I share my passion for clay with a mixture of demonstration, tutorial and showcase videos from my studio, Paula Armstrong Ceramics. Full of how to videos, hints and tips for hand building in clay as well as insights into the making process for my sculptures and the running of the studio, this channel has something for anyone who loves clay but especially for those towards the beginning of their clay journey.
I love making with clay and helping people to learn to make with clay. I love the versatility and endless possibilities of clay as a medium and sharing that with you in the hopes of inspiring and helping you on your own making journey.
I aim to upload a new video every couple of weeks so if you have any video ideas or different topics you'd like to see covered please do let me know!
This is so great!! Thanks for making the video. I was cutting the 'v' for each petal on a flat circle, and when I molded it into a bowl shape, each V was tearing and needed scoring and overlapping, which was more time consuming than I wanted... So this gives me a new way of making the petals without them breaking... AND, the base stays thicker and the petals get thinner as you mold them upward, taller, so it's more lightweight with a heavier base... thanks!
No, it's coloured decorating slips which are basically clay watered down with a coloured stain in it. They don't vitrify like a glaze rather they act the same as the clay body.
I loved watching you create the fairy house. I am working with cement to make fairy houses that can stay outside year long but I have learned a great deal from watching you add the details to your creations. Thank you for posting your videos.
Unfortunately this is a tricky question to answer... I left it progressively longer as I went up the build to avoid the bottom slumping as I added coils. The exact time will always depend on the clay that you are using, you'll have to wait longer for wetter clay although it will blend much easier. I have to admit, I tend to be impatient and use a heat gun/paint stripper to dry coils in between to make sure it's ready for the next section 🙈
I use commercial brush-on glazes. For this I used Amaco celebrations lilac and bright yellow, spectrum gold, amaco texture turquoise and manganese oxide wash.
Without having it tested it's hard to be sure about food safety of a glaze or finish but I would play it safe and suggest that it's best to put oxide under a glaze and even then, make sure that it's not too heavy on the application. Personally I use them only where food safety isn't an issue, instead relying on the glaze manufacturer's food safety labels 😏
After putting oxide on bisque ware do i need to bisque fire again before i glaze or can i put glaxe over the top of the oxide and stoneware fire? Thanks!
You can apply the glaze on top of the oxide although you do have to be careful about smudging the oxide and contaminating the glaze. If you prefer you can apply oxide at the greenware stage, except if you want to do a wash back, then when it's bisque fired the oxide is going to stay in place better for glazing.
I have just started watching 6our RU-vid pottery videos. Thanks for sharing. I’m definitely going to give slip trailing a go. It would be ideal if you showed the glazed bowl at the end of your clip.
Thanks. I'm trying to do this more now but I tend to record and post videos quickly before I've had time to dry and fire. You can see the finished piece on my socials at instagram.com/p/CBu71imDwDK/?igsh=dndzNDZrZ3B6ajAz
You did great with the slip trailing. I find that I need to work in sections, as if I try to do all the way around a pot at once, I end up putting my hand on the not-quite dry trailing, and have to re-do it! I can't wait to see how you glaze this!
Thanks ☺️ I certainly felt like I had a better feeling for it by the end but it's definitely something that I'd be better at with practice 😄 I'm good at dots 😜
Thanks 😊 I used Potterycrafts raku modelling clay which is a lightly grogged buff coloured clay with a wide firing range. I use commercial brush on glazes from companies like amaco, mayco, spectrum, terracolor and suppliers own brands. I think for that tree I used amaco seaweed on the tree and terracolor holunder elder on the star and points of the branches. I fire to stoneware temperature usually between 1210-1220C.
Absolutely, reusing is always good ☺️ I've since started using the compostable bags used for food waste instead of the plastic wrap and it seems to work just as well and makes me feel a bit better 😁
Thanks for the video Paula - a great project for us new potters. I've been asked to make some planters for a mothers day plant exchange so this will be invaluable. My question is, did you glaze the inside at all? It's just from my own experience, my own plants seem to be thriving in the small, unglazed succulent planters I made as a learning activity. I'm thinking the unglazed interior is giving them something they like. Do you have any thoughts on this? Thanks again, Jan
Hi Jan. I did glaze the interior as I know I don't fire to the clays top temp so rely on the glaze for any vitrification... I'm not sure about plants getting something from the pot if unglazed but it may be the it absorbs some of the water so keeps the soil damp but not wet... which succulents like don't they? I'm not much of a gardener 🙈
I think you are right about the moisture - however, I've never had healthier looking succulents so I can't help but think there may be some minerals or something they are getting from the clay. Also, a lot of people are switching away from earth for house plants because of the little bugs that come with ( N. America) and the hardware stores like B&Q sell bags of clay balls which are used instead of earth - so guess what I'm going to make with clay scraps!! Thanks for your tutorials - much appreciated. Jan@@PaulaArmstrongCeramics
