Pottery Bird Creamer

Have you ever wanted to learn  how to do pottery? I was one of those people that would admire pottery from a far.  Any chance I got I would pick handmade pottery up in my hands and  rub it like I expected the genie to appear. Handmade pottery has a firm feeling to me not a hollow empty feel to it. I really enjoyed making these little bird creamers they are so sweet, and friendly looking.

First step is throwing on the wheel. Clay gets centered, then walls get lifted. Make sure you have a clear idea what your making before you start, or you'll wind up with a mess.

Clay needs to dry to leather hard stage. That is the time to trim. Add handles, noses, and do carving.

After leather hard stage comes, green ware stage where the piece turns ashy white. The piece is no longer cold to the touch.

It gets loaded to a kiln which is a very hot oven, and cooked to 1800 degrees, or cone 04.

After first firing the bird creamer is in bisque stage.

The bisque stage bird creamer has to be wiped all over with sponge, then rinsed .

The bird it then dunked in glazed for 5 seconds. Pulled out immediately to dry.

Then dunked again to glaze other side. Allowed to dry for a day.

Back to the kiln to be cooked again, this time to 2100 degrees, or cone 6.