Leaves and Berries Vessel

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Last Updated: Tuesday, 15 May 2012 12:50

Create a vessel from a oatmeal container and Stamps.

Construction

1. Make slip/slurry product for attaching your clay by taking small pieces of clay and placing into a small container covering the clay with water. Let the clay sit to fully absorb the water then stir. The slip/ slurry should look like the consistency of sour cream.
2. Roll out three pounds of clay to approximately ¼ inch thick.
3. Cut out a rectangle 14” x 8” in size. Roll out a smaller piece to fit the bottom of this vessel.
4. Using a small pony roller, make four rows of leaf impressions onto the clay using the ST-367 Leafy Border Stamp.  Starting from the longer edge working your way across.
5. After rolling in the stamp pattern, square up the bottom edge of the rectangle and cut out the shapes of the leaves on the top edge with a needle tool.
6. Wrap a piece of newsprint around the 18 oz. Quaker Oats canister rolling on the diagonal covering the bottom section and securing with a small piece of tape. This will keep the clay from sticking to your form.
7. Lay the canister on the clay rolling the slab onto the form overlapping the excess clay. Using a needle tool, cut through both pieces of clay and remove excess.
8. Take the excess clay that was rolled out in step 3 and score the clay on the bottom portion of your cylinder adding slip in preparation to be placed on the slab. Place the cylinder shape on top of the slab. Cut around the cylinder leaving about a 1/8 inch extra clay.  Push up the extra clay onto the sides of the cylinder sealing the bottom layer to the side walls of your vessel.
9. Use the leaf stamp to press into the bottom edge to hide the attachment.
10. To make leaves for attaching to the vessel, roll out your clay about 1/8” thick.  Press in the ST-367 Leafy Border stamp and cut out sections of the leaves. Shape in the palm of your hand, score and slip attach to the joined section of the form. Random leaves can be added for more dimensions.
11. Roll small balls out of clay for the berries and attach to the leaves using slip.
12. Remove the container by pulling out the oatmeal tube leaving the paper behind.
13. Allow to dry slowly removing the newsprint that may have been left behind when dry.  You can tell your clay is completely dry when you place it on your cheek and the clay feels like it’s room temperature. If it looks dry and feels cold, the clay is still wet on the inside. Do not fire until it is completely dry to avoid breakage.
14. Bisque fire to shelf cone 04.

PAINTING DIRECTIONS;

1. Thin down some SC-15 Tuxedo with a few drops of water. Using a CB-604 #4 Soft Fan, apply a thin coat of SC-15 Tuxedo over the entire piece, wipe back with a damp sponge to remove excess color to antique.
2. Using a CB-106 #6 Script Liner apply thinned SC-27 Sour Apple over the leaves.
3. Apply a second coat of the thinned SC-27 Sour Apple only this time load the brush with the SC-27 Sour Apple and tip with SC-26 Green thumb, keeping the SC-26 Green Thumb to the edges of the leaves.
4. Thin SC-34 Down to Earth and float on all the spaces between the leaves.
5. Apply 2 coats of SC-40 Blueberry Hill to the berries using a CB-106 #6 Script Liner.
6. Using a CB-604 #4 Soft Fan apply 3 coats of FN-008 Brown to the inside the piece.
7. Use a CB-604 #4 Soft Fan to apply 1 coat of S-2101 Crystal Clear Brushing Glaze to outside of the form to ensure there is enough coverage due to the Stroke & Coat washes. Allow to dry.
8. Stilt and fire to shelf cone 06.