After trimming & weighing their “now perfect-ER” bowls…
the real THROWDOWN challenge last night was revealed.
And they never saw it coming!!! HA!!!

Since I had the weight of their bowls already written down, their final challenge was to carve a decorative design of cut-outs & piercings while keeping the rim & footring intact. But the real kicker?… they had to carve away at least HALF of the trimmed bowl’s weight. A much harder challenge than many of them expected. So much fun to see how they each approached the challenge… both creatively & technically. They only had about 90-minutes… so there was not a lot of free-time for planning. And then to see how they needed to pivot when they weighed for the first time and realized they weren’t even close to half of the weight!!! Creativity, craftsmanship & time-restraints meet structural integrity!!! More to come…

Last night during my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class, I had my students do a little trimming challenge. Taking their “perfect” three pound bowl from last week’s class and trimming the “perfect” footring on the bottom… making it an even “perfect-ER” bowl! We were also looking for a more refined & even wall thickness from top to bottom… giving them a chance to take off some of the extra weight they may have left at the bottom while throwing.

Out of curiosity, we also weighed them all before & after to see how much clay they trimmed off… or at least they thought that was why we were weighing their bowls!!! HA!!! More to come…

Last night in my THROWDOWN pottery class, I challenged them all to make a “perfect” bowl using three pounds of clay. We were looking for a nice round interior with no “beginner’s ledge” or indentation from a flat bottom… and a nice rim. It was fun to see all the different “versions”… the size differences… and the one that flopped at the very last minute.

And now we’re all “waiting” to see what happens next week…
for the continuation of our THROWDOWN bowl project!!!

Well, it’s cold & flu season… so last night in my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class, the handbuilding challenge was a decorative Kleenex box cover! Many of my students are “not” handbuilders, so this pushed them out of their comfort zones… that and the time constraints. I also brought in my collection of textured handrollers from MKM Pottery Tools in case they wanted to try them. With just 90 minutes for this task, there were some great learning moments, some frustrated re-starts & eventually some great box covers! Well done team!!!

But then this happened?!

After a fun night with friends, I somehow decided to back out of her curved driveway “straight” into the culvert ditch NEXT TO her driveway!!! With the snow blowing all around us, slippery conditions & no tow trucks available… I spent the night at “Chateau Monroe.” This morning it was still snowing… but I got towed out, all good, drove home safely on the roads & am now how safe & sound!!! Coulda been so much worse… luckily we were safe at her house & the bed in her guest room is very comfy. Thanks again Melissa!!!

By the end of class last night, my THROWDOWNERs had completed all of their polka dot platters… ready for discussion critique & judging. We even had my friend & fellow teacher Nicole stop by for her choices!

Scroll through to see them all.
And in the Comments section please let me know which one was your overall favorite platter.
Remember the category was “polka dots!”

You know how I love a good holiday… so last night in my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class we celebrated NATIONAL POLKA DOT DAY!!! As part two of their challenge was to decorate their platters with polka dots!!! They had 45 minutes to finish their masterpieces! And I loved all of the creativity & different takes on polka dots. Some went big, some went small… some more colorful & some more minimal… and one that made me think of Pringles!!!

Last night in my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class, the first challenge was to throw a simple 12-inch platter in thirty minutes. Always fun to watch how different students approach a simple piece… with so many shapes & variations. Some were “spot-on” with their dimensions, some didn’t quite make it. But this was only the first step…

Last night in my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class… it’s Week Two and they just got their “Main Make” Project!!! While they’ll have ongoing challenges, contests & projects weekly… this ongoing project needs to be done & presented for critique & final judging at our last class in Week 10.

Since we’re in the dead of winter… I figured it’s Soup Season! So their challenge is to create a full Soup Service Set. Complete with a lidded soup tureen, tureen plate, ladle, four soup bowls & four soup spoons! That’s a hefty challenge to take on with a strict deadline looming.

And oh, but wait there’s more… you know I LOVE a good theme. And since it’s “Award Season”… our theme for the soup sets is “Academy Award Best Picture” movies. I printed out a bunch of movie posters for them to choose sight-unseen. They just got a little hint of the year it won the award!

They were all very excited about their big THROWDOWN challenge project. And there was a good bit of googling & researching as them began to ponder their theme and how to best approach the project. I can’t wait to see how their projects progress!!!

And so it begins… tonight was the first night of our LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class!!! Their first challenge was to “recreate” two drinking glasses in clay. Matching sizes, proportions, angles, textures & styles. Easier said than done!

Part two was to choose one of their new two cups… which then became their new prototype to make three more to match. Ultimately ending with a matching set of four.

Everyone did pretty good… with many of themselves even impressing themselves. So many cups made in not a lot of time. So much fun with a great group of students… some new “throwdowners” & some repeating for another season of pottery fun!!