Sculpting Ceramic Roses: Beautify Your Pots Even More

A pot can be made unique and beautiful with stunning glazes, textures, shapes, and what I call "doo dads". Doo dads are things you attach to your pot, like roses, insects, frogs, snakes, angels, and animals. I've stuck everything on pots from elephants and dragonflies, to entire bouquets. My sculpting never involves anything but my hands and the clay. I've tried using cake decorating tools and all I can say is don't waste your money. All I ever got was frustration because the clay is either too wet to hold a shape once it comes out of the cone, or too dry to come through the cone. With a couple of hours of practice, doo dads can be whipped out as long as your clay has the correct level of moisture.

You can also teach children how to make roses, frogs and dragonflies on Play-Doh, polymer clay, or good old clay. Polymer clay doesn't require a kiln, but the downside is it's pricey. I spend less than $8.00 on 20 lbs of stoneware. One pound of polymer clay is $10.00 or more. That's enough to make a small coffee cup. There's actually shops out there that will fire your stoneware projects in a kiln for a fee.

Here's the quick and easy way I make certain doo dads using clay:

ANGEL: Flatten out a slab for the "robe" and form into a cone. Roll a ball for the head (don't make it too big) and attach to the top of the cone. Roll a ball and flatten it for the halo (it will be a little bit bigger than the head so it will stick up above it) and stick it on the back of the head. Roll bigger balls and flatten in your hands to make wings. Make sure they are of equal size. Attach to the back. Add some little arms and praying hands if you like. All attachments are done through "slipping and scoring", which means scoring (using a pin tool or a little knife) the pieces you wish to attach where you want them to touch, applying watered down clay as the glue (or slip) where you want them to touch, and the sticking them together. If you don't "slip and score" the wing or head WILL pop off in the firing.

FIREFLY: Roll out a fat worm for the body. Roll out four more worms, two about the same size as the body, two a little bit smaller. Flatten them between your hands to make two big wings and two smaller wings. Attach the big wings about the middle of the body, and the small wings a little further down using slipping and scoring (see ANGEL instructions.) Roll two small balls for the eyes. Flatten them out just a little bit and attach them to the top of the worm where the head is. You might want to poke some holes into the eyes to make pupils.

FROGS: Roll out a short fat worm for the body. Roll out two more short fat worms for the back legs. Pinch one end of each of the legs and attach them to back side of the frog and pinch them all together into a little butt. Roll two eyes, flatten them a little and attach them to the "head". Then poke two pupils into the eyes (using a pen or whatever you have.)

GRAPES: Roll a buch of little balls and stick them on your pot. Roll out a ball and flatten it in your hand to make a leaf. When I make a leaf, it fold it at the point so that it looks more like a leaf. Attach to the pot and stick a few grapes on top of the leaf where it contacts the pot.

For anybody that wants to make a few bucks on this hobby, doo dads can double or triple what you would normally sell a piece for. For example, I've knocked out round lasagna dish that would normally go for maybe $15. When I stuck a couple of roses on the sides for handles, it went to $50. A $10 coffee cup goes to $20 with a flower on it. Teapots require a ton of work, but you can't always recoup your time...unless your have some doo dads or flowers stuck to it. People pay quite a bit for the decorations that make it a one-of-a-kind. As you can see from the video, it ain't rocket science. And in my case, roses are easier to whip out than two really nice symmetric handles!! All it takes is a little practice. People will also pay quite a bit for a doo dad that speaks to them (e.g. their favorite collectible). Start finding your forte and perfecting it!

Playing in the Clay

I probably have more hobbies than anybody I know. This blog will be part "how to", part experiencing my hobbies with me vicariously, and part pep talk to get people excited about getting out there and picking up my hobbies. This is my first time to blog. I've never even read a blog before. I spend ALL of extra time playing with my hobbies, and we will start with "playing in the clay".

The most common questions I get asked are "Do you own a kiln?" NO way! "Do you own a potter's wheel?" NO! I go down to the local community college and take a continuing education course. I've been taking the same course for four years. For the cost of the tuition, $120 per semester, I get the use of the kiln, the glazes, the wheels, and any input from the instructor I might want. All I buy is the clay and my hand tools.

How did I get started? I started in a high school art class when I was fourteen, but most of my peers started later in life. I quit after college, but picked it up again in my forties. It was like riding a bike. I picked up right where I left off with all my bad habits. "Throwing pots" on a wheel can be the most frustrating hobby in the world. One has to be able to center the clay and keep it that way. But I'm not a perfectionist. I would say 80% of my pots are a little bit off. I've learned to work around it. Nobody is going to get out their ruler and check to see that the rim of your pot is 1/16 of an inch wider on one side than the other side. If you hate throwing after trying it for two months, try handbuilding. Most colleges start you out with handbuilding anyway.

This year has been the year of the casserole dish. Most of my lids are fitting well, and now I am adding all kinds of textures such as sodium silicate (looks like scales) and circular stamps. I thought using them together would be too "busy" but actually it looks great! I'm using stains under the glazes to bring out the textures as much as possible. All of my toys (tools) I find at http://www.sheffield-pottery.com/ or Trinity Ceramic Supply. Last year was the year of the teapot, the year before that spice jar and lamp base, the year before that was the year of the coffee cup and the bowl. It's not that I don't throw other stuff, but I concentrate on that one item more than the others. In October I start taking an overglaze class (China painting.) I will cover it on the blog when I get there.

You can make a little money at this. What kind of prices do I charge? I'd say $35 for a nice casserole dish, $10 - $15 for a coffee cup, $20 for a spice jar. I sold a chess set for $100 once. Basically whatever the market will bear. But here's where I really get a kick: giving them away as gifts. If somebody is having a house warming party, I grab a bowl and throw it in a gift bag and head out the door. Corporate presents? (Yes, I'm a corporate slave.) Nothing goes over better than a homemade gift. Every time that client pours coffee she sees YOUR cup. Need to buy some love from that co-worker that can make or break you? Try a teapot. No more passive aggression. I keep my favorite stuff for myself. Every surface in my house is covered with pottery. The soup and coffee we drink is served in something I made. I never get bored with it.

Pottery started out as my greatest therapy and is still my greatest therapy. When I was fourteen, my sister (17) had ulcerative colitis. She was in the hospital week after week going through surgery, and my parents had to, of course, be with her. Fortunately, my freshman art teacher was a caring person and wanted to be there for me. She'd pick me up at the house on Saturdays and drive me to the high school where we would spend the day on the potters wheel. Through her example, I learned that hobbies can be a wonderful creative outlet for my emotions.

Next week we get into my next hobby: Piano.

Hobby Lady