Mastering Ceramics – serie

Explore the human form in depth, from concept sketches and armatures to detailed instructions for constructing legs, torso, arms, hands, and head from clay.In Mastering Sculpture: The Figure in Clay, renowned sculptor and instructor Cristina Córdova—recipient of the prestigious Smithsonian Women’s Committee Delphi Award for sculptural arts—teaches everything you need to know to replicate the full human figure using clay.Start by developing meaningful sketches and reference points.Then learn how to make and use an armature to create hollow forms that are safe to fire in a kiln.Using patterns and slabs, you can move on to develop a full human form, head to toe.Work along with the author to create a form about two-feet tall, or choose your own size: the patterns and instructions can work in a variety of scales.Photographic demonstrations and diagrams cover the construction and articulation of feet and legs, the hip area and upper torso, arms, hands, neck, and head. Cristina includes supplementary tips and insights throughout to support the sculpting process and enhance naturalism. You’ll also find a brief section on general anatomical concepts and modeling strategies to facilitate accuracy and expression as all the components come together.Whether you are a clay artist with limited experience in figurative sculpture or a figurative sculptor outside the world of ceramics looking for a straightforward fabrication strategy to create permanent compositions from clay, Mastering Sculpture: The Figure in Clay will expertly guide your way.

Learn the key techniques, tips, and tricks for pit, barrel, raku, and wood firing.Fall in love with flames, wood, and the effect that unique firing methods have on pottery. Move beyond the electric kiln and explore the dramatic surfaces of raku, the flashes of salt firing, and the rustic look of ash rivulets. In this book, Lindsay Oesterritter provides a crash course in the most accessible methods of alternative firing.Raku firing requires minimal equipment and can easily be fueled with a standard propane tank. Likewise, pit and barrel firing do not require much in the way of initial investment. Yet all these techniques provide an immediate glimpse into the magic of firing. Bright reds and blues, dramatic black and white crackle, even metallic luster are instantly possible. For more experienced potters and studios looking to offer more, Oesterritter also explores wood-fired kilns. Drawing on years of experience and extensive interviews with fellow wood-fire potters, there is no comparable resource on the market.Features on top potters working today get to the heart of specialty techniques and asides show firing variations and traditional kilns in different cultures around the world. A gallery of showstopping work from a diverse group of artists round out the package and inspire you to get started.The Mastering Ceramics series is for artists who never stop learning. With compelling projects, expert insight, step-by-step photos, and galleries of work from today’s top artists, these books are the perfect studio companions. Also available from the series: Mastering Hand Building and Mastering the Potter's Wheel.

Create stunning, food-safe glazes for functional pottery.Take your ceramics to the next level with Amazing Glaze Food-Safe Recipes, the essential guide for potters who want to create beautiful, functional pieces designed for everyday use. A collaboration between noted potter and author Gabriel Kline and chemist Bill Collins, PhD, this unique book explores the science of glaze formulation, explaining essential testing techniques, equipment, and materials, demystifying the science of food-safe ceramics while empowering artists with reliable, studio-friendly methods.Discover a variety of recipes, techniques, and tips for creating vibrant colors, unique textures, and glossy or matte finishes—all tested for safety and reliability in functional pottery.Comprehensive guidance on glaze safety: Learn essential information about toxic materials, leaching, and testing glazes for food use.Step-by-step tutorials: From mixing and applying glazes to troubleshooting common issues, this book covers every stage of the process.More than 100 beautiful food-safe glaze recipes and combinations: Tested and approved finishes suitable for mid- and high-fire temperatures and clays.Inspiration from master ceramists: Explore stunning examples of food-safe pottery to spark your creativity.Whether you’re a beginner looking to make your first food-safe bowl or an experienced potter wanting to expand your glaze library, Amazing Glaze Food-Safe Recipes will become your go-to resource for creating ceramics that are as functional as they are beautiful.The Mastering Ceramics series is for artists who never stop learning. With compelling projects, expert insight, step-by-step photos, and galleries of work from today’s top artists, these books are the perfect studio companions. Also available from the series: Amazing Glaze, Mastering Hand Building, Mastering Kilns and Firing, and Mastering the Potter’s Wheel.

Join esteemed ceramic artist and instructor Sunshine Cobb for an inspiring exploration of hand building, from foundational skills to next-level techniques.In Mastering Hand Building, discover a robust array of options for constructing both simple and complex clay forms without a potter’s wheel. Richly illustrated with color photography, this comprehensive volume includes:Essential techniques in hand building, covering pinch pots, coil building, and slab buildingAdvanced techniques and tips for designing templates and replicating pieces, lidded vessels, using molds, a variety of decorative techniques, and other avenues of explorationAn overview of kilns and firing schedules, plus slip and glaze recipesSlab-building and molding templates for creating plates, bowls, cups, and boxesArtist features and inspirational galleries, including work from today’s top working artists, such as Bryan Hopkins, Lindsay Oesterritter, Liz Zlot Summerfield, Bandana Pottery, Shoko Teruyama, Courtney Martin, Sam Chung, Deborah Schwartzkopf, and many moreTake your hand-building skills—and your artwork—to the next level with Mastering Hand Building.The Mastering Ceramics series is for artists who never stop learning. With compelling projects, expert insight, step-by-step photos, and galleries of work from today’s top artists, these books are the perfect studio companions. Also available from the series: Mastering the Potter’s Wheel, Mastering Kilns and Firing, and Amazing Glaze.

“This book made me fall in love with glaze all over again.”—Ben Carter, author of Mastering the Potter’s WheelJoin author and Odyssey Clayworks founder Gabriel Kline on a journey that makes glazing pottery less intimidating and more fun.Whether you look forward to glazing your work or are guilty of saying “I hate glazing!” Amazing Glaze is for you. Start in the “glaze kitchen” where you’ll set yourself up for success, then move on to learning the tools and techniques for getting your glaze right every time. Once you know the basics, discover how to take your glazing to the next level with specialized application and finishing techniques. Along the way, Gabriel shares dozens of tried-and-true glaze recipes and combinations. Stunningly illustrated with color photography, this comprehensive glaze guide includes:An introduction to glazing, covering studio safety, tools and materials, the chemistry of glazes, preparing glazes, testing glazes, and various ways to apply glazesAdvanced techniques and special topics, including layering with slip and underglaze, working with resists, creating crystalline effects, achieving an elusive red, applying decals, and combining techniquesOver 60 glaze recipes (23 high fire, 22 mid-range, 11 low fire, and 7 raku)—refined over dozens of workshops, hundreds of firings, and innumerable tests—from reliable classics to obscure gems, plus recipes for slips, underglazes, washes, terra sigillatas, and more, together forming thousands of potential color and texture combinations Artist features and inspirational galleries with photos of work from today’s top artists, including Cayce Kolstad, Anja Bartels, Nick Moen, Genevieve Van Zandt, Julia Weber, Molly Morning-glory, Naim Cash, Josh Copus, Linda McFarling, and Tisha CookTake your skills—and your work—to the next level with Amazing Glaze.The Mastering Ceramics series is for artists who never stop learning. With compelling projects, expert insight, step-by-step photos, and galleries of work from today’s top artists, these books are the perfect studio companions. Also available from the series: Mastering Hand Building, Mastering Kilns and Firing, and Mastering the Potter’s Wheel.

Explore the creative possibilities of this incredibly versatile range of glazes with this comprehensive guide for ceramic artists of all levels.Unlock the world of low-fire glazes with The Complete Guide to Low-Fire Glazes for Potters and Sculptors. Potter, podcaster, and author of Mastering the Potter’s Wheel, Ben Carter, challenges the belief that serious artists work exclusively with high-temperature materials, sharing years of research on crafting exquisite low-fire pots and glazes. Delve into the benefits of firing at lower temperatures, explore the visual nuances of low-fire glazes, and witness renowned artists thriving in this temperature range.Illustrated with stunning photography of work by Carter and other artists, this visually captivating resource covers:Insights into the benefits and visual attributes of low-fire glazesGuidance on setting up a glaze labAn explanation of how glaze is formulatedTroubleshooting tips for common glaze faultsDesigning and making test tilesTechniques for layering, using glaze as form, integrating decals, atmospheric firing, and moreTried-and-true glaze recipes—from gloss to satin, matte, and tin—for varied finishes and color creationWhether you are new to the world of ceramic glazes or looking to expand your knowledge of low-fire glazes, The Complete Guide to Low-Fire Glazes is your path through a world of artistic possibilities.The Mastering Ceramics series is for artists who never stop learning. With compelling projects, expert insight, step-by-step photos, and galleries of work from today’s top artists, these books are the perfect studio companions.Also available from the series: Amazing Glaze, Amazing Glaze Recipes and Combinations, Mastering Sculpture: The Figure in Clay, Mastering Kilns and Firing, Mastering Hand Building, and Mastering the Potter’s Wheel.

Master the potter’s wheel with this comprehensive guide that takes you from foundational skills to next-level techniques.Featuring brilliant tricks of the trade from acclaimed artist and instructor Ben Carter, Mastering the Potter’s Wheel is an essential reference for every potter. Ben breaks down the seemingly complex process of wheel throwing into manageable steps, provides a wealth of options for customizing your work, and gives detailed advice for refining your technique. Richly illustrated with color photography, this inspiring volume includes:Essential techniques in wheel throwing, from wedging clay to throwing, centering, shaping, and trimming pots on the wheel, with a section dedicated to troubleshooting common problemsAdvanced techniques and tips for creating feet; making lids, knobs, handles, and spouts; forming bowls, cups, plates, and teapots; altering pots, including paddling and darting; throwing large vessels; and decorating and finishing your piecesSkill-building exercises for expanding your range and improving your techniquesAn overview of studio safety, including silica dust mitigation, handling toxic materials, correct body posture to avoid injuries, and stretching exercisesArtist features and inspirational galleries with photos of work from today’s top working artists, including Kyle Carpenter, Sam Chung, Chandra DeBuse, Julia Galloway, Martha Grover, Ayumie Horie, Forrest Lesch-Middleton, Kristen Kieffer, Kathy King, Matt Long, Alex Matisse, Lorna Meaden, Doug Peltzman, Mackenzie Smith, Shawn Spangler, and many moreTake your skills—and your work—to the next level with Mastering the Potter’s Wheel.The Mastering Ceramics series is for artists who never stop learning. With compelling projects, expert insight, step-by-step photos, and galleries of work from today’s top artists, these books are the perfect studio companions. Also available from the series: Mastering Hand Building, Mastering Kilns and Firing, and Amazing Glaze.