I have come to a decision on my test tiles--shot glasses! Well, not exactly shot glasses. I'm not going to trim them like I would if I were selling them. I balled up around 50, 1/2 lb. balls to make these guys, and I got half of them done tonight. I didn't get started until 7:30 and only worked until about 9. Not too bad--I had fun seeing how fast I was going--a little less than 2 min. per.
I really suck at throwing off the hump. I tried throwing little cylinders without bottoms, but they were turning out really bad, so I made these guys. I'm going to carve in them like I do my bigger cups to get an idea of how glazes will break over the texture.
I've got to fire a bisque soon--the whole bottom shelf is greenware, and I've got a good amount more stashed around the studio. It's still super humid outside, so most of it is not bone dry yet. 
My wheel is in terrible shape already--why do I even bother. I wish that I could just roll it outside and hose it off, but I'm pretty sure the motor wouldn't appreciate it. Same goes for the floor. I can't wait to build a real studio--one with a drain in the middle. I'm working in my seriously small one car garage, and part of it is dedicated to the water heater and a shelf unit filled with random crap. What would a garage be without some random crap?Exciting news! Carolina has it's first game of the season tomorrow night, and for those in the Southeast, it will be televised at 8 on ESPN. We are playing NC State.
Hope everyone's week is going well! Post again soon!
wow that new font on the black background is really a strain on the eyes.
ReplyDeleteHi Ben-those are some pretty nice looking test cups. I really like the way you have the flat and curvy together on your pots.
ReplyDeleteI think your post font is fine to read-but maybe you changed it back and I'm not seeing the font in question.
Ben - GO GAMECOCKS. My dad & most of his family went to Carolina; my aunt taught there & I had an uncle play football there. I hated Clemson before I knew what football was -lol. Me - I'm a GA fan. Okay - on to pots -- your test cups look fabulous. I think I get more info using small cups as opposed to test tiles. Let me know what you think. I made myself learn to throw off the hump & now that's how I make lids & spouts & stoppers. It wasn't pretty for a while though.
ReplyDeleteEverything in my studio is still wet as well and I'm running out of space. I hope to be able to finish up some stuff today. The sun is supposed to shine!
Does the background color really make it hard to read? I don't mind changing it if it's a problem.
ReplyDeleteThanks Deborah!
Judy--I know exactly what you mean about hating Clemson! My dad is a Carolina alumni, so I came by it honest. My mother's entire side of the family are Clemson fans though! Sure made Thanksgiving interesting ;) You're right--I should keep practicing throwing off the hump.
Hope the sun brings you some drier pots!
shot glasses for test tiles? You must have tailgating on your mind... Go Gamecocks! BTW - I want the bowl in the post beneath this one, and more wine goblets, a big bowl and a big platter while you're at it
ReplyDeletelove,
your favorite sister
Hey Ben - With those shot glasses, you're all set for a pretty rockin' party.
ReplyDeleteReady for some more fun?
Well, you've been "tagged!"
Yep, sorry to do this to you. I really dreaded it when I was tagged and was tempted to shine it on. However, it ended up to be kind of fun. Hope you'll play along.
Read about it at:
http://www.claymousestudio.com/2008/08/ive-been-tagged.html
Good point - I have made test tiles in the past with an extruder. They're hollow, and then I can string them like huge beads and hang them up for reference.
ReplyDeleteWhite text on a black background messes with my eyes too. I'm not sure why, but I see spots afterwards if I read too much.
Great idea. I hate flat test tiles. I find my glazes vary dramatically if they are vertical or horizontal. And I agree that throwing off the hump is a pet peeve :)
ReplyDeleteNice work! I too have a ton of bisqued pots lying around. I recently made a bunch of test tiles. They are the 'L' shaped kind but I make them taller than most and add some grooves in the surface to test how the glaze breaks. I enjoy reading your blog. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDelete