for clean up

You can also watch a video of this process here:

Sgraffito On A Large Bowl Tutorial

Step 1: Lightly Clean the Working Surface

Cleaning the surface of a leather hard bowl.

In this tutorial, the demonstration piece is a large salad bowl on the dry side of the leather hard stage—almost bone dry. To prep the surface, a wrung-out sponge is used to lightly clean the surface. This extra water will also help the underglaze stick.

Step 2: Apply the Slip or Underglaze

Applying first coat of underglaze.

The key to sgraffito is to pick a slip or underglaze that will contrast with your clay body. In this example, slightly watered-down Velvet Underglaze medium blue is being applied to a speckled buff stoneware.

Applying the second coat of underglaze.

To get an opaque, solid covering of underglaze, 3 to 4 coats is applied. Be sure to allow the coats to dry between each application.

Applying the final coat.

Step 2.5: Let the Underglaze or Slip Dry

This step doesn’t take long, but do let your slip or underglaze dry before you begin carving.

Step 3: Carve Your Design

Carve your design.

Using your sgraffito tool, begin to carve through the stop layer, exposing the clay body below. It can be helpful to practice your design as a drawing before you begin carving.

Clean your carving as you go.

As you are carving, little bits will stick up on the side of the carved lines. If you are working at a dry leather hard stage (as opposed to the more damp side of leather hard), you should be able to easily clean these bits as you work just by using a dry brush.

If the clay bits won’t brush off, wait and complete your carving later. Or, you can make your carving and brush off the bits when the pot is bone dry.

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Step 4: Clean Up and Finishing

Finished carving, but before cleaning.

After carving, you may want to clean up any edges at the top and bottom of your carving.

In this example, the foot area is cleaned with a fettling knife, and the rim area is cleaned with a loop too. Use whatever makes sense for your piece.

Cleaning the foot.

Cleaning the rim.

All Done

The finished bowl with sgraffito decoration.

After cleaning, you are all done and ready to bisque fire. Generally, sgraffito looks best if left raw or covered in a thin application of clear glaze, but testing will determine what is best in your kiln.

Good luck with this technique and have fun.

Do you have a favorite sgraffito tool or technique? Let us know in the comments.

You might also enjoy:

Turn a clay slab into a plate tutorial

Amaco Velvet Underglaze Test Tiles

Best Banding Wheels for Ceramics

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How to Turn a Slab into a Flat-Bottomed Plate on the Wheel — pottery tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to turn a slab into a flat-bottomed plate using the pottery wheel. You can also use this method on a banding wheel or turntable. This is a great technique for any skill level, but if you have never made a plate before, this is a fun way to start.

What you will need:

• Pottery wheel or banding wheel, and a bucket of water

• Ribs, needle tool, wooden knife, and a sponge

• Clay

• Slab Roller or rolling pin

• Absorbent bats, such as a bat made out of plaster or wood. You could try this technique with a plastic bat, but it will be easier with another material. For a guide to bats, click here.

Here’s a narrated video of this process, or keep scrolling for step-by-step images and description.

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Slab Plate Tutorial

Step 1: Roll Out a Slab

Rolling out a slab.

Use a slab roller or rolling pin, and roll out a slab of clay that is about 3/8 of an inch (or about 10 mm) thick.

If you are using a rolling pin, it’s helpful to put down two rulers or spacers so that you make an even slab.

Step 2: Smooth and Cut Slab

Removing canvas texture from the slab with a rib.

After rolling a slab, remove any texture with a rib. This smoothed side will be flipped and become the bottom of your plate.

Cut out the size needed for your bat.

Then, cut a circle of clay that will fit on your bat. In this image, I’m using a 14” plastic bat as a template.

Step 3: Transfer to Wheel and Compress

Transfer slab to wheel. Hold the slab at one end to move.

Pick your slab up at one end and carefully transfer to the bat on your wheel, placing the already smoothed side down.

Clean up and compress the slab lightly.

Then, using a combination of wet sponges and ribs, clean and compress the slab lightly.

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Step 4: Cut and Clean Edge

Measure and cut your slab.

The next step is to cut the slab to the desired diameter. In this example, the slab is cut to 12 inches wide. After firing, it will shrink to around 11 inches wide.

Clean up the cut edge with a wet sponge.

After cutting the slab, clean the edge with a wet sponge.

Step 5: Raise the Rim

Using a wooden knife to raise the rim.

The next step is to raise the rim. My preferred tool for this is a wooden knife, and to get the correct angle I have split open the splash pan. (You could probably do this technique without a splash pan as well). While raising the rim, don’t force any crumbs or bits of clay underneath the slab as this will cause problems for your flat bottom.

Compress and organize the rim.

After raising your rim with a wooden knife, go back and raise it more with a wet sponge. The angle of the rim is your choice. At a slight angle, the plates can stack. But you can make any angle from completely flat to a vertical rim.

After raising the rim to your desired angle, compress and finish the rim.

Step 6: Finish Top Side

Finish the plate with a smooth top or spiral design.

After getting your rim set, go back over your plate with a wet sponge to smooth and compress the plate once more, to remove any marks from the making process.

If desired, you can add a spiral design as pictured here. To do that, take a steady finger and slowly move your finger across the pot from the middle to the outer rim. If you think of the plate as a clock, I generally do this move straight across at “3 o’clock.”

Step 7: Trim the Plate

Trim the plate.

After making the plate, remove the entire bat from the wheel head, cover with plastic, and let it dry until leather hard. Usually this is a day or two for me. This is where the absorbent bat is vital, as it will remove water from the bottom of your plate.

When the piece can support itself, flip it upside down on the wheel and trim lightly. You won’t need to trim much, usually just a bit of clay underneath the rim.

After trimming, run a smooth rib over the bottom to close any pores and remove marks from the trimming process.

Then, your plate is ready to sit right side up and dry completely. As flat slabs are prone to warping, I dry these under plastic for a week or two until they are completely bone dry. Then, you can bisque, and glaze fire and you have a beautiful plate.

This is a quick and fun way to make plates that doesn’t involve any centering or compressing. Have you ever made a slab plate? Let us know your method in the comments.

Here’s another video of this process with ambient ASMR-style studio sounds.

You may also enjoy:

Best Bats for the Pottery Wheel

All How To posts from The Studio Manager

Gift Guide for Potters

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Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina exhibition catalog

Simone Leigh on being a “weirdo sculptor”

In the catalog for the exhibition Hear Me Now, there is a wonderful conversation between the artist Simone Leigh and historian Jason R. Young. Young first asks Leigh about her interest in making sculpture out of fired clay, which started in the early 1980s. This excerpt starts with Young’s second question:

Jason R. Young: You say you were interested first in making water pots. Were you drawn to the form itself or to the materiality of the clay?

Simone Leigh: I was drawn to the idea of a handmade readymade and how these beautiful objects were valued and why. As far as formal concerns, I felt these objects were modernist masterpieces. I was also drawn to the fact that there’s clay covering the whole earth that is available to everyone, unlike so many raw materials acquired through violent extraction. The material connects to time from a geological perspective. That process was beautiful to me. I was interested in the feminist implications of a tradition most often restricted to women and that so many who worked in it were anonymous. I think there’s no Black woman artist who doesn’t have to come to terms with the fact that their foremothers are largely anonymous. The first ceramist that I was aware of was Ladi Kwali from Nigeria. And the first person I saw working in a way I wanted to work was Magdalene Odundo. When I came to New York and was developing skills working with clay, I realized that people did not understand what I was trying to do as a conceptual enterprise. So I abandoned the idea of being an artist who worked in the field of ceramics and just became this kind of weirdo sculptor.

JRY: That was a very brave decision to make. Another artist might have decided to move into a different medium, but you stuck with it.

SL: I was really interested in coming to New York and being int he art world as an intellectual activity. We already had Duchamp, using a ceramic object, make it clear that anything could be art. But when I came to New York, I was told that this material was not something I could use seriously in my conceptual work. So that made me dig in my heels.

Read the whole interview in the catalog. More on the book below

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In addition to the conversation with Simone Leigh, the catalog features four essays, maps, a bibliography and 154 illustrations. The show was quite densely installed at the Met, so it’s a pleasure to revisit each artwork in this beautifully illustrated book.

The catalog features a cover printed with a picture of a stoneware storage jar by Dave the Potter, and a clear plastic slip cover with the title. Edited by Met Musum curator Adrienne Spinozzi, the essays are by Spinozzi, Vincent Brown, Jason R. Young, and Michael J. Bramwell and Ethan W. Lasser.

This book is a must have for any fan of 19th century pottery and it contains new scholarship that is enlightening and revealing.

Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina
Edited by Adrienne Spinozzi
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Hardcover, 200 pages with 154 illustrations
Listed at $45 but typically available for less.

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Images from Inside the Book

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Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art catalogue

Jaguar God of the Underworld, a 7th-8th century ceramic censer from Palenque, Mexico on view as part of Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art.

In the introduction to the catalogue Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art, anthropologist Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos describes how representations of gods in ceramic incense burners are viewed by Lacandon people (present day Maya in Guatemala and Mexico), and this contemporary practice gives us clues as to the importance of historical depictions of gods. For the Lacandon, the censers have autonomous spiritual qualities, with volition and power of their own, and a life cycle tied to the life of the ceramic sculpture.

Making censers is comparable to giving birth and newly made censers must be cared for like children. Small stones placed inside the censer are regarded as their souls and the embodiments of the gods. People provide food and drink for the censers, which age and eventually die. Special ceremonies mark the death of the old censers and their renewal with freshly made ones. Similarly, Lacandon ceramic drums have the face of K’ayom, the god of music, and are considered to be animated beings, engendered by the women who make them and educated by the men who add the membranes and play them.”

The catalogue accompanies a museum show of the same name on view at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City from November 2022 – April 2023 and at the Kimbell Museum of Art in Fort Worth Texas from May – September 2023.

Images of the ceramic whistles depicting gods emerging from flowers.

Beautifully illustrated throughout, the catalogue further expands on the exhibition, which includes numerous ceramic and stone sculptures, ceramic vessels and whistles, relief carvings in stone and wood, and video. The catalogue includes an introduction and seven essays, based on recent research and new interpretations of Mayan texts.

One of the most delightful parts of the show were small ceramic sculptures of people emerging from flowers. Thought to depict gods and also dead relatives, the catalogue text shows x-rays revealing these sculptures as whistles.

The show and catalogue are a must see. Just a stunning collection of work.

Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art
Edited by Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos, James A. Doyle, and Joanne Pillsbury
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Yale University Press
Hardcover, 244 pages, 2022
Listed at $50, but typically available for less.

Images From Inside the Book

Cover page

Table of Contents

Two stone sculptures

The show includes numerous covered ceramic serving dishes with animal head lids.

The catalog helpfully includes pictures showing the entire image found on round ceramic vessels.

Have you seen the show or read this catalogue? Let us know in the comments.

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Mastering Cone 6 Glazes book review

Mastering Cone 6 Glazes, cover of 2020 reissue.

Mastering Cone 6 Glazes is a classic glaze book originally published in 2002 that is still relevant today, especially if you make functional pottery. With a subtitle of “Improving Durability, Fit and Aesthetics” the book by John Hesselbarth and Ron Roy contains a series of chapters explaining how to mix glazes, how to test them, and then gets into the nitty gritty of making stable glazes, fitting the glazes to your clay bodies, ideas for reducing cutlery marking, and how to develop your own glazes. The book was republished in 2020 and is available in paperback with non-glossy images throughout. (The images aren’t the greatest quality, but they get the job done.)

A lot of the information in this book is now available online in various places—including many of the glaze recipes—but if you’re like me, you may find a well organized book to be incredibly helpful in explaining the science and ideas behind making a stable glaze that is durable and hopefully doesn’t craze or result in cutlery marks. This book was a much needed update to the practical experience I’ve acquired along with the hazy memories of the clay and glaze class I took many, many years ago.

The back cover.

In addition to the science behind the glazes, the authors provide a series of glaze recipes, which they have tested extensively for fit, leaching, and cutlery marking. As they claim in the book, these might be the most thoroughly tested glaze recipes in recent history.

That’s not to say the book is perfect or right for everyone. A few points:

1. The book is really aimed at production potters and those making glazes for functional surfaces like eating or tiles, who are firing at cone 6 in oxidation kiln atmospheres.

2. You can find similar how-tos and glaze-science explainers in a variety of other glaze books or online, but this is one of the most thorough and understandable explanations on these topics I’ve encountered in print form.

3. Materials have changed since the book was published. A good number of the recipes contain G-200 Feldspar, which is no longer available. Apparently the ebook version contains updated recipes, but if you buy the print edition, plan to spend some time looking at the reformulated recipes on the book’s website.

4. To my knowledge, the printed book has not been updated since 2002. I believe that what you are getting with the 2020 reissue is exactly the same as the 2002 edition.

More details on the book and images will be posted below, but if you are a production potter, this is a book you should definitely read and contend with, to help understand if you are making glazes in a safe effective way. This greater understanding will help guide you as you choose glazes for your pots, wether or not you use the recipes from this particular book.

Mastering Cone 6 Glazes
by John Hesselbarth and Ron Roy
Reissued in 2020 by Echo Point Books & Media
168 pages. Typically available for around $30

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Table of Contents page 1

Table of Contents page 2

More details on Mastering Cone 6 Glazes

Let’s go through chapter by chapter:

Introduction and Chapter 2 introduce the book, ideas of food safety, and how to set up and glaze ceramic work. This is probably info you’ve encountered in a class or studio, but it’s a good refresher.

A 2-page spread from Chapter 3, including images of the lemon test on glazes.

Chapter 3 covers testing glazes for stability and fit. While the authors ran their glazes through professional testing laboratories for leach testing, they also describe some tests you can do in your own studio such as a lemon slice on glaze. They also go into detail on more considerations including resistance to alkalis, thermal shock, knife and cutlery marking, and more. The authors are thorough on this topic.

Chapter 4 covers information on making a stable glaze, and how that is defined. In short, they are looking for a glaze that doesn’t leach, doesn’t mark, and doesn’t craze. Lots of ideas and recipe limitations are introduced.

A 2-page spread from Chapter 5

Chapter 5, which covers glaze fit, was definitely a chapter I had to read 2 or 3 times to fully understand. The authors introduce using a dilatometer to measure glaze expansion and contraction, but as that is an expensive tool for most, they’ve done an amazing thing by introducing 5 different glazes with different coefficients of expansion. (None of these glazes are recommended in chapter 6, they are simply glazes to test for crazing/dunting/glaze fit on clay bodies in your studio) Their idea is that you can use their dilatometer-tested glazes on your own clay bodies. By noting which recipe will result in crazing on your clay body or not, you will have a good idea what the coefficient of expansion is in each clay body you use. You can then use this info, along with glaze programs such as glazy.org or DigitalFire, to more easily identify glazes that will have a good glaze fit with your clay. It’s a pretty good tradeoff to buying your own dilatometer.

The recipes in chapter 5 all contain G-200, which is no longer available, so the authors have helpfully posted reformulated recipes here, but you’ll need their explanation in the book to fully understand what they are proposing with this series of tests. The authors also tested their glazes on Standard Ceramic clay bodies #365 and #306, but the idea is that you can test these glazes on the clay bodies you use, to determine the best fit.

Chapter 6 includes the authors glazes for cone 6 stoneware and porcelain. Out of respect for their intellectual property, I’m not going to post recipes here, but many are now available online on various sites. These glazes have all been tested in studio and leach tested in laboratories, so you can be assured the glazes are safe. Because of this rigorous testing, there are not a lot of recipes but it’s definitely enough to get started. Included are:

A 2-page spread from the glaze chapter, with images showing how the base glazes can be transformed using various oxide combinations.

• 2 high-calcium semi-matte base glazes with 3 color variations each

• 2 glossy base glazes with 5 color variations total

• 1 glossy clear liner glaze

• 1 zinc semi-matte base glaze with 6 variations

• 1 chrome-tin pink glossy glaze

• 2 brown glazes

• 1 cone 6 “maiolica” white glaze

It’s not a lot of glazes, but the authors’ research and testing is much appreciated.

Chapter 7 includes info on developing your own glazes using all the information in the book. As one can see with many of the recipes included in this book, materials will change over time so it’s not a simple matter of just having a recipe. It’s about understanding the chemistry and science of the glaze, along with developing the aesthetic touches that you want in your ware.

The book then concludes with almost 60 pages of more info and appendixes.

All in all, this book felt like working through a workshop on cone 6 glazes with a detailed approach by two instructors who were super excited and committed to their material.

Conclusion and Other Glazes to Research

While Mastering Cone 6 Glazes is a great book, it should be mentioned that as of this writing, the info in the book is 20 years old. It’s not that the science has changed—all of that info holds up—it’s just that you may have other desired outcomes for your glazes along understanding all the science presented in this book. The matte glazes in MC6 are high calcium mattes, and there are other recipes with different materials. With that in mind, you might want to review other glaze recipes and approaches that have become quite popular since this book was written. Also, the MC6 authors focus on color variations using oxides, and you may wish to go with stains for your colorants. With any of the options, the takeaway from this book is that you need to master the science, and then apply it to your own clay and firing conditions.

DigitalFire has a bunch of recipes for a variety of glaze temperatures posted here. Of these, I’d look most closely at the cone 6 glazes G1214Z silky matte, G2934 Magnesium Matte Glaze, and G2926B Clear Glossy. These are public recipes, and two of these glazes are available for purchase from Plainsman Clay.

The other glaze that is so popular these days is the buttery Katz-Burke Matte, which can be found on glazy.org.

To conclude, I really value the Mastering Cone 6 book for really getting me to dig into Seger unity formula and understanding things like Coefficient of Expansion in clay and glaze. It was a technical read, but this book was the key that really unlocked a deeper understanding of how to approach cone 6 glazes to get the best glaze fit and reduce cutlery marking. Sure, you can find much of the same info in other books or online but for $30, I was happy to read along in this well presented book, which will become another vital resource in my studio.

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Best Ceramic and Pottery Podcasts

There’s a wide variety of podcasts focused on clay, pottery, and ceramic art. Here’s a guide to the top ceramic podcasts. And following that, there’s a list of one-off podcast episodes that touch on ceramics and art.

These can all be found on your favorite way to listen to podcast (Apple, Spotify, etc) so when possible, the link goes to websites dedicated to the shows.

#1: Tales of a Red Clay Rambler

The OG of pottery podcasts, Tales of a Red Clay Rambler is 10 years old and now has more than 400 interviews with potters, curators, and gallerists with the goal of documenting the variety of approaches to pottery and clay. Hosted by Ben Carter, who also wrote Mastering the Potter’s Wheel, the podcast is informative and entertaining. And with such a massive catalog, you’ll be sure to find a starting point that interests you.

Learn more at talesofaredclayrambler.com.

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#2: The Ceramics Podcast

The Ceramics Podcast, hosted by artists Cammi Climaco and Gustav Hamilton (and sometimes with guest hosts) has long-form interviews with ceramic artists along with intros where the hosts discuss life in the studio and answer listeners questions. It’s free form, entertaining, and opinionated. The show archive contains more than 40 episodes, with new podcasts coming out every month or so.

Learn more at cammiclimaco.com/theceramicspodcast.

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#3: Clay in Color

Hosted by curator Angelik Vizcarrondo Laboy and artist Alex Anderson, Clay in Color now has two seasons and more than 20 podcasts that are interviews with artists, with a focus on makers from underrepresented backgrounds. Launched in 2021, Clay in Color is part of the Brickyard Network, which includes 7 podcasts that were developed by Ben Carter (of Tales of a Red Clay Rambler) along with the Archie Bray Foundation.

Learn more at brickyardnetwork.org/clayincolor.

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#4: For Flux Sake

Another podcast from The Brickyard Network, For Flux Sake focuses on glaze formulation, addressing issues with making and firing ceramics, studio safety, and more. Hosted by artist Kathy King and glaze experts Matt and Rose Katz, the episodes are fun, informative and focuses, often clocking in at around 30 minutes. With two seasons and more than 30 episodes, For Flux Sake has tons of info that will help you in the studio.

Learn more at thebrickyardnetwork.org/forfluxsake.

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#5: The Potters Cast

With almost 900 episodes, The Potters Cast is a stalwart show with so, so much content to dig into. Hosted by potter Paul Blais, the show focuses on interviews with potters and sculptors who work with clay. Billed as “Picking up where the art degree ends,” the Potters Cast has a little bit of everything.

Learn more at thepotterscast.com.

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#6: The Slip Cast

Hosted by Clare McGibbon and Aimee McLaughlin, the NYC-based Slip Cast has more than 30 interviews with potters and sculptors, and discussions of studio practices. The Slip Cast seems to have a particular focus on the hot Instagram potters such as Recreation Center, Lolly Lolly Ceramics, and Ceramicism.

Learn more at instagram.com/theslipcast.

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#7: The Mud Peddlers: Ceramic Art Behind the Scenes

Hosted by Lindsay M. Dillon and Donte Earth Nation, this podcast focuses on the nitty-gritty of pottery production, along with interviews with potters. With more than 60 episodes and more being added each month, this is one to put on your podcast list.

Learn more at lindseymdillon.com

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#8: Trade Secret

Trade Secret, another great podcast from the Brickyard Network, is hosted by Adam Charles Chau and features conversations between Chau and a mix of artists, critics, curators, and more people who make the art world run. With one season so far, each episode focuses on a different topic. Here’s hoping there will be more seasons to come!

Learn more at brickyardnetwork.org/tradesecret.

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More podcasts to investigate:

The Shotcallers, another podcast from the Brickyard Network

The website CFile has stopped making updates, but an archive of their podcasts can be found here.

Wheel Talk with Ryan Durbin and Becca Otis.

The Kiln Sitters focuses on the Canadian ceramic scene.

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One-off Podcasts on Ceramics

In addition to podcasts focused exclusively on pottery and ceramics, there are podcasts that occasionally touch on clay.

What Pottery Can Tell Us About Culture, from The Dave Chang Show, 2019. Dave Chang in conversation with potter Adam Field. A great episode about Adam’s experience apprenticing in Korea.

Cooking as an Art, Vol 2, from The Dave Chang Show, 2019. Dave Chang in conversation with New York Times critic Roberta Smith, including a discussion of Korean ceramics.

Hyperallergic partnered with The Gardiner Museum in Toronto, Canada for a series of 4 podcasts.

The podcasts:

Shary Boyle’s Exploration of the Fantastic and Political Lives of Clay, released July 23, 2019

The Largely Unknown History of Blackface in Canada, released August 7, 2019

Kent Monkman’s Mission to Decenter the Colonial Museum, released August 9, 2019

The History, Context, and Legacy of an Ancient Maya Plate, released September 3, 2019

Are there any podcast series or episodes that should be included in this list? Let us know in the comments.

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Commeraw's Stoneware book review

A two-page spread from the introduction to Commeraw’s Stoneware.

Commeraw’s Stoneware is an impressive new book by A. Brandt Zipp that tells the story of Thomas W. Commeraw, who was the first African American potter we can identify by name. Living and working in New York City in the late 18th and early 19th century, Commeraw made functional stoneware pots that are now in the collection of institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Commeraw was also an abolitionist, political active, and was selected by the U.S. government as an emissary to Liberia. It’s an amazing story that is full of research, historical context and the book is full of images.

A jar by Thomas W. Commeraw, acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 1919.

Commeraw’s Stoneware was published fall 2022 by the auction house Crocker Farm, where Zipp is a founding partner, The book is full of extensive research, images, and information on other contemporaneous potters. Commeraw, who as Zipp says “almost slipped through the cracks of history,” has an inspiring story that is fleshed out in this book. I found it a compelling read.

Here’s quote from the introduction to Commeraw’s Stoneware:

Thomas W. Commeraw was a patriotic black American living in the age of slavery. He was a key early American stoneware potter, heavily influencing a craft that was understood to be inextricably linked with the development of the nation as a whole. He was a prominent member of the first generation of black New Yorkers living in the new republic. He was the first African-American potter we can identify by name, and the first to own his own shop. He was one of the first African Americans to become what is widely called the “Back-to-Africa” movement. He was a whistleblower who openly challenged—for the nation to see—the most prominent whites in the United States of American. He was the only American stoneware potter we are aware of who was specifically selected by the federal government to go on a mission, in the capacity of a potter. He was an early American abolitionist, a high-profile political activist who openly opposed slavery. And so as we begin our story, it is my hope that you find the life of Thomas W. Commeraw as fascinating as I have found it; that his slip through the fingers of history is as confounding to you as it has been to me; and that, in the end, Thomas Commeraw may be rightfully recognized as not only one of the great figures in the history of American decorative arts, but in the civil rights struggle of the first generation of black people living in the new United States of America.

Commeraw’s Stoneware
By A. Brandt Zipp
311 pages with 589 images
Published 2022 by Crocker Farm

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Images of the book

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What do you think about Commeraw’s Stoneware? Let us know in the comments.

For more books like this, check out these posts:

14 Best New Ceramic History Books and Artist Monographs

14 New Books on Pottery and Ceramic Technique 2022

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How to Ship Ceramics, Sculptures, and Other Heavy or Fragile Objects

Shipping ceramics or any fragile object can be a daunting task. But with this guide, you should get all information you need to become a shipping expert.

This post includes

• Guide to packing and shipping fragile objects using the “double box method.”

• Recommendations on tape, boxes, wrapping materials, and void fill.

• Guide to shipping scales

• Review of thermal packing label printers

Let’s dive in to packing and shipping first.

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How to Pack and Ship Ceramics, Sculptures, or other Fragile Objects

This is the best method to pack your ceramics and other fragile objects to insure that nothing is broken or damaged during shipping. The method uses two nested shipping boxes.

Start by wrapping your object with Ranpak Ready Roll (shop at Amazon), bubble wrap, or tissue paper. Then pack the wrapped object into a box with packing peanuts or foam, so that it is surrounded by about 2 inches of packing material on all sides. Give the box a light shake to insure it’s tightly packed and nothing movs. Then, place this box inside a box that gives another 2 inches of packing room on all sides and once again, make sure it is packed tight enough so that nothing moves.

This method results in around 4 inches of packing material surrounding the object in each direction, giving you plenty of assurance that you can ship via the postal service, FedEx, UPS, DHL etc, and your sculpture or pottery will be fine.

Here’s a detailed how to of this method with pictures.

Step 1: Select boxes that will nest

After always having random boxes around, I’ve found it useful to stock boxes I know will nest. In this example, I’m going to use an 8x8x8 inch box that will pack into a 12x12x12 inch box, giving equal space on all sides.

After taping the bottom, you can always double check to make sure the boxes will nest.

Step 2: Wrap Object

A stoneware flask ready to be wrapped in Ranpak packing material.

In this example, Ranpak is used for the initial wrap. It’s perfect for ceramics, and can be reused or recycled easily.

I usually avoid tape if possible, so it’s easier to reuse the packing material, and another bonus with Ranpak is it will sort of “grip” the opposite side and stay wrapped on it’s own.

Shop Ranpak Ready Roll at Amazon

Shop Ranpak Ready Roll at Staples

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Step 3: Packed Wrapped Object in First Box

The Ranpack-wrapped ceramic nested inside packing peanuts, inside the smaller box.

Next, put some packing material on the bottom of the first box, put your wrapped object in, and fill until it’s full and nothing moves when you close and shake the box. If it all seems good, tape it shut.

Step 4: Pack first box inside larger box.

About 2 inches of packing peanuts at the bottom.

Start with about 2 inches of packing peanuts at the bottom of the larger box, place your sealed first box inside, and then fill with more packing materials. You may need to push some material down the sides, to make sure you pack everything tightly.

Place packed smaller box inside.

Fill sides with packing materials.

After making sure sides are well packed, place material on top.

Step 5: Seal and label your box

That’s it! You’ve packed your box. Close it and give it a test shake. If nothing moves, seal the box shut and then you are ready to attach a label.

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Guide to tape, boxes, wrapping materials, and void fill

Here’s a few hints on tips on materials for your shipping needs.

Tape

Gummed paper tape in a Paper Mart brand dispenser at top, Scotch Heavy Duty tape in a dispenser at bottom.

For shipping, you have two options: plastic shipping tape and Kraft tape also known as gummed paper tape.

Plastic shipping tape is pretty straight forward and dependable. It’s easiest to use with a quality tape gun or dispenser. The main drawback is that it’s not easy to recycle. Within the plastic tape category, you have packing tape, regular shipping tape, and heavy duty tape. Some of the basic tapes can be pretty thin and weak (and sometimes don’t dispense easily) so for my studio I go with Scotch Heavy Duty shipping tape. I’d rather not fight with the tape. Mostly, I use the clear tape for covering labels.

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The Paper Mart Kraft tape dispenser.

Kraft shipping tape or gummed paper tape is a nice option, but it does take some set up for easy use. It’s super strong, looks great, and can be used to patch older boxes. (Unfortunately, Kraft tape with fiberglass reinforcement is not recyclable.) The only drawback is that you have you have to activate the gum with water.

For occasional shipping needs, you can cut the tape with scissors, then apply water with a sponge. This makes a bit of a mess on your table but it works.

If you are shipping more often, a tape dispenser with a water reservoir is very helpful. In my studio, I use the basic Paper Mart Kraft tape dispenser, but there are higher tech models out there. All of them help you dispense, wet, and cut the tape.

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For Kraft tape, I’ve tried a few options and the most dependable option was the Duck Brand Fiberglass Reinforced Kraft tape. While this tape is not recyclable, it does seal very well and is easy to work with. (I’m currently looking into other recyclable Kraft tape options and will update this post if I figure anything out.)

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Shipping Boxes

When it comes to boxes, there are lots of options for where to buy. Take a look at what you are shipping, and try to stock sizes that work for you. There are plenty of box suppliers online, and there may be a specialty shipping supplier in your area that will deliver without too high of a minimum. Usually, they will have lower prices per box but they will charge shipping. If you are shopping online, a few links are below:

For this double-box shipping method, the standard weight boxes work just fine. But you can also upgrade to the heavy-duty boxes if desired. They have thicker walls and are sturdier.

As mentioned in this post, I used to just have random boxes but when I got more serious about shipping, I started stocking in sizes I knew would nest together. That means, I usually have a variety of boxes ready to go in 8”, 10”, 12”, 14” and 16 inch cubes.

Here are the exact boxes used in this pictures above:

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Void Fill / Packing Peanuts

Along with tape and boxes, wrapping material and void fill are important parts of the shipping set up.

As mentioned, I love Ranpak Ready Roll. It’s tissue paper surrounded by honeycomb-cut brown kraft paper. It’s perfect for wrapping ceramics. If you have something more fragile, you may need to get stiffer foam such as museum foam, and create a custom chamber for your piece. But for my needs, I’m happy with the Ready Roll, which I then surround with biodegradable packing peanuts.

Packing peanuts are available in styrofoam or biodegradable corn starch. The corn starch peanuts cost about the same and are just as easy to use and are reusable, as long as they don’t get wet. For packing peanuts, unfortunately there aren’t a lot of great online options. The bags of peanuts are big and bulky, resulting in a high shipping cost (Some retailers, especially online, list the peanuts with shipping included.) For peanuts, it’s best to go with your local shipping supplier. If you bundle your purchase with boxes and tape, it should be quite economical to get a delivery as needed.

For smaller volumes of peanuts, check the links below.

Other Options for Void Fill

Shipping stores stock a variety of void fill, or you can make your own. Here are a few ideas to fill up space in a box:

• Crumpled newspaper (although ink can get on things)

• Sheets of crumpled kraft paper

• Bubble wrap

• Ranpak Ready Roll

• Clean egg cartons

• recycled bubble mailers

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Guide to Shipping Scales

Any scale that is accurate can be used as a shipping scale. Typically, shippers are going to round up to the nearest pound, so your scale doesn’t have to be super accurate. But you want it to work.

A package on the MyWeigh HD-300 Shipping Scale.

In my studio, I use a dedicated shipping scale, the MyWeigh HD-300. It’s a beefy scale with a metal plate, a detached readout, and can be used with batteries or plugged in. It also doubles as a robust scale for measuring plaster or other large amounts of materials.

For our complete guide to shipping scales, click here.

For a guide to scales for mixing glazes (may also work for small shipping scales) click here.

The MyWeigh HD-300 Shipping Scale retails for around $130.

The Accutek scale can be used with batteries or plugged in, and can weigh up to 50 lbs.

For a light-duty scale that can be used for weighing small balls of clay, and small packages, the Accutek all-in-one scale is a great budget option that costs just $20. It has a plastic top, decent build quality, and can weigh up to 50 pounds. It will just be hard to read if your package is wide, as it does not have a detachable screen.

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Thermal Label Printers

The Rollo printer with a stack of labels ready to print.

The final piece of shipping set up is a thermal label printer. These printers print in black on 4 x 6 inch stickers that can be used for labels or any use. You don’t need a thermal printer if you are planning to take your package to a shipping service, but it’s a must have if you want to prepare your own labels and drop your packages off or have them picked up.

The Rollo printer opened up, with a stack of labels.

The two main competitors for thermal printers appear to be Rollo and Dymo. In my studio, I went with a plug-in Rollo model and I’ve been very happy. The printer itself is well built, easy to use, and connects to my computer via USB. The extra power source plug is a normal size electrical item, but it is external to the printer.

For me, it took a bit of effort to get everything to work on the computer end (I find it best to use the Rollo browser extension to download a PDF of the label, then print) but you may find it easier to print directly from the service that you use.

The Rollo usb-connected printer retails for $200.
The Rollo wireless printer retails for $300.

Both printer work with any brand of thermal labels, but you can get 500 Rollo 4x6” labels for $19. Shop here.

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Summary

This post has covered just about everything you need to know to get started with packing and shipping fragile objects, along with the tools and materials required to get the job done.

The “double-box” method is what I use and it has never failed me, and it’s what I recommend to anyone packing and shipping ceramics. Just make sure the piece is packed securely and doesn’t move or shake around, and that it is double-boxed with about 4 inches of packing material in every direction.

This method requires boxes, tape, Ranpak Ready-Roll or bubble wrap, and void fill such as starch packing peanuts.

To help complete your shipment, it’s great to have a tape dispenser, shipping scale, and thermal label printer, so that you can prepare your shipment in your workspace, and easily drop it for shipping or have it picked up.

How do you pack and ship fragile objects? Any questions about this process? Let us know in the comments.

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Alice Mackler: "I do what I want to do"

Near the end of her 2021 monograph, the artist Alice Mackler is asked if she ever felt the need to rebel against what she learned in school in order to find her own voice. Mackler’s response: No. Because I do what want to do.”

The first page of the Alice Mackler interview by Joanne Greenbaum.

It may be some of the sagest advice for anyone making their way in a creative field. Do what you want to do. Do what you need to do. Just, uh, do it.

The whole catalog on Mackler is lovely and worth a look if you are interested in ceramics or want to take an inside look at an artist who has been making work in New York City since the 1960s.

The catalog contains a generous selection of paintings, drawings and sculptures by Mackler, along with an introduction by Matthew Higgs, essay by Kellly Taxter, and the concluding interview between Mackler and artist Joanne Greenbaum.

Alice Mackler
by Matthew Higgs and Kelly Taxter
Published 2021 by New York Consolidated, Gregory R. Miller & Co, in association with Kerry Schuss Gallery.
Listed at $45 but usually available for less

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More images from the book

Cover page

Table of contents

A sculpture from 2016.

A sculpture from 2015.

Drawings from 2017.

A sculpture from 2018.

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