Shellac Embossed and Carved Handbuilt Porcelain Egg

Labels: , , , , , , , | at 9:01 AM

This egg was a challenge to create as we started building with bevelled canes around a balloonHere is an interior shot of the egg after the bisque firing..I would NEVER attempt this shot with this delicate project until IMMEDIATELY before the bisque firing.
The trick was to make certain that the canes were smoothed out and the exterior was without cracks before the balloon was "popped."

A round cookie cutter was used to cut a "light hole" in the bottom so that it can be lit through the bottom while on a base (that has yet to be designed nor created...YIKES!!)
Then, it was allowed SLOWLY air dry so that it didn't have another chance to form cracks.
 Next came the designs to be carved and/or embossed.
The embossing process we used on this project was a first for me...
I filled the design that I wanted to be raised up from the surface of the egg with regular shellac with a fine brush as some of the design is rather intricate.
Then, when it was thoroughly dry, I took warm water and a sponge and began gently rubbing over the shellaced areas in a circular pattern.
After numerous hours of working in 5-10 min spurts, as the porcelain doesn't like getting too wet so you have to let it "dry" before working on another area and my neck causes my hands to go dead numb for hours on end...
TADA!!!! The "embossed" areas began to emerge : )
Now, it is time to paint : )
My teacher declares (regularly) that she believes this to be my favorite part : )
I'm toying with painting this in a reverse Wedgewood theme...
Making the embossed areas blue and the "base" would remain white...
SOOOOO, many people commented on HOW MUCH they loved it with the brown shellac coloring...
I was planning on this being a present for my Momma...she LOVES turquoise...
Well, we'll see what my 2 MOST IMPORTANT advisors have to say...Gregory and Jackson , believe it or not, have ENORMOUS influences on how my projects are completed : )
Thanks for looking!!!!
Please take care and God bless!!! tia : )



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My First Handbuilt 4 Seasons Cassarole Dish

Labels: , , , , , | at 5:55 PM


This dish took FOREVER to build!!!! It was WELL worth the effort!!!!
This is what it looked like after the Bisque Firing...I usually try to paint with underglazes while my clay projects are still  "green," so that the underglazes don't smeear while I'm trying to put the final clear glaze. The Bisque Fire "seals" the underglazes to the clay.  
This time I had to come up with a clever way to keep from ruining HOURS upon HOURS of work painting the colors on with toothpicks...
The seasons that are in this picture are Summer with a swing and Autumn with a rake perched against the tree : )

 The seasons in this picture are Winter with a snowman and Spring with a budding tree and flowers on the ground.
The bottom layer has sprigs tilted in two different directions to give it a less repetitious look : )
In order for the lid to fit it has to be fired simultaneously with the bottom part.  This means that there would be a gap between the blue glaze and the tan clay.  To overcome this, I painted the upperpart with the same color I painted around the trees but I made it a heavier coat and it remained unglazed. The top's handle is the trunk of the tree...It ties the seasonal trees together as well : )
Thanks 4 looking & God bless!!!  tia : )

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A Plate FULL of Flowers : )

| at 9:31 PM




















This plate isn't finished yet...obviously, because it hasn't color...
I'm caught in a cr8tive dilema...
I can glaze the ENTIRE plate in one color that's transparent like I used on the "Cool Coil Pot" OR I can paint each flower like I did on the "COLORFULL MUG"
I'd LOVE, LOVE, LOVE ANY & ALL SUGGESTIONS!!!!!!
Thanks for looking !!!!
Please take care and God bless!!
Luv, hugz, & blessings, tia :  )

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A COLORFULL FlowerFULL Mug of Clay : )

| at 9:01 PM

Yes, this COLORFULL mug took FOREVER to paint!!!!
Hard to believe that this started as a slab of flattened clay with random flower stamp variations I created using my acrylic flower petal/centers sets from my scrapbooking supplies...
I think Gregory thought it would NEVER reach completion : )
Actually, it's NOT completely done, yet...PLEASE don't tell Gregory!!! : )
I still need to glaze it...
Could I do this the easy way like everyone else????
HECK NO!!!!
So, I'm going to coat ALL the painted areas with a type of wax and then dip the mug into WHITE OR BLACK  glaze so that the colors will REALLY POP!!!! : )
This will take even MORE time...and since I ONLY work on this is when JackJack is working on his homework at the kitchen table, well, let's just say, it'll be awhile : )

"He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not"
Thanks for looking!!!!
Please take care and God bless!!!
Luv, hugz, & blessings,  tia  : )

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Newest Clay Cr8tions...such as they are....

| at 8:12 PM

Greetings and Salutations!!!!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I've been dealing with some pretty intense medical issues : (
As the TITLE implies I've been working on a few clay projects and haven't finished ANY of them yet....
That's the frustrationg part of EDS that I ABSOLUTELY HATE!!!!!!! I never know from one day to the next and many days one hour to the next what part of my body is going to "act up" OR decide it wants attention through EXCRUTIATING pain... yes, this is a mini-pity party...over and done with...sorry!!!
Anywho....
Here's some pics of my works in progress...don't expect much : )












This is a method of clay pot making that has been used for THOUSANDS of years : ) You start with a coil pot, much like the ones we made in Grade School...smooth them out and then do what you will...The leaves are a top that lifts off so that you could put candy or Autumnal Treasures within it's fruit-like formation : )
MANY of these leaves came from ACTUAL pumpkin leaves from our very own Pumpkin Patch in our back yard : )  I made a mold of the real leaves so that myself and others in the future could use them LLLLOOONNNGGG after they real leaves are gone : )
My wonderful teacher, MIKKI hudgins, @ MANASSAS CLAY (Old Town Manassas), calmly helped me cr8 this interesting pumpkin : ) She has the patience of a SAINT : )
Please take care and God bless!!!
Luv, hugz, & blessings,  tia : )

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My UNFINISHED Unglazed Handbuilt Pumpkin

Labels: , , , | at 8:52 PM

Not Quite Finished...Cross Your Fingers for the Glazing Process....
I was SOOOO incredibly nervous about trying to glaze and finish this!!!!
I actually picked pumpkin leaves from our garden and made my own "Leaf Mold" from some of my scrapping supplies and it ACTUALLY worked to my ENORMOUS SURPRISE!!!!
My WONDERFULLY patient teacher, Mikki, had to take me through how she did her own project, SEVERAL times...
I LOVED the realistically unique way she glazed her own leaves on her sample project she made for us...
I wanted to replicate it as closely to her's as possible...
BUT, I had put SOOOO much time,effort,work, and prayers into this, that I was reticent to try something new, treading outside my comfort zone...
Poor Mikki had to basically hold my hand through the process...she had a nasty migraine too... : ( 
(you'd never know by how VE RY patient she stayed with her class idiot)
To my great chagrin, I was nearly finished with The Glazing Experiment,
 when I set it down on the counter (I had been using a piece of foam but couldn't use it while it was still wet) and then,
 the MOST SICKENING sound ...
Yep, one of the bottom leaves snapped off...my heart sank : (
Oh wel...I guess I'll just have to make that the "back" of the project : (
We'll just have to see what the Kiln Gods have done to it....
As always, thanks eversomuch for looking!!!!
Please take care and God bless,  tia : )

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The SWIRL Bowl

Labels: , , | at 8:01 PM

My teacher wanted me to "squash" this bowl because it wasn't a well made bowl...
Seeing the character in it, I couldn't put it on the proverbial squashing block thus
here it is with my FAVORITE doodle, the SWIRL...
I also painted the base with black underglaze so that there would be a seamless transition from Black Opal Glaze to the base instead of leaving it the plain white clay
Thanks for lookin!!!
Please take care and God bless,  tia : )

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Jackson and I Created A Hokiefied Extrusion

Labels: , , | at 8:05 PM

Jackson wanted to make something for Daddy's desk and we were a bit bored (couldn't tell, could ya???)  : )  We used a Playdough Extruder with Miller 80 Clay.  We then used VA Tech Hokie Bright Orange and Maroon Underglazes while the creation was still green.  Unfortunately, when it fired the Maroon turned to a light Lavender : (   Oh well! Got lots of complements from AMAZINGLY gifted clay artists at Manassas Clay (free plug) ; )
Please take care and God bless!!! : )
Thanks for lookin!!!  tia : )

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Working on a New Thrown Pottery Container With Carved & Painted Decorations

Labels: , , | at 12:12 AM

I was making it for the Uber-Lovin' Hubby's cooking utensils (mine too, I'll have you know)...
He wanted something to reflect the kitchen's theme: FISHING...so, I came up with an even better idea..Gregory is a devout Christian and a devout Fisherman so I utilized BOTH of these with the "Christ Fish" along with another artist's rendition of this and voila!
By the way, the "Angelic Christ-Fish" isn't my own design... I don't know whose it is, but to whomever created this, thanks!!!! (If you do know who did it, I'd LOVE to give her/him credit for it)
Please take care and God bless!!!
tia : )

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