Vintage textile prints and cast glassware are my primary inspirations. After failing to throw pots similar to the ones that inspired me, I began collecting glassware, melamine, and plastic in various shapes to make molds from. The shape of my hexagonal mold, one of my favorites, is both round and angular, and is the perfect canvas for painting.

1 Secure the model to the table with clay, then build slab walls around the perimeter and reinforce with buttresses. 2 Pour liquid plaster over the model. When it starts to set up, manipulate it to mound up evenly over the model.

3 When the plaster has cured, remove the model and clean the mold. Allow the plaster to fully dry. 4 Drape a compressed slab over the mold and gently fit it into the corners, making sure it is an even thickness all around.
5 Use a soft rib to compress the clay, smooth the surface, and even out the wall thickness. 6 To create a deeper bowl, add slab sides to the top rim and reinforce all joins using soft, thin coils.
7 Add a layer of slip to the interior surface while the bowl is still in the mold. Repeat this, adding a total of three layers of slip.
8 After removing the bowl from the mold, you can alter the shape by cutting out sections freehand or adding a coil foot. 9 Carve surface texture using loop tools and trim the rim edge using a small rasp tool. You are now ready to decorate!

From the Pottery Making Illustrated July/August 2015 issue.

Topics: Functional Pottery, Making Ceramic Molds

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