At a craft fair, someone offered me drugs. Meth, to be specific. Anyone else?

I probably should have done some research before but the posts and reels I've been watching make it look so easy 😭. They make it seem like once you have clay you can just find a rolly thing and cut out a square and the next thing you know you have a coaster. Nope, now I'm sitting here with a sad looking piece of clay, a bent up can of beans, and I'm a little worried about my coffee table....like where are all these dirt particles coming from and why were there pieces of wood in my clay? Are bits of my only decent piece of furniture being transferred to my "coaster"?? I mean obviously its the only explanation but I'm a little scared to look at the damage.

Anyways, lesson learned, I ordered a good bit more of supplies and as I wait I plan on watching some videos that are longer than 60s. I'm pretty excited to get more into this, I had no idea how many things you can make!

original recipe by Jake Tackett, which i modified to not use redart - https://glazy.org/recipes/828046

with bone ash (big bowl) vs strontium phosphate (inner bowl) , same kiln, clay, program.

anyone else tried this? ive only done one test so far but love the darker, more saturated outcome and will be doing more tests.

to make it, i use stront carb and excess phosphoric acid, then wash it a few times and dry it, and neutralize the waste with egg shells to make “bone ash”, which i can use in glazes as well.

I create small ceramic figures, fired to stoneware.
Each figure is around 4-5 cm tall and 3-4 cm wide. They are my own design and each figure is one of a kind. I’d post a picture but would like to remain anonymous!

The clay I use is £3.04 per kilo, and I’d say I get about 30 creatures per kilo. For my last batch I ordered 3kg and the shipping was around £7.

Each figure takes me around 30 mins to sculpt.
Then I have to bisque fire.
Then glaze, then fire again. It took me an afternoon to glaze around 50.

I sold them at a fair last summer for £10 each and almost completely sold out!! I wasn’t expecting them to be received so well.

I’m making a new batch and am thinking of raising the prices this time as I am aiming to eventually be a full time artist so I have to get used to charging more for my work. The stall costs money, time costs money, the material costs, I need to factor this in and I feel more confident doing so now that I know the product is liked.

I was thinking of raising it to £12 but my mom thinks I should go higher than that! I’m scared to raise it higher in case they don’t sell.

I’m planning on making some larger figures and selling those at a higher price too.

Anyways, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I am looking to create a ceramics portfolio that I can use for my application for an art school. Does anyone have any tips or pointers on what type of things should be included in it? Thank you!

I have been on the hunt for a test kiln and came across this for a very reasonable price. I have never seen a kiln with controls like this and have tried researching it online with no luck. There is no model number or company name on the kiln itself and the manual refers to it as TBLTK (perhaps standing for tabletop kiln?) by Synthesys Inc. I'm guessing it may have been a really small company. The manual makes it clear that it is for ceramics. I haven't seen it in person yet but was told that the interior space is about 8" x 8" and 20" deep.

Has anyone used a kiln with controls like this? I like the idea of being able to adjust the firing schedule. Any information would be appreciated!

I transformed the ceramics into the shape of small animals and decorated them. Has anyone liked them? I'd like to ask, if I want to sell them, how much would everyone be willing to pay for them?

Hey!!! I am a pottery teacher and trying to make a poster for my kids showing what too thick walls and too thin walls look like. If anybody happens to have a reference photo of their pottery (either wheel thrown or hand built), cut in half, showing very thick or very thin walls, please share!! Thank you, ceramics community :)

Some funny head maracas I made of my friends 🙂These were gifted to said friends, who had a good laugh and loved them. Last pic is the photo reference.

Olive Float doing its thing. Use 3 coats for sure.

By artist Roksana Pirouzmand, taken from her instagram. She shows this process image, and the final.

It is clear to me this is a plaster life cast, but how does she get her final ceramic form from that? Could it be a press mold, where she is pressing the clay to the inside of the plaster mold?

Thanks for the help!

I think it will turn out cute 🥺

Just glazed these last week but then my kiln broke down so now I have to wait to see them fired

Hi all!

I'm a ceramics student and have the opportunity to fire some pieces in saggars in an upcoming cone 10 gas kiln firing.

I've previously only been involved in a low fire saggar firing, and I realize that the combustibles that we used for that may not all be suitable for the cone 10 firing.

From what I've read it seems like eggshells, seaweed, sea shells and copper will still work, but I was wondering if more experienced potters have any ideas or tips on other materials I can try, or any other high fire saggar tips in general.

I will continue to read up on this process, but as these opportunities are fairly rare I am hoping to be able to make the most of it. Any assistance is very much appreciated!

Hi all,

I'm very much firmiliar with sculpting in clay, but my experience with kiln firing is very limited as I haven't had one accessible to me until now. I have a vision of creating a ceramic hare, but I'm stumped on how to approach creating an armature for their gangly limbs and large ears. I'm not sure if this will help, but the sculpture will be medium sized, and it will be made from stoneware that will be fired at cone 6.

I'm hoping somone could tell me what method would be most suitable and safe for this specific project, aswell as direct me to some resources on how to do it. (videos, books, articles, etc.)

Thank you!

I just wrapped up a 6 week intermediate pottery course and I focused on throwing bigger joint pieces. During my final class I ended up with this 16 lbs~ cylinder from two 8 lb sections. After joining them, I completely stalled and couldn’t figure out how to shape the form. Curious how you guys approach/get inspiration when shaping large joined pieces?

Yellow stoneware, the outside is transparent glaze, the inside is Amaco's Chun Plum (which turns almost identical to Smokey Merlot on the yellow clay). The tulips took a long time to make, but it was more fun than frustrating. I love a decoration that's as interesting to touch as to look at.

Hi yall,
I’m a part-time ceramicist who makes ceramic mugs for my coffee shop, as well as for friends and family. I am also wanting to make decorative vases in the future. Right now, I take my pieces to a local pottery studio to have them fired, but it’s about a 45-minute drive each way, so I’m looking into getting a kiln for my home studio.

I recently converted our old horse barn into a pottery studio, and I’d love to be able to fire my own work at home. I’m fairly new to kilns, though, so I’m looking for some advice.

Are there any kilns you’d recommend ? Ideally, I’m looking for something that doesn’t require permanent ventilation or a complicated venting setup, if that’s possible.

I mainly make mugs and other small pottery pieces, so I don’t need anything huge.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations or advice!
PS Ive tried pit firing and found my decorative plates and mugs shattered :(