Always fun to see my students playing with my SURFACE DECORATION techniques after the class demo. Like Maya & Taylor who were thrilled by their results so far! Beautifully done team!

Last night in my SURFACE DECORATION class, we played with “mishima” for this week’s technique. Basically you start with a leatherhard piece, coat it with wax… and then carve through & into the clay with a sharp blade. Once your carving is complete, you cover it with underglaze. It seeps into all of the cut lines… but the wax “protects” the background. Then you carefully wipe off the top surface to reveal your new “line drawing” on your pot. The wax will disappear during bisque during… but the underglaze will stay inlaid in your carvings. A fun demo… and I’m kinda diggin’ my final demo piece!

So last week’s class demo on throwing a large chip & dip bowl…
also became this week’s demo on stamping a large chip & dip bowl!!!
Gotta love a good double-duty demo piece!!!

But never double-dip a chip!!!

Possibly my fastest turn-around ever?!

After returning from Minnesota… I realized I had nothing ready for my SURFACE DECORATION class for a night of glazing fun. So Tuesday early evening, I threw fifteen bowls before teaching my Tuesday night class. That same evening late after class, I trimmed them all… dried them as much as I could overnight on plastic racks… and then they were in a bisque kiln early the very next morning! Done, fired & ready in time for last night’s class… a fun SURPRISE!… with a “free” bowl for each student to experiment on instead of using one of their own “precious” pots!!!

Whew, that was a quick one!

So last night in my SURFACE DECORATION class, I challenged my students to a bunch of experimental glazing techniques. They each randomly chose a different “challenge”… and glazed one of my “freebie” demo bowls following & interpreting the instructions! They all had so much fun… and now we’re all anxious to see the results!!!

By the end of last week’s SURFACE DECORATION class, each of my students had completed their sgraffito plates. They all did such an AMAZING job… these turned out GREAT!!! And everyone had so much fun… which is always my main goal!

This past week in my SURFACE DECORATION class, we had a great demo by “My Talented Friend” Kristen Holub… and then my students got to try out her techniques. Remember the plates with colored slip rims?… this is WHY I made them… for my students to have something to play with!!!

And they did an AMAZING job.
Everyone learned so much, practiced the technique & had so much fun.
Such a great night in class!

Kristen did a great demo. Plus, I brought down my collection of carving & sgraffito tools from DiamondCore Tools for my students to try out. Better tools make better pots!!!

Our second demo this week with my SURFACE DECORATION class, was done by “My Talented Friend” Kristen Holub of Kayho Ceramics. She did an AMAZING sgraffito-carving demo on one of my platters. Remember the one where I shaved-off the bad colored slip, and then added a new layer of ombre’ blended colored slip? Well here it is again!

Kristen started with my colored platter – but then turned it onto a work of art showing off her own carving style. Going step-by-step teaching my students how to go every step of the way. I brought down my collection of DiamondCore Tools for her to use… along with my students who eventually had their chance to play along. It was an amazing night… so much fun & such a great demo!!!

And we can’t forget how great the Decorating Disks are from MKM Pottery Tools for dividing your pots into perfectly spaced segments for “evenly spaced” carved designs!

Kristen started out as a metalsmith when we first become friends many years ago. Then she took time off to become a Mom, and is now embracing her creative side in CLAY!!! She started as pottery student of mine, but quickly developed her skills & her personal style. She has now branched off and has her own studio space & brand-identity online. Be sure to follow her on Instagram – @kayhoceramics.

My how I love having talented friends!!!

This week in my SURFACE DECORATION class, we had a couple wonderful “guest” artists to do some demos. We started with one of my students in class… Sara with the inlaid slip technique she’s been favoring lately. Basically you carve thin lines into your leatherhard piece. Then “fill” that carved line with some colored slip. When it dries to leatherhard, you trim off the excess, leaving a beautifully thin line of slip… perfectly flush to the surface of your pot! Thank you for the demo… and Happy Belated Birthday Sara… it was yesterday!!!

Sometimes a class demo just doesn’t turn out as it did in your head. In my SURFACE DECORATION class, we did some experimenting with textures, stencils & layered slip. My demo platter turned out to be more “graffiti-quilt” … not a fan!!! I lived with it for a couple days… still didn’t like it… but then I decided I should do something about it. After all… IT’S JUST CLAY!!!

I decided I could just save it right off…

Once I had trimmed off all the layers of texture & color from last week’s class demo… I smoothed it out with a rubber rib.

And then re-painted it with a blue-to-white ombré blend of colored slips. Seems like there’s a “very good chance” that this same platter might show up again in my SURFACE DECORATION class… as this week we’re going to be tackling sgraffito! Voila’… two demos, one platter… hoping for better results this next time around!!!