Ceramics: The Result of a Long and Careful Creative Process

Preparation of Clay for the Ceramic-Making Process

Clay must be prepared before you start shaping it. First, excess water is drained from the clay and it is leveled to make it soft and suitable for shaping. It should not be too hard. Sometimes clay is mixed with other materials to improve its texture or stability. Color can also be mixed into the clay before shaping. For heat resistance and making baking dishes, powdered fired clay is mixed into the clay.

How Clay Is Shaped

There are several techniques for shaping clay, including hand-building, using a potter’s wheel (where the clay spins on the wheel while being shaped), and molds (where clay is placed into a mold and shaped accordingly). Each shaping technique is interesting in its own way. For beginners, hand-building is the most engaging technique, and over time, skills are developed and expanded, allowing for working on the wheel and creating molds for slip casting.

How to Dry Shaped Clay Objects

After shaping, clay objects must be left to dry completely before firing. Drying can be sped up by placing the objects in a dry area or using a fan. However, the objects must not dry too quickly, as this could distort their shape, especially for items with uneven thickness. Therefore, drying is done under constant supervision. The objects should be kept in a well-ventilated place and turned occasionally to ensure more even drying. If some parts dry quickly while others remain moist, the stress can cause the clay to crack.

Decorating Clay Objects

After drying, objects can be further shaped or decorated. Decoration may include carving, painting, glazing, or adding other materials like glass or metal. Semi-dry objects that reach the so-called leather-hard stage can be carved or drilled, allowing us to create beautiful decorative vessels. The simplest way to decorate objects by painting is after the first firing because the moisture in pigments can deform the object if applied to raw dry clay. Therefore, this must be done carefully. After painting, glazing follows. However, objects can also be glazed without additional painting. There are decorative glazes that perfectly handle this process for us. Additionally, we can add details associated with ceramics using the glass fusing technique.

Glazing Clay Objects

Glaze is applied to objects made from once-fired clay to give them color and shine. There are different types of glazes that can be used, including transparent, glossy, matte, and textured glazes. The glaze gives the object a glassy shine and protection. It is extremely durable. Glazes can have different densities, which are measured with a densitometer. Beginners most often use transparent glossy or matte glazes because this way their own creativity stands out more, as the painted patterns remain visible.

Firing Clay Objects

After the objects are completely dry or glazed, they are fired in a ceramic kiln. The firing temperature and duration depend on the type of clay and glaze used. Objects are fired once they are dry, and a second firing follows after glazing. Gold details can also be added, but then the objects must be fired a third time. Firing temperatures usually range between 1020 and 1320 degrees Celsius. For glazing, the temperature is typically 60 degrees lower. However, this depends on the instructions provided by the glaze manufacturer, who conducts tests and gives their recommendation.

Final Finishing of Ceramics

After firing, objects can be further refined, such as by sanding the edges or adding finishing details (for example, decorating the edges with gold). If gold decoration techniques are used, the objects need to be fired a third time in the ceramic kiln. This technique is typically used by experienced experts in clay and ceramic work.