Ceramics can be produced in several ways. Each method will result in a different surface.
You can press the clay in moulds, hand-build an object, or merge slabs.
Depending on completion or decoration it can be necessary to smooth the surface as best as possible.
How to smooth the surface of your clay object? I’ll explain my methods in this article.
Handbuilt ceramics, composed of clay slabs, ensures a lot of creative freedom. With slabs of clay, you can make vases, pots, and free work of all shapes and sizes.
For a professional ceramist, it is not a question of how to make perfect slabs of clay. He or she uses a slab roller. Such a device is very similar to a printing press and makes perfect slabs that are the same thickness everywhere.
It is impossible for a hobbyist to purchase such a device. It takes up too much space and is too expensive. Hence my tip, which gives just as good results.
Usually, our first introduction to clay is making a thumb pot. And because the size is then limited, this is followed by making clay rolls.
Making clay rolls or coils seems like such an easy technique but as with all techniques, it becomes easy with experience and the right actions.
And sometimes someone has to give you the right idea, as I learned in a clay workshop. Ideas that are like the egg of Columbus are the best, don’t you think? So, how to make the perfect clay rolls?
In this article, I explain how to make a handmade frame and combine it with layers in Photoshop in an easy way. The end result appears to be the outcome of masking, but it is actually the result of selecting and deleting.
In the starting years of the availability of computers for everyone, I met a professional illustrator who said he had bought a computer and some illustration programs because he was sick and tired of getting dirty hands while drawing.
Working with your hands, and especially with clay, is a great way to relax. It is also a way to develop your creativity and is very satisfying. And it does not have to be expensive at all.
Over the years I had collected a lot of professional tools for my clay processing – wire tools, knives, hole cutters, kidneys. Some were bought new, others in a secondhand shop, and some came from my kitchen drawer.
You can start making ceramics right away because most of these utensils you have in your house anyway. Buy some clay and you’re ready to go.
In this article, I describe how you can combine linocut with clay to make reliefs.
Clay is a rewarding material, both for the professional and the hobbyist. Anyone who is just starting with clay will soon have an excellent result.
Clay can be decorated with all kinds of techniques, ranging from simple to difficult. The beauty is that most techniques can be started in a simple way and gradually become more complicated.
I used smoke firing on objects that already had their first round of firing in an electric kiln, called bisque or biscuit clay. This reduced the chance of breakage, and it also ensured that the objects were fired evenly and well.
Admittedly, my neighbours weren’t always quite pleased when I was firing this way. As you might know from a poorly ventilated fireplace, burning stuff that causes a lot of smoke can smell penetrating.
Yet, the results were so great that I risked their dislike. In this article, I explain how to smoke-firing ceramics yourself.
If you think you can’t draw (a statement I personally don’t believe, because I am sure that everyone can draw), you can go easy on yourself and trace a photo. You can do that with translucent paper and pen and ink. Or you can do that digitally on an ipad or computer.If you want to … Read more
DIY or let an expert take care of your graphic design? What are the criteria to buy or make your graphic design? It can be necessary to make it yourself. It can be smart to let an expert do that. To know the difference you have to be very critical on your own abilities. Not … Read more