3/31/13

Nothing well happened today with my mugs :( disappointing. I can't go tomorrow but I'm going to go back on Tuesday.

3/30/13

I went to the studio and it seemingly just wasn't my day. I made a mug but I'm not in love with it so I'm going to go back tomorrow and try again.

Buzzing bees

So I recently made the bowl below for ceramics class and thought that I'd make a matching mug! So here is the inspiration.

First handle

Well, they say practice makes perfect right? I added my first handle to the mug I made earlier in the week today and lets just say I hope it holds? No, it's not THAT bad. But it's not THAT good either. Ill keep trying over break and see how that gets me.

Out of the Rut: quick lists

7 things I want or need to know more about:
1. Types of glazes
2. Techniques on making handles
3. Different styles of handles
4. Design ideas
5. Evening out/smoothing out the rim of mugs
6. Other materials that can be used to design
7. Mixing glazes? High fire with low fire etc.?

Class

My plan for today worked out so well!! I'm so happy with my throwing today. Ill post a picture of my sketch later but I threw a big, tall mug and I'm going to add a handle tomorrow.

Planning

Weekly plan:
Monday: throw during class (?)
Tuesday: stay after school and throw
Wednesday: Julia's studio
Thursday: research after school, find books
Friday: possibly Julia's studio

I'm just trying to be a bit more organized because I wasn't able to throw this weekend.

Being sick turns your brain to mush

I've been sick since Thursday and I'm only now starting to really recover, right? Today I was walking in the hallway completely spaced out when I saw my mentor! I WAS SUPPOSE TO COME IN FOR MY MENTOR MEETING TODAY! And I completely forgot. I'm still shocked as to how I could've forgotten. Anyway, I apologized and asked to come in tomorrow instead.

My brain is mush, no bueno.

Revised blogging methods

I recently got a new journal in which I plan to keep all my sketches for mugs and designs and handles etc.. So at which point I decided that I won't be posting pictures of the finished products or even beginning processes so I have something to present. I want to show you the sketches in high details but leave the finished products to be a surprise at the end of my semester to show my panel of judges the comparison with my sketches, yeah? I have yet to really plan it all out but this is what I have been thinking so far.


Like so...

!!!!

It came out!

In class entry

2-3 REAL GEMS OF THE PROJECT:
- the stamp Avalon created for the bottom of all her pieces
-the concept of making her own pit
-donating profit to Japanese disaster relief

2-3 OOPS, COULD'VE BEEN BETTER:
- improved mentor meetings
- why she made "eggs"- inspirations

2-3 THINGS I WANT TO BORROW;
-definitely the idea for a stamp! (So neat)
-burnishing my pieces

Far fetched ideas

Since I'm sick, I spent some of my lazy day looking up mug inspirations. (C'mon Maria, calm down)

Very upset

Guys, I'm home sick. Which wouldn't be a problem but I made a mug yesterday and now I can't go decorate it or anything and it'll be all dried out by Monday :(

Wah.

Pi day

Happy, pi day I guess? (3/14)
I went to the studio tonight and came across this. Just wanted to show you guys what a beautiful town I live in.

Mug

Just an idea for a mug I have that I really like :)

Excessive blogging? I think not.

This post is unrelated to my project and you may be thinking "why is she posting again?" Well, reasons. Every day that I sit down to blog, I also take quite a while to look at other student's blogs because I'm so interested to see their progress! And, to my disappointment, the most interesting topics (to me) are very behind in posts. We're required to post at least 3 posts a week because this is the only way of grading our projects at the end of the semester and some people haven't posted in WEEKS. So, hey guys, if you're reading thing which I highly doubt but I'll say it anyway, just sit down for 5 minutes a few times a week and post what you've done! I wanna see your progress, don't leave me hanging :)

Take it back.

I, after getting rid of my grueling headache, continued to read the former students blog. I was literally so engrossed in it that *flip* and I'm at the very end. Her project wasn't exactly what I'm doing (at all) except for the fact that she use the wheel to make her pieces. But they were not mugs, different from one another except in size, nor were they glazed. She made a pit in her backyard where she placed her makings and set them on fire. Very cool. Very unique.

Former students blog

For class, as I mentioned before, I have to read a former wise students blog with a related topic to mine.

I just read 42 pages. 42! My head is throbbing but I learned some really cool things about clay that I hadn't known before! I'm going to do my own macro research about it and inform ya'll on my newly earned knowledge.

Painting

I painted my fish bone mug today with this color, it's called Outer Space. I'm soo excited, hopefully it'll come out the way I'm hoping it will.

I also threw another mug today. No picture of it yet but it looks nice! Not sure what I'm going to design it.

Barnsong

In class last Monday we watched a duo WISE project of two kids that works together while still doing different projects. One of the guys was making a barn for his project, while the other made the documentary that we watched about him. It was assigned that I answered some more thought provoking questions after watching so here we go:

What do I better understand about a WISE project?
You don't necessarily have to COMPLETE your project in order to make lots of progress and put your all into whatever it is that you're doing. The kid building the barn hadn't actually finished his barn by the end of his semester but still continued with it even after the project was over.

Questions/curiosities about a WISE project?
After watching the video, I wonder more specifically about how I want to present my final project and what the most intriguing method of doing so would be.

My project goals?
Really, I want to be able to present things that I'm proud of and can say I put 100% into making.

See you WISE-ies in class tomorrow!

Weekend un-progress

This weekend was the most unsuccessful weekend (WISE-wise..ha) so far. I spent 9 hours at the hospital Friday night (don't worry, nothing bad), all Saturday working on another project, and then today I spent all day helping my parents with small stuff around our in-progress house.

I had to finger paint that pink paste into little holes (it turned white after) and acted like a cement. So, unfortunately, I had no time to do any wheel-throwing which I usually commit some of my weekends to.

My weekend didn't go to complete waste though! I found some mug ideas on Pintrest. First off, in ceramics class we need to make mugs that incorporate an animal feature and tomorrow I'm going to ask my WISE teacher if one of my mugs can be just that, and sort of kill two birds with one stone.

How cool are those?! It's simple yet so unique and creative, I love everything about them.

Mentor meeting & class

Also, I forgot to post this (bad habit) but I met up with my WISE class this Monday and got a huge 90 page packet that was a previous students ceramics blog. I'm required to read it and respond to it and while looking through some of it, an idea sparked! The student made a stamp that she added to the bottom of all her pieces as a signature type thing. It's great and I can't believe I hadn't thought of doing that before instead of just writing "MZ" at the bottom...boooooring. Anyway, I told this idea to my mentor and he thinks it's not a bad idea because who knows, if I actually get good at this and possibly start selling some mugs on Etsy, it'd be a great signature to add to my works.

New mug

So in ceramics a few days ago, I made a "twin" cup to the previous one I posted so to if I was capable of remaking it but also because I want to perfect it. Here's what I came to:

REALLY CLOSE ISN'T IT?!! It was such a successful day, I loved it.
Then, yesterday I trimmed the bottom (see the ugly uneven bottom on the bottom? I "trimmed" that) and decided to carve in a design.

Fish bones :) I know, it's a little weird(?) but I really like it because it looks very animated and cartoon-like. Next step is to sand it down once it's fired and then paint it. I have yet to decide what I want to paint it but there's a high-fire glaze (which is just fired at a higher temperature) that's called "Outerspace" or something, and looks like an explosion of stars in the dark sky. Pretty cool. 


Next thing I'm learning/ researching is handle making because I'm scared to add handles to my mugs if I really like them and might ruin it.

Progress continued...

I went back into the studio today but this time I took my mom with me. I asked her to record me centering some clay so that I have something to look back on as I progress through my project. I'll post the video as soon as I get it figured out (it's not sending to my e-mail for some reason).

I also worked on the mug I threw Saturday. First, I trimmed the bottom and made it look nice and even and then I decorated it with a bunch of random letters everywhere which reminded me of a newspaper. The inspiration for that was the artist who's studio I'm using because she imprints lots of writing into her art work too. Lastly today, I tried to make a handle but it..didn't go so well. I'm thinking of looking up Youtube videos of different techniques people use and experiment with that before I add any handles.

Good progress

Yesterday I went to the studio to throw but also to paint my mug I've posted on here before (assuming it hadn't exploded in the kiln, which is didnt. Phew) The first hour I spent throwing two mugs, and found myself to be centering the clay easier and faster. Unfortunately, the second mug I made went wrong at the very end and I had to dispose of it. But here's what I made!

I know, I know.. "She's jumping around from idea to idea". I figured that out, and I need to stop and make a solid list of what mugs I'm making in what order. So here's my first idea- perfect this style. I'm going to try throwing it again next weekend except taller and less of a bottled in neck.

 After throwing this mug, which I'm pretty happy with so far, I started painting the first experimental cup I made for the next hour. The picture I took turned out pretty bad so I can't update you with that but I've decided to paint it black and light green.