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Understanding porcelain
Antoinette Badenhorst 6 weeks formal class 4 weeks additional viewing <<>> We review basic to advanced techniques and go in depth into the character of porcelain, preparing potters for all our other porcelain classes and help to improve their general skills in clay.
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Contents of understanding porcelain
Week 1
This class is designed to make a transition from stoneware or earthenware clay to porcelain. There are clear and specific differences in the approach between these clay mediums.
This class is designed to make a transition from stoneware or earthenware clay to porcelain. There are clear and specific differences in the approach between these clay mediums.
- Introduction to porcelain clay.
- Explore the origin of clay and the history and character of porcelain clay.
- Clay comparison between stoneware, earthenware and porcelain.
- Fired clay samples
- Wedge the clay using the bull's head or ram's head wedging technique.
- Reclaiming of clay.
Week 2
Learning to control porcelain starts with pinching. This technique is a crucial element to learn and understand the specific porcelain that is in use and to learn about the drying stages thereof. Not all porcelains are the same. Once potters understand the differences in porcelain, they will be able to choose a porcelain for their specific needs and be able to know and understand how to approach it.
Learning to control porcelain starts with pinching. This technique is a crucial element to learn and understand the specific porcelain that is in use and to learn about the drying stages thereof. Not all porcelains are the same. Once potters understand the differences in porcelain, they will be able to choose a porcelain for their specific needs and be able to know and understand how to approach it.
- Porcelain and pinching
- Porcelain tools to make and or to buy
- Combining pinched pots
- Trimming pinched porcelain and trimming tools for pinching
- Controlling the different drying stages of porcelain
- Learn when and how to use the pinching-in technique
Week 3
During this week Antoinette helps beginners to learn to throw porcelain while Intermediate to advanced potters will learn to push the limits on the wheel to throw very thin and translucent walls. Regardless of the level on which you start, you will gain new knowledge that will help you to get to the next level of your ability to work with clay. Designing is an integral part of this week’s class.
During this week Antoinette helps beginners to learn to throw porcelain while Intermediate to advanced potters will learn to push the limits on the wheel to throw very thin and translucent walls. Regardless of the level on which you start, you will gain new knowledge that will help you to get to the next level of your ability to work with clay. Designing is an integral part of this week’s class.
- Prepare clay and environment for wheel throwing
- Centering clay on the potter's wheel and opening techniques for porcelain bowls
- Understanding and controlling of clay particle movement
- Building the walls and hand movements for controlling the shape
- Throwing V-shape bowls
- Throwing U-shape bowls
Week 4
If you have never trimmed porcelain, this is your chance to learn to do that successfully. With the right tools at different stages, you will learn how to trim smooth and even walls. You will learn to prevent slumping and cracking in the rims.
If you have never trimmed porcelain, this is your chance to learn to do that successfully. With the right tools at different stages, you will learn how to trim smooth and even walls. You will learn to prevent slumping and cracking in the rims.
- Trimming basics for porcelain
- Faults, cracks, remedies & resolutions
- Tools to use for trimming porcelain
- Right-side-up trimming techniques
- Trimming upside down
- Foot rims and other bottom considerations
- Re-positioning on the wheel
Week 5
Porcelain is very susceptible to detail. As the "Diva of Clay" it is necessary to pay attention to those details. During this class the whole course begins to fall into place.
Porcelain is very susceptible to detail. As the "Diva of Clay" it is necessary to pay attention to those details. During this class the whole course begins to fall into place.
- Aesthetic considerations
- Design considerations for porcelain
- Porcelain and the 30 degree rule
- Forms to use for successful firing
- Porcelain and decoration
Week 6
Glazing ad firing of porcelain are the final actions to ensure success with porcelain. With the right approaches, it becomes easy to obtain beautiful porcelain objects.
Glazing ad firing of porcelain are the final actions to ensure success with porcelain. With the right approaches, it becomes easy to obtain beautiful porcelain objects.
- Glazing and porcelain
- Glazing methods for porcelain
- Glazing errors
- Basic electric kiln operation
- Firing schedules and glaze defaults
- How to prevent slumping and plucking of porcelain
- Packing a pottery kiln
- How to support porcelain in the kiln
- How to get a smooth touch and feeling of porcelain after the firing in the kiln
If you want to change from stoneware or earthenware to porcelain clay, then this six weeks e-course in your own place will give you enough information to make an easy switch.
Break the myths and begin to understand the character of porcelain in these clear, close-up and detailed video demonstrations. With direct online access to Antoinette throughout the course, potters will be assisted to easily work with porcelain clay, while pushing their own limits. Whether hand building, throwing, trimming or altering on the potter’s wheel, beginners to advanced potters will learn to work easily and successfully with the “Diva of clay” and get translucent porcelain.
Antoinette addresses design, firing and glazing techniques to prevent slumping and cracking and to ensure success with porcelain.
Break the myths and begin to understand the character of porcelain in these clear, close-up and detailed video demonstrations. With direct online access to Antoinette throughout the course, potters will be assisted to easily work with porcelain clay, while pushing their own limits. Whether hand building, throwing, trimming or altering on the potter’s wheel, beginners to advanced potters will learn to work easily and successfully with the “Diva of clay” and get translucent porcelain.
Antoinette addresses design, firing and glazing techniques to prevent slumping and cracking and to ensure success with porcelain.
Registration policy
Who is the target audience for Understanding Porcelain?
What do I need for this e-course?
This e-course will help you:
What can I expect from the e-course?
REFUND POLICY
- The "Understanding Porcelain" e-course is geared towards potters that have experience in basic to advanced clay work. Potters interested to improve their general understanding of porcelain and that is interested in working in porcelain will benefit from this class. It is a wheel throwing, hand building and altering clay class, all in one. We review basic to advanced techniques and go in depth into the character of porcelain, preparing potters for all our other porcelain classes and help to improve their general skills in clay.
- If you never worked with clay before, or completely forgot what you've learned many years ago, this class is unfortunately not for you. We expect that you have a basic understanding of the full pottery making cycle, from the wedging to the final glazed product fired in the kiln and we advice you to get on our distribution list to be informed when we will present a beginners class.
- Our videos do not have written translations yet and the language used is English.
What do I need for this e-course?
- You must have access to a pottery wheel, workplace and kiln.
- You must have consistent access to a computer, iPad or iPhone or related technology.
- You must have basic computer knowledge. (Although we will assist you with the viewing of the videos, we cannot teach you how to use a computer).
- You need basic knowledge of glazes; that is at least glazed some pottery before.
- When you consider this class you should understand the following terminology:
- Plastic potters clay; leather hard clay; bone dry; green ware; bisque ware; glaze; firing clay; kiln; cone; ceramics; wheel throwing; pinching; press molding; potters plaster.
This e-course will help you:
- if you worked on the wheel before, but experience difficulty with throwing and hand building porcelain
- if you want to understand and work with porcelain clay
- if you want to spray glaze
- if you want to learn how to use mason stains in your glazes
- if you want to learn how to control forms on the wheel
- understand the firing techniques associated with porcelain
- if you want to learn more about porcelain
What can I expect from the e-course?
- You will learn how to throw, control and alter some basic forms on the potter's wheel.
- You will learn and understand porcelain well enough to use this clay body effectively to push its limits.
- When you completed this class, you should be able to throw or hand build porcelain easier and improve your skills with some practice. Please see the contents list.
- See the material list below.
- We will provide downloadable documents (PDF format) for refreshing memory.
REFUND POLICY
- No refunding.
- Submitting an online registration indicates your agreement with this policy.