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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by JBaymore » May 5th, '13, 10:09

GreenwoodStudio wrote:Also, I don't believe the clays from that company are genuine. They are most likely just loaded with stains to achieve the color. Personally I would not drink any tea that came into contact with that bare clay. Just an FYI
I'm actually here in Yixing with the guy that runs that Chinese Clayart company. I don't think the clays are "bogus" in any sense other than they are the clays that are available here in general bulk and are being used for a huge amount of the production here.

The true GOOD clay seems to be reserved for the people who are making work that likely few of the TeaChat folks could / would afford. For example, we just got back from the studio of an artist whose teapots average $19,000.00 US each. (Beautiful stuff) HE'S using the "good clay".

If you want a good read, pick up the book a friend of mine (may he rest in peace) wrote on Yixing Teapots..... Marvin Sweet. Good book.

best,

................john

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May 5th, '13, 10:51
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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by futurebird » May 5th, '13, 10:51

I did a good bit of research on the clay, It's normal modern manufactured yixing clay made from clay dug from deep in the earth as opposed to surface mines. The coloring is achieved by adding minerals. (but adding minerals has been going on for 100s of years, they've just gotten better)

It's the same stuff used to make most decent modern pots.

The plain clay has no minerals.

That's all I know.

It's really not that expensive for the size I'm working I have $30 worth of clay and with recycling I don't think I'll need more for many months.

But that said I do want to try some domestic clay too. What kind might be best? Properties:
1. high fire
2. looks good in the buff
3. superior detail
4. "stiff" hard to explain... it's just stiff even when super saturated with water
5. will be kind to tea
6. can be burnished
7. after it is fired it rings like a bell

anything like this or close? 5 out of 7 would be great!


lastly, Jay... I would literally cut off my pinky to try some of that "good stuff-- after I have practiced enough I'd like to make a pot to keep and a few for my family as heirlooms. They won't be master quality, but I want them to be the best they can be. I'm not that concerned about the price of the clay. Compared to some of my other hobbies this has been refreshingly reasonable lol. I'd only need 3lbs total.

I won't need it for possibly a year or two, but I'm thinking getting this may be impossible. If it is, I'll have to try modifying the clay that I have to get the look and feel that I want... (but I guess not the pitch when you "ring the pot" ) --

uh oh I think I'm rambling.

Also, I'm discovering the tools are key... getting it right means finding the right tool-- knowing when to use it. Also, working fast matters much of the uglyness of my pot is because they get much too dry. But each time I do it it's faster.

Oh! And I found another video!

http://www.youtube.c...n&v=xq9z9RySS4o

And the person who posted it has a few more.

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May 8th, '13, 22:18
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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by futurebird » May 8th, '13, 22:18

double post
Last edited by futurebird on May 9th, '13, 02:36, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by futurebird » May 8th, '13, 22:20

Today after work I did another teapot. The big break through todat was learning to use the "spout make knife" correctly. The trick is to hold the knife still and roll the clay around it! Now check out this spout!

Image

The lid looks large right? Well, I let the pot dry leather-hard before I started the lid, so I made it kinda big... too big since I had to trim it. Another lesson.

Image

I also learned that by compressing the clay I could bend the handles without cracking, but I still don't know how to get the handles nice and shiny...

Image

The lid will always look a little goofy since it was sized wrong...

Image

The base.

Image

Despite the incorrect size, I think I have a better understanding of how the inside of the lid should work.

Image

It takes a little push to get it on, I think this will resolve when it's bone dry... we shall see.

Any constructive criticism is welcome. And compliments of course! :mrgreen:

I said when I started that if I made 100 teapots I bet I could get the look I wanted. Well this is number 8! Just 92 to go!!

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May 8th, '13, 23:55
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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by yalokinh » May 8th, '13, 23:55

looking pretty good, definitely gotten better since the first one!
I want to take a few classes on the wheel, I think making pots yixing style is a bit too hard for me.

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May 9th, '13, 01:59
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Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by debunix » May 9th, '13, 01:59

I am continuing to enjoy your progress. Better and better, only number 8, wow.

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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by futurebird » May 11th, '13, 13:42

Thank you so much!

Today I decided to try something more artistic-- could I combine my love of math and tea?

Honestly I've been dreaming of this pot for a long time:

Image

I call it a ϕpot. After the golden ratio, ϕ, which (while over-hyped) is still very important to dodecahedrons.

Image

I want to do this one again... I have another idea for the spot.

Image

Image

Image

"Made in the south bronx!"

Image

I also made this, but, it will go in to the recycling soon-- using more than one color clay was not as nice as a hoped... :cry:

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May 11th, '13, 13:48
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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by Muadeeb » May 11th, '13, 13:48

That pot looks like it rolls a +2 saving throw against bitterness! :lol:

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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by futurebird » May 11th, '13, 22:57

Muadeeb wrote:That pot looks like it rolls a +2 saving throw against bitterness! :lol:
:lol:

You, know I was trying to think of what to put on the sides... numbers would be pretty amusing...

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May 12th, '13, 00:07
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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by debunix » May 12th, '13, 00:07

Love the geometry of the dodecahedron pot body, but the spout and handle will clearly make or break the design. Tricky but so much fun to play with these ideas, I'm sure, as it's quite fun to follow your explorations. Makes my hands itch to play with clay again.

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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by Muadeeb » May 12th, '13, 01:14

futurebird wrote: You, know I was trying to think of what to put on the sides... numbers would be pretty amusing...
Or the names of the specific teas you brew in that pot. Yet another way the pot can choose the tea. :lol:

...it's Saturday night and I'm tea drunk...

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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by futurebird » May 12th, '13, 13:10

:lol: tea drunk indeed.


I did some quick sketchs of my ideas for other spouts. I want it to be geometric like the pot itself.

Image

I like this one best, but I wonder about the pour and hole placement.

Image

This one is quite long, it alters the profile of the teapot... but it's following the shuiping hu rules (as much as one can with such a strange pot shape) maybe rules are meant to be broken some of the time?

Maybe there is another way.

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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by JBaymore » May 12th, '13, 13:19

Good to see you DRAWING! Very important to your development as a potter. Both of those are nice. The bottom one is a GREAT design as a visual object........ rules be damned.

Now learn to "work in series". Take that bottom design you have there and make it. Then spend a good amount of time looking at and handling the results. Analyze what parts of that design are working both functionally and visually and which areas are not. Also assess which parts show excellent execution of the fabrication and which do not.

Then make it all over again...... as close to the first one as possibe.... keeping the things that are working...... but with one or two of the areas that were NOT working addressed with changes.

Repeat the process above. .... and make the same piece yet again.... and again.... and again.

When we see highly resolved work in a show..... we often assume that the stunning piece sprung forth suddenly. Often that piece on the exhibition pedestal was the 10th, 20th, or 100th iteration of the idea as the artist continued to refine the concept.

Hence somtimes the high prices for a lot of top end work. Someone has to pay for all that R+D time.

best,

....................john

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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by ethan » May 12th, '13, 13:38

john, "Someone has to pay for all of that R+D time," .... yeah, when I used to paint on silk, it was me. I told people that there was no erasing problems when pouring hot wax on silk, but got no sympathy. So, I started bringing the "mistakes" along. It reinforced what I knew but did not like admitting: that for wearables, ladies only cared about the colors, not the drawing.

so futurebird, save some of those "mistakes"

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Re: Amateur Hour (Non Artisan Member Made pots and cups)

by debunix » May 12th, '13, 14:26

futurebird wrote: I did some quick sketchs of my ideas for other spouts. I want it to be geometric like the pot itself.

Image
I love the idea of bring the same geometric consideration into the spout & handle too, and while this one feels a bit less 'finished' than the 2nd version, something about the more compact & stylized shape appeals to me more. I think it would be interesting to play with too.

John's idea of remaking and remaking really sounds right to me, as I've had some of the same drawing ideas running through my head for years before I came up with a version I liked enough to finish.

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