This article will focus on creating a simple, altered, handled cup form and then highlight how slight variations on a form can add variety and interest to your visual portfolio.
Creating the Initial Form
Begin by weighing ten balls of clay that are 350 grams or a little less than a pound. Ten is not a magic number; rather, it’s just a reasonable one for me. Center the clay and throw a 4½–5-inch (11.4–12.7-cm)-tall, mug-sized cylinder (1). Use a metal rib to remove excess slip and clean up the exterior.
For the next step, I use a tool I created from a wooden spoon. I cut and sanded a 45-degree point on a piece of bamboo from a bamboo mixing spoon I picked up at the dollar store (2). The point of the stick is placed on the inside bottom of the cylinder (3) and, with gentle outward pressure, is drawn up the side of the form, creating a linear mark that is perpendicular to the wheel head (4). This is repeated three more times to transform the cylindrical form into one that has four relatively flat, evenly sized sides. This might be described as squaring off the form (5). Because I am not a big fan of drinking from square cups, before I remove the form from the wheel, I re-establish the round opening (6).
Refining the Form
After the pot is cut from the wheel and allowed to become leather hard, use a Surform to further taper the form (7), remove excess clay from the bottom (8), and refine the overall shape.
Wet the lip with a sponge, then center and suction the form down to a clean wheel head for trimming. The foot on this form is not stepped; clay is only removed from the inner portion of the form (9).
When making the handles, first create blanks and allow them to stiffen before attaching one to the cup form (10). Slip, score, and attach the handle blank to the cup and then pull the handle off the form (11) to create the finished handled cup (12).
Form Variations
For a slight variation and a different aesthetic experience when using a cup, make a simple alteration to the foot and go handleless. For this, I have three examples. When it comes to the first, follow all the steps above (1–9); however, after trimming, use a fettling knife to cut scallops out of the foot on each of the four sides, leaving enough clay to form four feet (13). Use a pony roller or dowel to smooth out and clean up the scallops (14).
The second variation on the handless form can be created by simply trimming a traditional stepped foot (inner foot shown in step 9, with a trimmed outer foot wall). Finally, after doing such controlled detail work I always get a hankering to loosen things up a bit. So, rather than squaring off the form, I take a rib and create a distinct belly in the middle of the pot from the inside, and then with the same rib create the yin to the yang by pushing in on the peak of the belly from the outside and drawing the rib upward. I appreciate that this last description is more suggestive rather than instructional and encourage you to go forth without fear. Good things will happen.
Dan Ingersoll taught K–12 art in the public school system for 30 years (17 of them teaching high school ceramics). Following retirement, he was a lecturer in art education at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for three years. He is currently retired and pursuing his passion for clay in a small basement studio and wood firing with a fellow potter. His work has been shown on both regional and national levels.
Choosing and Altering a Base Glaze
The base glaze on the cups is one found on page 66 of Phil Rogers book, “Ash Glazes,” and is attributed to Derek Clarkson (www.bloomsbury.com/us/ash-glazes-9781789941418). The base recipe produces a beautiful surface that Rogers describes as having a “velvet, buttery feel.” The glaze does not move and preserves the integrity of decorative brush work. While this a desirable quality, it also demands extreme care as even a little stain on your fingers or an errant mark will show up when fired. I was drawn to this glaze for functional ware for its satin, matte surface that I found did not show cutlery marks when used. The clay body I was using was Continental Clay High Fire White. The base glaze fired in reduction to cone 10 produces a soft, off-white color on this clay body. In order to brighten the white up, I tested the following additions to the above cups: base + 5% tin oxide (a), base + 5% Zircopax (b), base + 10% Zircopax (c), base with no additions (d).
As you can see, the 10% Zircopax produced a bright white. The 5% Zircopax also whitened up the glaze but not to the sanitary-ware level of the 10% addition. The change with tin oxide is more subtle; however I do love the surface.
Cutlery Marks
I then tested each surface for cutlery marking (for an in-depth article on this topic, see the article by Tony Hanson at: https://digitalfire.com/glossary/cutlery+marking). I knew that the base alone did not mark, and found that the addition of 5% tin oxide retained an unmarkable surface. However, both the 5% (b) and 10% (c) additions of Zircopax showed cutlery marks. I was able to use my finger to easily wipe the marks off the one with the 5% Zircopax addition, but while the 10% addition did come clean, it required scrubbing with a rag, soap, and water. Hanson, in his article on cutlery marking, points out that because Zircopax is highly refractory and produces a harder glaze the zircon grains (which are harder than cutlery) protrude from the glazed surface and abrade metal it comes in contact with. Future tests will include adding 3% Zircopax + 5% tin oxide to the base and testing it on a porcelain clay body.
For brush work and decoration, I used Degussa red stain and black 6600 Mason stain mixed with Ferro frit 3134 at a ratio if one teaspoon stain to one teaspoon frit, mixed to the consistency of ink. The addition of 10% 6600 Mason stain produces the rich black shown on the cups above with additions of 5% tin oxide (a) and 5% Zircopax (b).
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This article will focus on creating a simple, altered, handled cup form and then highlight how slight variations on a form can add variety and interest to your visual portfolio.
Creating the Initial Form
Begin by weighing ten balls of clay that are 350 grams or a little less than a pound. Ten is not a magic number; rather, it’s just a reasonable one for me. Center the clay and throw a 4½–5-inch (11.4–12.7-cm)-tall, mug-sized cylinder (1). Use a metal rib to remove excess slip and clean up the exterior.
For the next step, I use a tool I created from a wooden spoon. I cut and sanded a 45-degree point on a piece of bamboo from a bamboo mixing spoon I picked up at the dollar store (2). The point of the stick is placed on the inside bottom of the cylinder (3) and, with gentle outward pressure, is drawn up the side of the form, creating a linear mark that is perpendicular to the wheel head (4). This is repeated three more times to transform the cylindrical form into one that has four relatively flat, evenly sized sides. This might be described as squaring off the form (5). Because I am not a big fan of drinking from square cups, before I remove the form from the wheel, I re-establish the round opening (6).
Refining the Form
After the pot is cut from the wheel and allowed to become leather hard, use a Surform to further taper the form (7), remove excess clay from the bottom (8), and refine the overall shape.
Wet the lip with a sponge, then center and suction the form down to a clean wheel head for trimming. The foot on this form is not stepped; clay is only removed from the inner portion of the form (9).
When making the handles, first create blanks and allow them to stiffen before attaching one to the cup form (10). Slip, score, and attach the handle blank to the cup and then pull the handle off the form (11) to create the finished handled cup (12).
Form Variations
For a slight variation and a different aesthetic experience when using a cup, make a simple alteration to the foot and go handleless. For this, I have three examples. When it comes to the first, follow all the steps above (1–9); however, after trimming, use a fettling knife to cut scallops out of the foot on each of the four sides, leaving enough clay to form four feet (13). Use a pony roller or dowel to smooth out and clean up the scallops (14).
The second variation on the handless form can be created by simply trimming a traditional stepped foot (inner foot shown in step 9, with a trimmed outer foot wall). Finally, after doing such controlled detail work I always get a hankering to loosen things up a bit. So, rather than squaring off the form, I take a rib and create a distinct belly in the middle of the pot from the inside, and then with the same rib create the yin to the yang by pushing in on the peak of the belly from the outside and drawing the rib upward. I appreciate that this last description is more suggestive rather than instructional and encourage you to go forth without fear. Good things will happen.
Dan Ingersoll taught K–12 art in the public school system for 30 years (17 of them teaching high school ceramics). Following retirement, he was a lecturer in art education at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for three years. He is currently retired and pursuing his passion for clay in a small basement studio and wood firing with a fellow potter. His work has been shown on both regional and national levels.
Choosing and Altering a Base Glaze
The base glaze on the cups is one found on page 66 of Phil Rogers book, “Ash Glazes,” and is attributed to Derek Clarkson (www.bloomsbury.com/us/ash-glazes-9781789941418). The base recipe produces a beautiful surface that Rogers describes as having a “velvet, buttery feel.” The glaze does not move and preserves the integrity of decorative brush work. While this a desirable quality, it also demands extreme care as even a little stain on your fingers or an errant mark will show up when fired. I was drawn to this glaze for functional ware for its satin, matte surface that I found did not show cutlery marks when used. The clay body I was using was Continental Clay High Fire White. The base glaze fired in reduction to cone 10 produces a soft, off-white color on this clay body. In order to brighten the white up, I tested the following additions to the above cups: base + 5% tin oxide (a), base + 5% Zircopax (b), base + 10% Zircopax (c), base with no additions (d).
As you can see, the 10% Zircopax produced a bright white. The 5% Zircopax also whitened up the glaze but not to the sanitary-ware level of the 10% addition. The change with tin oxide is more subtle; however I do love the surface.
Cutlery Marks
I then tested each surface for cutlery marking (for an in-depth article on this topic, see the article by Tony Hanson at: https://digitalfire.com/glossary/cutlery+marking). I knew that the base alone did not mark, and found that the addition of 5% tin oxide retained an unmarkable surface. However, both the 5% (b) and 10% (c) additions of Zircopax showed cutlery marks. I was able to use my finger to easily wipe the marks off the one with the 5% Zircopax addition, but while the 10% addition did come clean, it required scrubbing with a rag, soap, and water. Hanson, in his article on cutlery marking, points out that because Zircopax is highly refractory and produces a harder glaze the zircon grains (which are harder than cutlery) protrude from the glazed surface and abrade metal it comes in contact with. Future tests will include adding 3% Zircopax + 5% tin oxide to the base and testing it on a porcelain clay body.
For brush work and decoration, I used Degussa red stain and black 6600 Mason stain mixed with Ferro frit 3134 at a ratio if one teaspoon stain to one teaspoon frit, mixed to the consistency of ink. The addition of 10% 6600 Mason stain produces the rich black shown on the cups above with additions of 5% tin oxide (a) and 5% Zircopax (b).
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