First ever pot. Thoughts?

[Tieball]

4th one down. More of a classic look, with recessed feet as instructed by @Tieball .
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I like that nice clean professional appearance of the pot design. What are you thinking...Glazed.....Unglazed? I think glazed....but that’s just me.
I like that amount of float you gave the pot. The pot and tree will standout nicely.

 

[thams]

Tonight we have a mix between hell knows what and a Starcraft protoss unit. Pot 3.
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I'm fairly new to pottery-making, but I would be careful about the large differences in thickness between your walls and corners. Depending upon the clay type and if the pot dries unevenly, you could get some warping and possibly cracking when progressing to the bone dry stage. Additionally, the uneven heat absorption and dispersal during firing could occur if the thicknesses are too extreme. It might help if you can fire slowly by carefully increasing the heat. This will give time for the clay to heat more evenly. Hopefully that makes sense.

I think it's a cool design! Keep up the good work.

 

[Mihai]

@Tieball you... probably glazed will be the way to go. I'm thinking something mate and earthy
@thams thanks so much for the tips! I really appreciate it. I'll see what firing programme the guys who will do the foring for me use and maybe see about adjusting it.

Played with some pigmented terra sigillata tonight. I'm treating this pot as a blank canvas on which to experiment.

 

[thams]

@Tieball you... probably glazed will be the way to go. I'm thinking something mate and earthy
@thams thanks so much for the tips! I really appreciate it. I'll see what firing programme the guys who will do the foring for me use and maybe see about adjusting it.

Played with some pigmented terra sigillata tonight. I'm treating this pot as a blank canvas on which to experiment.View attachment 180891View attachment 180892

Nice! Did you burnish the terra sig the center panels a little? I love the look of a nice sheen of terra sig - it tend to give subtle character without being overly-pronounced. What did you mix it with - mason stain? I'm still learning loads, and love asking questions of other potters.

 

[Mihai]

Nice! Did you burnish the terra sig the center panels a little? I love the look of a nice sheen of terra sig - it tend to give subtle character without being overly-pronounced. What did you mix it with - mason stain? I'm still learning loads, and love asking questions of other potters.

Just did a quick once over with a piece of plastic just to see how it looks but the shine will fade completely in the fireing probably. I added some mason stain but it's not fine enough for my taste.
Played some more today. Looks like crap but maybe a good fire will bring it to its senses ).

 

[thams]

Just did a quick once over with a piece of plastic just to see how it looks but the shine will fade completely in the fireing probably. I added some mason stain but it's not fine enough for my taste.
Played some more today. Looks like crap but maybe a good fire will bring it to its senses ). View attachment 180970View attachment 180971

I think it's a cool pot and might fire much better than you think. That's part of the excitement of pottery, I suppose.

I typically don't like interjecting my opinion of other people's work, but I have one observation. If you're going to make a funky shape, then I would stick with a solid glaze. if you're going to have a solid glaze, then you might be able to get away with a slightly more adventurous shape. I'm no pottery expert, but it seems like a lot of new potters try to throw too many techniques or interesting components into pots. I've heard the advice to stick to one oddity per pot - meaning, if you have feet or a shape that stands out, or the glaze is multicolored flashy, then make the other attributes quieter. Showing restraint in craftsmanship is a cornerstone to making bonsai pottery (I think, at least). Tom Benda does a really fantastic job showcasing interesting geometry while staying true to the nature of bonsai pottery.

 

[Mihai]

@thams well took your advice . Here's the first two after firing. Other two survived bisque and are ready for glaze.
Thoughts on the finished product?

 

[thams]

@Mihai, well done! I really like the rectangle. There's some interest in the glaze that adds an element of texture without being too busy. I almost think that your layered corner pot could have done with a more striking glaze - not necessarily brighter, but just something to make the pot pop a little. I think the combination of the glaze being dark and matte maybe a little too subdued. Perhaps a medium blue or a dark green would have shown off the interesting structure a little better. Some slight texture like your rectangle pot would have been nice in the dark glaze as well. Both pots' feet are proportional and help them feel grounded. A lot of potters (especially new ones) don't pay enough attention to the feet. Although your pots' feet are plain, they compliment their overall structures.

Could you post a view from above for both pots? Seeing the wall alignment will give an indication as to whether you need to adjust to ensure the walls are straight. Many potters (myself included) have trouble sometimes with walls bowing and warping. Those kinds of details matter when someone picks up your pots.

Either way, you've put together some really nice pottery. I hope you have plans to continue, because you seem to have a knack for working with clay. These pots look lightyears ahead of someone who has just began working with clay. Seriously, well done.

 

[Mihai]

@thams thanks for the long analysis. It helps alot to have people who know what they're doing chime in.
Sadly they did warp a little as you can see in the photos, but at least they warped symetrically ).
I'm really glad I remember the process I used to colour the rectangle in detail as it's absolutely stunning live. The phone camera doesn't do it justice. The heavy oxide wash formed a metallic patina that looks both matte and shinny... hard to explain. This is an experiment i'll have to repeat.
The green corner is the negative bit. The same oxide that made the rest so great also encased much of the green pigment i had on there. Next time i'll go a lot easier on the oxide and a lot heavier on the pigment.
I should have some more pieces by the end of the month. I'll keep posting.

 

[sorce]

I dig em!

The spaceship came out looking better dark...the form looks better.

I think you can do a louder glaze on that too.

Nice.

Sorce

 

[Gsquared]

@ mihai I have to say yours are some of the most impressive pots I've seen posted here, or anywhere. It is truly amazing that you are just on your first few pots! I taught adult ed ceramics classes to get through college, so I know the challenges you have in making these incredibly impressive pots. The precision of your corners and edges is awesome. I look forward to seeing your hand develop. Bravo! My hat is off to you, sir.

 

[Mihai]

Number 5 out to dry. The feet feel a little big. The more i look at it, the more i think i'm gonna sand them down when it dries.

@sorce the spaceship is my favourite so far just because it didn't go boom in the kiln despite the huge variation in thickness . It's a pot with a strong will to live ).
@Gsquared thanks for confidence boost . I want to keep making them because so far, it's the most relaxing challange I found aside from mutilating innocent trees. Sadly my going is super slow due to lack of time and limited space.

 

[Mihai]

#6 out to dry. An homage to SpaceX ).

 

[Mihai]

Ready for the kiln

 

[Mihai]

So... holiday over, wedding over, lazy streak over.
New comission tonight. For a literati pine.
29cm round slab built . Waiting for it to dry enough to work the sides and flip.

 

[Mihai]

Final texture done . Under some plastic wrap to dry slowly, and in the morning I'll give it some feet.

 

[Mihai]

Aaand... done

 

[Mihai]

Starte another comisson tonight. 23cm x 20cm. Biggest so far. Out for a slow dry. Rim and feet in the morning.

 

[Mihai]

And it's done. My best one so far.

 

[skyrat]

These are all really nicely done!!!

I really like the cat maker's mark too. That's a really cool idea.

There was an earlier comment about traditionally using buffalo horn to burnish...it's not necessary to have a special tool to burnish clay if you want to do that effect, it can be done using the back side of a metal spoon (or a smooth stone or pretty much anything else that is very smooth and solid and curved.)