Ceramic Sculpture: Making Faces by
Sculpting the human face presents a unique artistic challenge--but this richly illustrated guide thoroughly demystifies the process. Instructor Alex Irvine goes step-by-step, explaining everything from creating basic, rough outlines to surface refinements to finely detailed replicas.
Sculpting and Handbuilding by 
Making Ceramic Sculpture by
The introduction to a popular and under-published aspect of ceramics. For centuries, clay has been used not only to make vessels but also to create sculptures. Learn how to handbuild hollow sculptures using slab, pinch, and coil. Discover which types of clay, firing techniques, and surface treatments work best with sculpture. For inspiration, there's a glorious color gallery of some of the best contemporary ceramic sculptures available today.
Slipcasting by
Best known as one of the most widely used industrial ceramic techniques, slipcasting has become increasingly attractive to individual artists and Sascraftspersons. Slip, a water and clay solution, is poured into porous molds. As the mold absorbs water from the slip, a layer of clay forms a cast. The excess slip is removed from the mold and the cast is stiffened, removed, dried, and fired in a kiln. Since the molds can be based on anything from delicate sculpture to found objects, slipcasting frees artists from the constraints of other ceramic techniques while allowing them to create multiples of their works.
Techniques Using Slips by
Techniques Using Slips gives step-by-step lessons on working with slips alone or with glaze using a range of firing methods. Beginning with a brief history of decorative slips over the millennia, this handbook guides readers through basic slip mixing and application methods, including sponging, marbling, stenciling, trailing, sgraffito, and inlay. Mathieson and forty of the world's best ceramic artists open their studios as they complete inspiring projects, revealing everything from the clays they use and englobe recipes to firing temperatures. Their artwork and techniques come to life in dozens of full-color photographs. In addition to creative approaches, Techniques Using Slips covers practical aspects of slip work, including equipment recommendations, supplier contact information, and important safety guidelines.
The Essential Guide to Mold Making and Slip Casting by
A thorough introduction addresses materials and tools, and presents Martin's simple, unique template method for making clay prototypes. Create easy one-piece molds to make tiles, bowls, and platters, or multi-piece molds for more complex forms. An extensive overview covers slip formulation, while offering highly desired slip recipes for low-, mid-, and high-fire clay bodies. This will be the standard reference in every ceramist's library.
Batch Manufacturing for Ceramics by
Batch Manufacturing for Ceramics includes a tool list, plaster mixing chart, timetable for a small production run, instructions for using rubber molds to make master molds and a casting slip recipe. Use this book to take your process from one-offs to small batch manufacturing.
Mastering Kilns and Firing by
Mastering Kilns and Firing is an all-in-one resource for potters looking to go beyond the electric kiln.
Alternative Kilns and Firing Techniques by
Authors James Watkins and Paul Wandless, along with a group of distinguished artisans, demonstrate in detail how to build low-cost, low-tech, yet high-quality kilns. The plans range from an easy, affordable, and versatile Raku Kiln to a unique wood-fueled Downdraft Stovepipe Barrel one. These clever devices make it possible to produce rich surface effects from alternative reduction firing techniques.
Low-firing and Burnishing by
Because low-firing is the most basic of all ceramic techniques, it really treats all your senses. Using just about the lowest possible technical setting, you submit your work to flames and smoke giving you a sense of what the ancients felt when they used fire to create their primitive works. Both ancient cultures and contemporary potters have used low-firing to great effect, adding slips and burnishing pieces to create finishes not possible with any other firing method. Whether using an old garbage can, a pit in the ground, or a bonfire, low-firing is accessible to anyone with an outdoor space. Low-firing and Burnishing provides step-by-step practical information focusing on various approaches to low firing and methods for creating natural finishes.
Smoke Firing by
Smoke firing is an ancient technique, used both to fire raw clay into durable ceramic and also to decorate it with smoke designs. By investigating the ideas of selected ceramicists Jane Perryman reveals the meanings and inspiration behind their work. Clear and colorful images demonstrate the various processes used, showing sequences of artists in action. The book covers smoke firing using bonfires, various containers, earth pits, saggars, and kilns, with a chapter on how smoke firing can be used as an educational tool in groups and workshops.
Developing Glazes by
Developing your own glazes can be tricky and success is dependent on many factors. In this book, ceramicist Greg Daly aims to demystify the process with practical advice and complete, step-by-step instructions. He covers all the essentials, from planning your recipes and recording results to mixing glazes and finding the correct firing temperature. This hands-on technical guidance is supported with helpful how-to images and example tests and recipes.
Dry Glazes by
Dry glazes, also known as matte glazes, provide ceramic artists with an alternative to conventional glossy and transparent finishes. Contemporary sculptors employ dry glazes to add texture and depth to the surface of their pieces. In Dry Glazes, artist and educator Jeremy Jernegan covers everything ceramicists need to know to create and manipulate a range of matte glazes, from satin to cratered. This compact yet complete guide contains more than 270 formulas and recipes for slips, sigillatas, vitreous englobes, oxides, and stains.
Natural Glazes by
Like clay, all glaze materials come from the earth. Traditionally, stones, plants, and other natural materials provided the elements for ceramic surface decoration. In an age of synthetic and mass-produced glazes, handmade glazes from locally sourced ingredients allow artists to produce unique pieces that reflect their surrounding landscapes. In Natural Glazes, Miranda Forrest guides readers through the process of experimentation and discovery to make amazing hues from organic materials.
Glaze by
Anyone who loves creating ceramics knows that glazing can be a labor of great love or the bane of the entire ceramic process. In the instructional and inspirational Glaze, potters will find a wealth of guidance on the glazing process as several of today's leading ceramicists share the recipes and techniques behind their most stunning works of art--each selected specifically for its unique glaze.
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