Saturday, November 26, 2011

A Myriad of Mugs


Gary took some great photos of the mugs for me. I like testing the mugs to see how they feel in my hand. This first one doesn't have a handle but it's a happy feeling cup because of the color and the heavy texture. I think a few of the other textured mugs would also be good without handles.








I had a great firing; everything turned out well. One mug's handle is too small to get my hand in but maybe it can be a child's mug. I didn't post a photo of that one.



I liked making these mugs. I got to experiment with shapes, textures, slip colors, and later different glazes. I can fit quite a few in the kiln so I'm able to see the results quickly. Not sure why I never made mugs before, perhaps I wasn't ready till now. Next week I'll examine them more closely and see which ones I'd like to make more of and how I can refine the shapes.


This tin cup didn't disappoint and the handle works well. Three small spots resisted the glaze on the front which adds a touch of wabi sabi. Up next more fired work so stay tuned. Hope you're having a great holiday weekend. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

11 comments:

  1. I like the tin cup best.I think the hardest part of making mugs is coming up with the right handle.A bad one can ruin a mug in a hurry.Look at lots of other mugs and decide why you like or don't like them then make 100 more.

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  2. Hi Dennis, thanks, I like the tin cup and the top one is real nice in the hand too, also the other slip deco one feels good in the hand. Some are a little big for my hand but might not be for others. I'd like to make 100 of that tin cup, it's really a keeper, maybe a little tray for it with four or six cups on it. Ha. Better get busy, thanks for your feedback.

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  3. You've made a great start; are you sure you've never done mugs? One of the exercises we used in Pottery 2 was to make ten mugs.....then choose the one you like the best and make ten more based on that mug.....and ten more made from your favorite of the last batch. We were working on form at the time so only took them to the bisque stage......the rejects were terrific for glaze tests.

    Looking forward to the rest of the kiln!

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  4. This was fun to see. Love the variety :)

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  5. Love these mugs and I think that you did a great job! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm still recovering. :)

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  6. I love making test mugs rather than test tiles. It seems a more realistic way of testing. You're glazes and textures come out beautifully.

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  7. Hi

    Your mugs are all lovely and my favorite is the first one without a handle. It is colorful and so beautiful. I suppose you know that our traditional teacups and mugs don't have any handles. As for our traditional mugs or larger size teacups(?), there are sometimes(not always though) small hallows on them that make us hold them more easily. I can see slight unevenness on the first mug that sure makes you feel comfortable when drinking and at the same time gives you a sense of security!!

    PS Your slender multi colored vase adorned with sea urchin spines is very nice. I love it!!

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  8. Hi Smartcat, thanks, I think I have only made a couple of mugs total. In my classroom days we were left to our own devices and since I had a lavender farm, I made vases for my flowers. I'm going to choose a couple of favorites to make repeats from of these. Perhaps I'd be farther along if I had had a more structured clay education.

    Hi Barbara, thanks, yes it was fun to see all these at once.

    Hi Marguerite, thanks, we had a quiet one here.

    Hi Lori, thanks, yes you know it is more realistic to have tests on an actual form to get the true feeling for the glazes and texture.

    Hi Sapphire, thanks, I plan on making more of the colorful one perhaps in a smaller size and larger size, the texture on that one is applied and it had quite a bit of depth to it, it is easier to get a grip on that one which I like, would be good in a child's size too and for older folks who may have arthritis in the hands. That plain vase didn't look like much since it is so dark till I added the sea urchin spines, simple but elegant.

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  9. the green one and the 'tin' one are my favourites

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  10. Hi Anna, thanks, that tin one has a lot of votes, I'll definitely have to make more of that one, do you mean the green one with the vine pattern on it?

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  11. I love making mugs and I totally adore drinking from mugs I've made.
    My favourite two are the reddish one with what looks like a sunflower imprint and the greeny colour one below it.
    What did you use to make the patterns on them?

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I love suggestions, questions, critiques, thanks for your comment