Be Mine Valentine Cat

Happy Friday! Here is a fun little stop motion video I made of one of my vases. It is a work in progress and once it dries, I'll glaze it and share the results. I'm hoping to have it done well before Valentines Day!!!

I'd like to do some other animals too...owls for sure! Check out the TinyHappiness shop in February to see the results. If you share the video and send me a screen shot or link where you shared it, I'll give you an Etsy Coupon code for 15% off a purchase in my shop :)...even it it already sold.

Cats and Bears Oh My!

Okay, 1 bear and 6 cats with 2 swallowed fish, oh my! I finally got around to glazing my cat and bear bud vases. I am still experimenting with the glazing techniques. I tried slip inlay on the littlest cat who seems to be more suited for a toothpick holder! I brushed the black slip into the lines of the bisqued cat and then scraped it off with a metal rib. Wasn't able to keep the white pristine and so the whole thing has a tinge to it.

On the rest of the vases I just brushed black underglaze into the lines in varying shades. The bear is a bit too light I'm afraid, but I also played with polka dots on him. The underglazes are bright, cheery, and whimsical which I love. Wheel thrown vases are also what I stuck to this time because it is so fast to whip them out whereas the hand-built vessels took longer and were challenging to shape symmetrically.

I'm wondering if the bud vase part of it isn't pointless and perhaps I should make little figures instead? Hmm, very torn about vessel versus figurine. Any thoughts are welcomed!!!

Owl Bud Vases

I have been working on these new bud vases. Little owls with eyes that hint at their personalities.
This is the very first batch and I'm still not decided which shapes I like best...a few of them are hand-built and the rest are thrown on a wheel. Some are pushed out to form volume for wings or faces and others are left smooth.
This is also new territory for me on the wheel. My mother brought her old brent wheel to me and I'm trying to reintroduce myself to it. Reintroduction from a very short and informal class some 8 years ago mind you, so I'm kind of teaching myself blindly. I suppose I should watch some youtube videos to jog my memory on how to throw clay.
Glazing is another area where I'm pretty incompetent. I'm not sure what I'm doing but am trying to have fun. Hopefully if I keep experimenting I'll discover the look I am going for.
Happy Friday!