A "darted" creamer starts as a mug. These are large enough for 12 oz. of liquid.
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| Step 1: Cylinder made on the wheel. |
If I kept this as a mug, it would look like this:
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| This one will go to the winner of the raffle at my last show. |
But today I am making creamers, not mugs.
I make a pouring lip while it is still quite damp.
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| Step 2: A simple pouring lip. |
I lighten and finish the bottom edge by smoothing off a little extra clay from around it with my thumb. Then I cut a leaf-shaped dart out of the side.
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| Step 3: The center of the dart is directly opposite the pouring lip. The angle of the bevel is different for the 2 cut sides of the dart. One side is angled inward, one side angled outward. They merge better this way. |
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Slowly and carefully, I bring the cut sides of the dart together. The clay has to be fairly soft, or it will begin to crack above and below the join.
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| Step 4: A raised seam where the dart is joined. This one was a bit firm and did in fact begin to crack above the join, so I cut it, slipped and scored it, and blended the join all the way up to the rim. |
I leave the raised seam made by the join, although I neaten it up some more as I go along.
It looks like this in profile. I'm going to play with this blank thing:
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| There is a scooped-out area across from the spout now. |
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The rim could use defining and embellishing, so I make a cut on each of its sides. Where I left the rim uncut across from the spout, I'm left now with an interesting rise, which I am not sure is good there and should possibly be cut off. But let's play with that...
(Note: The spout is now facing right in the photo:)
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| Step 5: Just cut- two long leaf shapes, one from each side of the rim. |
The rim gets dampened, and smoothed gently between thumb and forefinger.
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| It's important to remove sharp angles on the edges of functional pots. I also smooth a slight flare into the rim at the same time. |
Now it's time to figure out the handle design. There's this:
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| Handle starts inside rim and goes to bottom of darted part. Attitude is a bit tentative. |
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Or this:
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| This handle, attached to the outside below the dorsal fin thing, has better negative space inside the curve, but I think I'll decorate that odd fin Otherwise it has no purpose. Maybe a spot of color... |
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| Underglaze color applied at a drier stage. But I am not inspired. |
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These not entirely successful forms have me thinking harder about that darted indentation. It should be framed by a handle that's better integrated into the form of the creamer and also makes interesting negative space.
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| I cut down the fin-like edge above the handle for a good swooping line. My favorite so far. Will do this rim curve on the next batch I make, maybe even more exaggerated. |
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| This just underscores that the fin above the handle really is too self-important. In comparison to the creamer in the photo above this, I am not liking how the fin-shoulder widens the rim profile. |
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| Difference here- I didn't dart this one, I indented the side of the creamer with a big dimple instead of cutting out the leaf shape. More like my un-darted old creamers, but with a forward thrust to the profile that's a bit livelier than of old. Fin still has to go... |
While these dry, I will make some hand-pleasers, each one a little critter from one small lump of clay. Want to make a couple of dozen. More on that next time. Stay tuned!
