For your 2-hour practice this week, please throw 8 bud vases. Keep the best 2 for glazing and firing.
You'll need 1/2-pound of clay for each bud vase, so wedge and knead a 4 pound piece of clay, then cut it into 8 equal pieces.
SIMON LEACH - throwing a small bud vase
Simon's bud vases are a bit larger than 1/2 pound.
Underglazes are a great way to get a bit more color in your pieces. There are jars of underglaze in the cabinets above the sink in the glaze room. These underglazes are for brushing only, not spraying. You can brush them on leatherhard clay like slip and carve through them, but they're usually brushed over bisque pots and then dipped in clear glaze. Unlike the glazes, the underglaze colors do not usually change much when fired, they just get a bit darker. We'll cover underglazes a bit more next class.
Next week [drumroll].... plates!
Cheers,
Jay
