How to make pottery

Pottery for Beauty and Use

CHAPTER VI
POTTERY FOR BEAUTY AND USE

When one thinks of the limitless possibilities of pottery in household decoration—the great dishes for flowers and fruit, the lamp-bowls, candlesticks, and tiles—one may make, one can hardly wait to begin. Now is the chance to work out a long-treasured idea for a match-bowl, or a plant-jar to hang against the wall or window frame. Now one can show the superiority of one’s conceptions over the stupid things in shops! Let us hasten to get out the clay and begin.

Dark-Green Fruit-Bowl

Materials required:

Take a good lump of clay, about four and a half pounds, well worked and free from air-bubbles. Beat out a piece with the flat of the hand on a table until it is about three-quarters of an inch thick and more than large enough to cover the bottom of the plaster mould you have chosen. It should be of even thickness, and may be rolled with a rolling-pin to make it smooth. Be sure that the plaster mould is clean and free from scraps of clay. Then dust it with powdered flint tied up in a cotton cloth. Now fit the flat piece of clay carefully into the bottom of the bowl mould, pressing it firmly, but lightly, against it. Cut the edge evenly around. Next a long rope of clay is rolled as described in Chapter II. It should be an inch in diameter, and long enough to go around the bowl just above the bottom. Pat it flat and even, and cut one end into a long point. After cross-cutting the edge of the bottom piece (to insure its holding firmly to the coil above), brush it with slip and lay the coil along, pressing it firmly on to the edge of the bottom piece. Work the edges of this piece and the coil together with firm, short strokes of the flat part of the thumb or forefinger nail. Where the coil joins the other end it is cut into a long, flat point that will fit exactly the point at the beginning, completing the row.

For the next coil no cross-cutting with the tool is necessary, but otherwise the process is the same in joining this and subsequent coils. Care should be taken to press the clay firmly against the walls of the mould, as well as upon the coil below. When the inside of the mould is covered, if a deeper bowl is desired, add one or two more coils above the edge, taking care to have them slope in such a way as to continue the lines of the bowl. It is then set away to harden. The next day the clay will have dried and shrunk sufficiently to come easily away from the plaster. The bowl is then placed bottom up on a table or flat slab, and the hollows left between the coils on the outside are wet with slip and filled in evenly, with clay of the consistency of that in the piece. This will take time and care. The bowl is then allowed to dry for an hour or two. Next it is carefully scraped and made even; first with the oval steel tool with a saw edge, held at right angles with the bowl and curved to fit the form: this is to get the large bumps off. It is then carefully evened off with the smooth-edged oval tool bent to fit the curves of the bowl. The inside is made smooth and even in the same way, brushing any deep hollows with slip and filling them in with clay. This process should be carefully and conscientiously done, so that the walls of the bowl, as one feels them between finger and thumb, are even and free from lumps. They should not be more than a quarter of an inch thick.

A damp sponge is then passed over the bowl, and the fingers and thumb smooth and polish it outside and in. The edge is trimmed as evenly as possible by eye with a steel tool and then bevelled as follows:

On a large slab of ground glass pour a little water, which should be spread over the glass till it is thoroughly wet. Now, holding the bowl bottom up, firmly with both hands, press its edge quickly and with a circular motion flat on the glass. It must be done so rapidly and deftly that it will not stick, but makes the edge even and true. Slip it off at the side of the slab instead of lifting it up from the centre. The bottom is finished as described in Chapter II. If this is done in the morning, the bowl will be ready for the decoration in the afternoon. This is a band of orange leaves (see Fig. 25), deeply incised near the top of the bowl on the inside (see Chapter IV.). More character will be given to the design if the line is broad and deep, particularly at the points of the leaves, which are thus emphasised. This piece being so large, should, if possible, be fired in the biscuit and then finished, inside and out, with a dark-green mat-glaze (see Chapter V.), and fired again.

Candlestick, Thumb Design

Materials required:

This sturdy little candlestick shows that it is hand moulded by the marks of the potter’s thumb on base, handle and candle cup. The square base is moulded from a single large piece of clay. This is patted flat and even with the thick part of the hand, and then cut square and the sides turned up for about an inch, making the base about five inches square and three-eighths of an inch thick. It is then placed on a plaster slab, and the corners are pressed in with a firmly held thumb. The sides of the square base are moulded into a gradual inward curve, and the corners are slightly depressed (see plate). A cup for the candle (see Fig. 26) is made by rolling a piece of clay into cylindrical form, about an inch and three-quarters in diameter and two inches and a quarter long. At the top of this roll, the finger makes a hollow for the candle. It should be remembered that the clay shrinks both in drying and firing, so this hole should be a trifle large and deep for the candle. The sides of the cup, at about an inch from the top, are squared and pressed in so that the four corners will stand out like columns. The hollowed sides between the corners show the mark of the thumb (see Fig. 26). The centre of the base is now wet with thick slip and the candle cup pressed firmly on to it, while the edges are moulded closely on to the base.

A piece of clay is then rolled and flattened into a handle an inch in diameter and five inches long. This is put on at one corner of the base, and is not attached at any other point. Before moulding it on to the base, touch the corner lightly with thick slip, to insure its holding. Where the handle joins the base it is made thick and substantial by adding a little extra clay. The print of the thumb is made where the handle joins the corner, another is pressed on the top, and another still on the end of the handle (see plate and Fig. 27). To support the handle until it dries, roll a ball of soft paper under it. After the candlestick has stood for a few hours out-of-doors or indoors overnight, it is carefully trimmed with one of the wooden tools or the sharp-pointed metal one, taking care to leave sufficient thickness to give it a sturdy, substantial character, yet not enough to make it clumsy. It is then rubbed over with a damp sponge and polished with the thumb and finger, which will smooth away any lumps and give the piece a hand-moulded look. Should there be any very deep hollows to make it uneven, they should be wet with slip very slightly and filled in with clay as nearly the consistency of that in the candlestick as possible. When it is bone dry, it will be ready for the glaze (see Chapter V.).

Bowl for a Lamp

Materials required:

Having chosen a good mould for your bowl, brush it inside with ground flint tied in a cotton cloth, so that the clay will not stick to it. Now beat out a piece of well-worked clay on a board, with the flat of the hand, until it is perhaps two inches more in diameter than the bottom of the mould, and half an inch thick. It should be rolled smooth with the rolling-pin. Lay it in the mould, pressing it firmly against the bottom and sides. It may not be out of place here to say that no tool but a wooden one should be used in working in moulds, as metal tools are liable to injure the plaster. The edge of the bottom piece is next cut even with a wooden modelling tool, and a lump of clay is formed into a rude cube shape between the hands and then rolled out on a table or board with the flat of the hand till about three-quarters of an inch in diameter. This roll of clay is flattened evenly for its whole length. The top edge of the bottom piece is marked with criss-cross lines and wet with slip. The roll of clay is then started on edge, along the top of the bottom piece, pressed firmly down upon it and against the sides of the mould. It is joined to the bottom with firm, even strokes of the thumb or forefinger nail. When the circuit has been made, the two ends, each cut in a long, flat point, so that they will unite perfectly, are joined. Another roll is now made, the upper edge of the previous coil is wet with slip, and the coil is attached in the same way, being careful to start at a different place from where the previous coil was joined. Thus the whole bowl is built up. Where there are any decided hollows made by joining the coils, they should be filled in with clay of the consistency of the piece, and the bottom and sides smoothed with dampened finger or modelling tool. If a moderately deep mould has been chosen, after the sides are covered with layers of clay, four or more coils may be added above the mould to make a deeper bowl, continuing the sides in a graceful line. To do this, when the first coil above the mould has been attached, the bowl is set away, out of doors for fifteen or twenty minutes if it is in summer or indoors for a longer time if one is working in the winter. Whenever two coils have been built up, the piece is set away to harden. These coils, being free from the mould, can be joined on the outside as well as within. They are brought gradually in (see plate) until there is a space five and a half inches in diameter at the top. If a central-draught lamp is to be used in this bowl, a pierced design will be practical, as it does away with the necessity for a hole at the bottom of the bowl. There is much to be done, however, before the piece is ready for the design. When it has stood for four or five hours or overnight, the bowl can be lifted from the mould, the cracks on the outside where it was impossible to join the coils are wet with slip and filled in with clay of the consistency of the bowl, using the finger or a wooden tool. When the bowl is quite dry, it is smoothed inside and out, first with the oval tool with saw teeth, and then with the smooth-edged one, as described on page 19. The strokes with these tools should be short and firm, in every direction. The piece is then turned bottom up, a circle is drawn half an inch in from the edge of the bottom, and the clay within it scraped out, so as to leave a flat surface slightly lower than the outer rim. This is where the potter cuts his mark—a simple, quickly made initial in lieu of a signature.

The top edge, after it has been cut as true as possible by eye, is made absolutely even by the method described on page 70. The whole piece is then rubbed with a damp sponge and smoothed and polished with the fingers. It is now ready for the design (see Fig. 28).

The top edge of the bowl is marked off into fifths, and at three-quarters of an inch from the top the design is drawn with pencil, so that each time it is repeated the centre shall be directly below a mark on the edge. It is first incised with a metal tool, in firm, sure lines. Again the outline is traced, this time more deeply. Then the clay within the lines is cut out as deep as it has been incised, and finally the sharp edge of the tool cuts through the wall, close to the line. The left hand should support the inner wall of the bowl during this process. When the whole design has been made, dip the finger in water and soften the edges of the cut portion. The bowl is now ready for glazing. If possible, it will be better to fire such a large piece as this in the biscuit before glazing. It will look well if glazed with gray blue or dark green (see Chapter V.).

Wall Jar for Plants or Flowers

Materials required:

An Indian water-jar of basketry, smeared with pinon gum, pointed at the bottom so that it could be set upright in the ground or hung by leather thongs to a tree, suggested the form of this jar. One side is made flat, so that it can hang against the wall of library or piazza holding some long trailing plant that grows in water, ivy, or wandering Jew, or wild flowers gathered on a walk through woods and lanes. What more appropriate way to make it than the Indian process described in Chapter II.? We shall need about four and a half pounds of clay, well mixed. A large lump, almost two pounds, is flattened out on a table, with the thick part of the hand and then made even with the rolling-pin. The sheet of clay should be ten by twelve inches, and not less than three-eighths of an inch thick. Upon it the jar form shown in Fig. 29 is outlined with a pencil, making it as large as possible to allow for shrinkage. It is then cut out with the pointed steel tool and transferred very carefully to a large plaster slab, where it remains while the walls are being built upon it. A coil of clay is rolled out, as described in Chapter II., and beginning at the left side of the jar shape, at the top, it is attached to the edge (which has previously been criss-crossed with a steel tool and wet with slip), all the way around to the opposite side of the top.

The jar is then put in the air until quite hard, when the next coil is added in the same way. The third coil is brought in a little toward the centre, and subsequent coils come in still more, so as to make the form that of a jar cut exactly in half. After each coil is attached, it should be left in the air to stiffen, or the clay beneath will not support the coil in progress, so great is the strain in forming such a shape. Each time a coil is added the wall below should be criss-crossed with the steel tool (an extra precaution) and wet with slip. Care should be taken not to make the walls too thick, and to join the coils and finish the inside as it is made; for, when the jar is completed, it is impossible to get the hand and tool in far enough to smooth and finish it well.

When the jar is somewhat dry, two handles (see plate) are formed of rolls of clay (the consistency of that used in making the jar), five and a half inches long by an inch wide and half an inch thick. These are firmly attached to the back wall of the jar at the top (see plate), according to the method described on pages 39 and 40. The decoration (see Fig. 30) is drawn on the rounded front wall of the jar with ultramarine water-colour, and then built up with powdered burnt clay and water (see directions in Chapter IV.). If possible, this piece should be first fired in the biscuit. A glaze of dark gray green (see Chapter V.) will finish it most attractively.

Dutch Dish for Candy

Materials required:

A quaint Dutch dish, brought from Holland years ago, was the model for this sturdy little piece of pottery. It may be used for candy or to hold a vase of flowers, or a potted plant, protecting a polished table. A lump of clay is rolled on a table with the hands and a rolling-pin to the thickness of half an inch. Upon this clay sheet a rectangle four and a quarter by four and a half inches is drawn with a pencil and cut out with the pointed steel tool. It is then transferred to a plaster tile.

To the edge of this rectangle a coil of clay is attached according to the directions in Chapter II., and flared slightly outward, taking care not to make the corners sharp, but rounded and even. After the first coil has stiffened, and the sides have been made somewhat uniform and thin, it is cut even by eye, curving the edge up gradually toward the middle of the sides and depressing it slightly at the corners.

A second coil is now added, but instead of attaching it to the top of the first one, it is joined just below the top and inside the first coil. When it has stiffened sufficiently in the air, the dish is smoothed carefully inside and out with the hand and the wooden modelling tools, making the walls even and thin and perfecting the shape.

The effect of legs is given by cutting under the sides, beginning half an inch above the bottom. If this is started three-quarters of an inch from the corners, it will leave a sturdy, short leg an inch and a half wide at each of the four corners of the dish.

A roll of clay about five and a half inches long, an inch wide, and three-eighths of an inch thick is made into a handle (see plate), which is attached at the middle of one of the sides of the dish. At the two points where it is to be joined, the side of the dish is criss-crossed with the steel tool and wet with slip.

The bottom is finished by drawing a square with a pencil, half an inch in from the edge, and depressing it within the square, so as to leave a flat, even surface. The potter’s mark is then made within this square.

A pale green mat-glaze (see Chapter V.) makes a charming finish for this piece.

Rose-Bowl with Moth Design

Materials required:

This rose-bowl, which is shown in the plate, was built up without a pasteboard outline. If one’s eye is reasonably true this is not a difficult matter, but otherwise the outline process (see Chapter II.) may be followed.

A piece of clay is first patted flat with the hand, and then rolled out with the rolling-pin, until it is six inches square and about five-eighths of an inch thick. Upon this clay sheet a circle is marked, five inches in diameter, cut out and placed on a plaster tile. The edge is criss-crossed with a steel tool and wet with slip, and the first coil is attached (see Chapter II.).

The bowl is then put out-of-doors until the clay is sufficiently firm to support two more coils. These are added; flaring them to follow the outline, and then the bowl is put away to harden—in the air, if the temperature is not too cold, otherwise indoors. It is built up exactly as was the flower jar in Chapter II., except that there is no cardboard outline to test it; the eye alone is the guide. Great care should be taken not to add the coils until those below are quite stiff, for the decided flare makes it difficult to keep the sides firm and true in outline. The circumference of the bowl, at its widest part, should be about thirty inches. When it is finished, the sides within and without are smoothed, first with the saw-edged oval tool, then with the smooth one. The edge is cut as true as possible by eye, and made perfectly level by pressing it quickly and lightly on the ground-glass slab, wet with clear water, as already described. A damp sponge is then passed over the piece, inside and out, while the fingers rub and polish it dry.

The bottom is finished and the potter’s mark made as described in Chapter II.

When the bowl is thoroughly dry—say the following day—it is ready for the decoration.

Divide the circumference of the top of the bowl into fifths, with pencil marks, lightly made. Then draw the design upon it, so that the top of the upper wings shall be not less than an inch from the edge of the bowl. Make the moths as nearly life size as the bowl will allow. Three and a half inches across, from tip to tip of the upper wings, with spaces an inch and a half between them, will look well, if the bowl is large enough. Having drawn the design in pencil, outline it firmly with the sharp steel tool, taking care to bevel the edge of the design. Never cut under the edge, as the glaze will not flow well over it. Go over the outline, making it firm and deep, with a wooden point. Now, starting close to the edge of the moth, with the flat-pointed steel tool scrape away from it, so as to cut as deep as the outline, close to the design, and shave off to nothing at about half an inch from it. This will give a low relief effect, which is very attractive. The antennæ are incised (see Chapter IV.), and the markings of the moth may be built up with ground, baked clay, so as to heighten the relief. The bowl may be glazed a pale green with a slight yellow tinge (see Chapter V.) to suggest the colour of the moth. It should, however, if possible be fired first in the biscuit.

Flower Candlestick

Materials required:

A candlestick in flower form may be made in green and white, for a bedroom in a country house.

Five leaves, much the shape of poppy leaves, radiate from the centre, making a base from which the stem rises for three inches. A round, slightly flattened calyx, topped by a five-petalled flower, forms the cup for the candle. A sixth leaf, starting at the centre of the base, curls over until its tip rests sideways against the stem, serving the double purpose of a handle and a brace for the stem. The base should be modelled first, from a single piece of clay, placed on a plaster tile. Care should be taken to have it sufficiently thick—at least half an inch in most places. Although the leaves should be indicated, do not try to carry the leaf form way to the centre of the base. Let the irregular outline of the whole base, with an occasional raised tip, or edge of a leaf, suggest rather than imitate leaves. The leaf that forms the handle will, of course, be more carefully modelled. Now mould the stem, about an inch in diameter and three inches long, with the calyx on the end, an inch and three-quarters in diameter, and an inch high. After criss-crossing the middle of the base with the pointed-steel tool, wet it with slip and set the stem on the base, working the edges firmly on to it with the flat of the nail and wooden modelling tools. The leaf for the handle is brought over against the stem with a graceful turn, and there fastened with a touch of slip and some clay added underneath. Be careful to have the whole candlestick substantial, and not at all thin in construction, or it will suggest metal work rather than pottery.

After the candlestick has stiffened for a few hours, a five-petalled flower, three and three-quarter inches in diameter, is modelled and put on top of the calyx, which has first been criss-crossed and wet with slip. The cup for the candle is next hollowed out in the centre of the flower and calyx, raising the edge of the flower centre slightly above the surrounding petals. The candle cup should be a trifle larger than it will need to be when finished, as it shrinks somewhat in drying and firing, and the glaze, too, fills it up a little. Be sure, also, to have it deep enough to hold the candle.

The base, stem, and handle are finished with a gray green mat-glaze (see Chapter V.), while the petals are white—the uncoloured mat-glaze.