From Clay to Ceramics

I am still happy every day that I chose the path of ceramics. But the difficult part of this profession is determining how much to charge for a product! You don't want to price yourself out of the market, but transforming a piece from clay to ceramics simply takes time, material, and electricity.

Potters understand how much work goes into one product and therefore also understand why a certain price is charged for, for example, a mug. I have seen prices over €100 (yes, for one mug, not a set of four!).

I can imagine that these prices might shock you. They certainly shocked me in the beginning! If you want to know how much I currently charge for my pieces, you can check my Etsy page.

That's why I'd like to show you how much work goes into one product, from clay to ceramics! How many times the product passes through the maker's hands before it (hopefully) ends up in your home. And how much attention I put into creating a beautiful finished product.

So, have you always wanted to know how a product is made from clay to ceramics? Below you will find the steps that a lump of clay must go through to become a finished product: from clay to ceramics.

Weighing and wedging clay

The first step is weighing the correct amount of clay and thoroughly 'wedging' it. This kneading on the plaster table ensures that there are no air bubbles left in the clay. This will help with centering on the pottery wheel later.

Throwing a shape on the pottery wheel

Throwing is initially the most difficult skill to learn. You start by centering your clay. If the lump of clay is not 100% centered, you can't really do anything with it. And you'll notice that in many of the subsequent steps. After centering, you create the shape you want for your pot and cut the base loose with a cutting wire.

Drying

The pot must then dry enough to be able to handle and work on it: we call this leather-hard. In my pottery studio, this usually takes a day, depending on the size of the product. But if you can't continue the next day, you have to wrap your work in a plastic bag to ensure it doesn't dry out too much. It seems very simple, because you just put a pot to dry, right? But even in this process, you have to pay close attention and take good care of the product, because a lot can still go wrong.

Trimming the shape, finishing the base

Once your piece is leather-hard, you turn your pot upside down and neatly finish the base. Possibly with a foot ring. You can also touch up the sides a bit if they are not entirely to your liking. We call this trimming. The clay has still not yet become ceramic.

Optional: adding elements, such as handles

If you're making a mug, you need to attach a handle at this stage. The traditional method is 'pulling' a handle.

Optional: decoration such as carving or texture

There are many different decorating techniques you can do at this stage. You can carve shapes out of the clay, scratch texture into it, or even add liquid clay (slip) to create texture.

Drying

If you've added elements to the pot (like handles), everything needs to dry very slowly, in a plastic bag. This can take several days before you can air dry it. If I haven't added any elements, I just let the pot air dry.

Bisque firing: from clay to ceramic

Once the work is completely dry (which can also take quite some time, especially if the weather is rainy), it can be fired for the first time. We call this the bisque firing. I now fire it at 1020 degrees. Are you still not satisfied with what you've made? Then you can recycle it before the bisque firing and make something else from the clay. If you fire it? Then there's no going back. This is the moment when clay transforms into ceramic.

Glazing

Glazing is also a precise job. There are different methods, but most of the glazes I use right now are brush-on glazes. This means you have to apply three layers of glaze per product. In between, you have to wait until the layer is completely dry before applying a new layer.

Glaze Firing

Once the glaze layer has been applied, the product can go into the kiln for the final firing, to fuse the glaze layer to the earthenware. This is always the most exciting part of the process: will the glaze look good, will it not run too much? The kiln must cool down very slowly, and it's best not to open it until it's as cold as possible, to prevent hairline cracks in the glaze. Patience is a virtue!

End result

Hopefully, you won't need to refine the base anymore, and the process of photographing, selling products online, and shipping can begin! And that's how clay turns into ceramics!

Want to know more about clay or ceramics?

Do you want to know more about the process from clay to ceramics, or do you have another specific question for me? Please let me know via my contact page.