The first time I created my coffee pour-over set I was living in Red Lodge, Montana, as an artist in residence. Every morning I would sit on the back of my couch while looking out the window at the mountains. The slowness of the morning when I would wait for the water to brew and watch the coffee gradually drip into the cup became a ritual that I miss to this day. Coffee pour-overs were up and coming at that time in the clay community, and while I had never created one before, the challenge of developing new designs, making prototypes, and receiving feedback is one of my favorite aspects of being a maker. 

New forms are an invitation for me to find ways in which I can incorporate the floral motifs, texture, and cutouts that are fundamental to my ceramics. When designing a piece, I ask myself how the floral pattern, texture, and cutouts can call attention to the form whether complementary or contrasting. Do my designs provide visual direction and inform the user where to hold, to rest, or to look? Aside from being a well-functioning piece, these are the questions I ask and enjoy the most when designing something entirely new.

Throwing the Form

Begin by throwing the basic pour-over form. I use about 2 pounds (0.9 kg) of clay to create the pour-over body, which will measure 5 inches (12.7 cm) wide at the base and 6 inches (15.2 cm) tall. Creating the body taller than I actually need allows me to alter the rim to include a floral motif/handle at the top. 

First center the clay, then gradually push down and in toward the center from the lower right side quadrant. This will create a centered mound with a thick skirt-like base, which should be thrown at least ½ inch (1.3 cm) thicker than needed (1). A small foot ring will eventually be trimmed underneath to keep the pour-over from sliding off a cup. 

1 Center clay so that you have extra clay at the base for the skirt of your pour-over.

Similar to throwing off the hump, open the centered mound (2), widen the floor slightly, and compress the bottom, all while leaving the skirt as is. After pulling the wall of the pour-over form, dedicate attention to shaping the body (3). 

Next, throw a basic cup form to compliment the shape and size of the pour-over. It will be similar in diameter to the pour-over, while also making sure that the rim is wider than the foot ring of the pour-over but more narrow than the skirt. 

2 Open and slightly widen the top leaving at least 1/2 inch of thickness at the bottom. 3 Throw the walls of your pour-over to desired thinness and shape the form.

Trimming the Pour-Over and Cup 

Once the pour-over and mug forms have dried to leather hard, you can then trim them. I use a Giffin Grip for the pour-over— because it grips the piece higher up the form, this allows me to trim the base while the rim is still fairly soft for altering later. Begin by feeling the piece to familiarize yourself with how thin or thick the walls are. Remember, the skirt of the pour-over is thicker than you need so that you can trim a foot ring. 

Identify where you want the foot ring to be (4), and begin to trim away clay making sure that you do not trim too much from the center of the pour-over. Continuously check the thickness of the skirt because you will be adding cutouts later in the process. When trimming the bottom center of the pour-over, trim so that it creates a cone-like shape encouraging the coffee to drip down (5). After trimming to a desired thinness, create a hole in the bottom using a wooden dowel or a ¼-inch drill bit (6). 

4 Mark your foot ring and begin to trim, but don’t trim too much from the center. 5 The bottom center should be a cone-like shape so the coffee will easily drip down.

6 Create a hole in the bottom using a wooden dowel or a ¼-inch drill bit.

Trim the cup you made to go with the pour-over at the same time. Attach a handle low enough, so that it will not impact how the pour-over skirt sits on top of the mug. 

Altering the Form 

After you trim both the pour-over and the mug, focus your attention on altering the form, and adding the surface design. Begin with the leaf cutouts. With a fine X-Acto knife, cut through the skirt to create small leaf-like shapes (7). This takes some time. Use a needle tool to apply pressure to the cutout; compression reduces the chance of cracking and tidies up the holes. 

7 Cut small shapes, use a needle tool to compress the edges, then sponge.

After completing the cutouts, lightly sketch a line that you will use as a guide for cutting a level rim. Cut out the drawn decorative floral motif with an X-Acto knife (8). This floral design on the rim will also function as a handle to lift the pour-over on and off the mug when brewing. I like to create a beveled rim, so I cut an angle with the blade. Finally, use a damp sponge to compress and clean the rim and floral motif (9). 

8 Sketch a level line to use as a guide, and cut out the rim with an X-Acto knife. 9 Use a damp sponge to compress and clean the rim and motif.

Designing the Surface 

Now that the pour-over form is complete, draw on the floral motif surface decoration with a pencil (10). You will notice that my design intentionally uses the shape cut out from the rim. When you are happy with your composition, cut shallow lines over the drawing (see 11). I do this with a swivel blade, which allows me to make precise, smooth, and organic curves. 

To finish the inlay, paint the shallow lines with watered-down Jet Black Amaco Velvet underglaze so that it fills the lines evenly. Once this black underglaze is dry on the surface, wipe away the excess underglaze so that it is sitting inside the lines only (11). 

10 Draw the floral decoration with a pencil, then cut shallow lines through drawing. 11 Paint lines with watered-down underglaze, then remove excess with sponge.

Next, add a textured background using a multi-point scoring tool (12). For me, this texture is inspired by textiles and fabrics. As someone who sews, I often think about the variety of fabrics and how patterns meet at a seam. This also adds more tactile and visual depth to the design. I carefully incorporate the texture around the inlay. While it takes a great deal of time, I have found it worthwhile. 

The last step before bisque firing is to give some relief to the flowers with a dab of thick slip. Mix your clay body with some water until it has a thick yogurt-like consistency. By painting this on the surface, it encourages the glaze to break beautifully over the surface, adding even more depth to the designs (13). Apply this same surface work to the mug included with the pour-over. 

12 Add a textured background using a multi-point scoring tool. 13 Paint on a thick, yogurt-like slip of your clay for the flowers. Dry and bisque fire.

Finally, apply wax to the cutouts before the drying process to help prevent cracking from drying too quickly. Once the piece is bone dry, brush away any clay burs with a scouring pad (be sure to wear a respirator and work over a sink with running water or outside) and bisque fire to cone 08. 

Painting and Glazing 

After bisque firing the piece, paint the leaves and flowers. I use a mix of Deep Green and Avocado Amaco Velvet underglazes for the leaves (14). Once the underglaze is dry, scratch through with an engraving tool to make the detailed lines of each leaf (15). While this process can also happen on greenware (sgraffito), I prefer the crisp lines I get on the bisque ware. 

14 After bisque firing, paint leaves onto the surface of both pieces using underglaze. 15 Scratch leaf lines through the dried underglaze with an engraving tool.

Then, glaze each flower with Amaco Satin Matte glazes or their Celadon glazes (16). I love the way their celadons break over the thick and thin areas of the slip for each flower. In preparation for glazing, wax the rim of the skirt and foot ring, as well as each flower you have glazed. 

I glaze my work with EM Satin glaze, apply a lithium wash in areas to encourage running, and then fire to cone 6 (17). I also incorporate gold luster into my work with a third firing to cone 018. 

16 Paint each flower with colored glaze, and wax the before clear glazing the rest. 17 Glaze with EM Satin Matte, then brush Lithium Carbonate Wash in small areas to encourage glaze movement. Once glaze fired, paint on small details of luster and refire to cone 018.

Stephanie Wilhelm lives and works in West Chester, Pennsylvania, as the Upper School ceramics and 3D teacher at Westtown School. She has been an artist in residence at the Brockway Center for Arts and Technology, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and Red Lodge Clay Center. When she is not teaching or making ceramics, you can find her adventuring with her dog, Tater, in their little teardrop camper. To see more of her work visit stephaniemwilhelm.com or follow her on Instagram @stephanie.m.wilhelm. 

Topics: Ceramic Artists, Functional Pottery, Wheel Throwing Techniques, Handbuilding Techniques

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