How are glaze colors affected when applied to different shades of clay?
To find out I'll be applying three different glaze combinations to three different shades
of clay. Make sure you watch to the end to see the finished fired pieces for the surprising results.
Hi everyone Marie here with a fun glazing video for you. Beginner and even seasoned potters
will wonder how a glaze combination may look on a different shade of clay. Will it look the way you
imagine? To save the time and hassle of having to buy different clays to figure out yourself
I did some testing for you. Follow along in this fun and informative video to see the difference.
For the light shade, I chose Amaco a mix number 11 stoneware white clay. For the medium shade,
I chose Amaco number 58 stoneware warm brown clay. And for the dark shade, I chose Laguna electric
brown stoneware clay. I will apply the three different glaze combinations to each shade of clay
to see how each shade affects each glaze layering combination. All the supplies used in this video
are listed for you in the show notes below. Before we start glazing there's some necessary prep work
that must be done first. When handling bisque ware it's important to keep your hands clean and dry
or wear gloves. Clean each planter with a clean damp sponge. This is a step you never want to
skip. It gets all the dust particles off to ensure that the glaze adheres nicely to your piece.
Now that that's done I'll apply wax resist to the bottom of each planter.
Wax resist makes wiping off the glaze on the bottom much easier. The last thing you want
is your pottery to get stuck on your kiln shelf. I made a video on the different ways to protect your
kiln shelves. There's a link at the top corner of the screen for that video. I also left a link
for you down below in the show notes. Once all the wax resist is applied and dry it's time to glaze.
First I'm applying a coat of speedball clear glaze with this fan brush to the inside
and bottom part of all of the planters, to make sure my planters are waterproof, and to see the
different shades of clay against the glazes. Plus I think it looks cool. Always mix your glaze well,
and run it through a strainer to catch any clumps or debris that may be lurking in your glaze.
It's easier to do this than try to get a clump of glaze off of your pottery.
Let's start glazing. I like this speedball glaze. It has a gel-like feel to it,
and it's pink, so you know where you have applied it. Especially on light clay bodies.
I used this glaze in my last slip decorating video.
There's a link at the top corner of the screen for that video. If you'd like to see it
after this video of course. I like each pot to be unique and not look like it came off the assembly
line. I think if you're buying handmade pottery you'd like that special handcrafted feel to it.
There. Now that all the planters are glazed on the inside and bottom half and dry,
it's time for the glaze combinations. The first glaze combination will be
Amaco seaweed, and Amaco indigo float, over Amaco iron luster. We'll start with the light
Amaco number 11a mix clay. Dip the planter in the iron luster down to the clear glaze.
I'm plugging the drain hole with my finger so I don't get too much glaze on the inside.
The iron luster is a great glaze to use on its own or a base for other glazes.
Let it dry to the touch.
Once it's dry to the touch dip the seaweed even with the iron luster.
Seaweed is a great glaze to use if you want your glaze to flow.
You have to be careful with it because it loves to run.
After it's dried to the touch top it off with a dip
of indigo float. The seaweed underneath will help the indigo flow down the pot.
If you'd like some more tips on glazing you can check out my video where I answer 21
glaze questions from beginner potters. I know I had a lot of questions when I started glazing.
Now we'll glaze the medium Amaco number 58 clay the same way.
That was quick.
Now the dark Laguna electric brown clay. Just like magic. Set these aside to dry.
The next combination will be Amaco textured turquoise over Amaco arctic blue.
We'll start with the light clay again. Dip it in the arctic blue.
This arctic blue is a good glaze to layer with and also beautiful on its own.
If you want me to make more videos like this one let me know in the comment section below
and I may make more. Let it dry to the touch. After it's dry to the touch
dip it in the textured turquoise and completely cover the arctic blue.
Textured turquoise is another glaze I love to layer with. It really complements other colors
like smoky merlot and albany slip brown, just to name a few. If you like what you see so far,
do me a favor, stop and hit the like button. Now apply to the medium shade clay.
Now for the dark shade clay. There we are. Now set these aside to dry.
The last combination is Spectrum pearl white over Amaco deep sienna speckle.
Starting with the light clay dip in the deep sienna speckle. It's amazing how many glazes
there are to choose from. I have a page over on my website potterycrafters.com with a large selection
of my favorite glazes. Make sure to go check it out. I also have it in the show notes below.
Let it dry to the touch. Once dry to the touch, dip the pearl white on the rim.
This is one of my favorite glazes. It's a floating glaze so you have
to be careful not to apply it too close to the bottom of your pottery
or too thick. It also works well with different brands of glazes like Amaco and Mayco.
Now glaze the medium clay the same way. That looks good.
And the dark shade.
Yes. Now that all the planters are glazed there's one more thing we have to do.
Wipe the bottoms of each planter with a clean damp sponge to make sure no glaze is left on
the bottom. Now allow the glaze to dry thoroughly. After the glaze is dry place in the kiln and fire
to cone 5. I put a 10-minute hold at the end of the firing. This makes sure that the temperature
is even throughout and helps the glaze to cure. Let's see how the first combination turned out.
Can you pick out which clay is light? Which clay is medium? And which clay is dark? This iron
luster seaweed and indigo float glaze combination has a nice earthy look to it. Let's find out.
This is the dark shade. Did you choose this one?
This is the light shade, and of course the medium shade.
Could you tell the difference I think the glaze does look a touch lighter on the lighter
clay? Other than that, I don't see much of a difference with the different shades of clay.
What do you think? Let's see how the arctic blue and textured turquoise turned out.
Do you know which shade of clay is which?
I like how the two colors mingle with each other this is a nice combination. Let's find out.
This is the light clay.
The medium clay, and the dark shade of clay.
Were you able to pick out which clay was which? With this glaze combination, I think
they all look similar. I don't think it makes a difference which clay you use what do you think?
Before we check out the last glaze combination, don't forget to hit the like button
subscribe and the bell icon to get notified whenever a new video comes out. Here's the
pearl white over the deep sienna speckle. Can you tell which shade is which? I like how the
pearl white flows down the much more stable deep sienna speckle. Let's see which clay is which.
This is the medium clay.
The dark clay.
And the light clay. Were you able to pick out the right shades of clay?
The deep sienna speckle color is a little deeper on the dark clay.
What do you think? This gives you an idea of what to expect when choosing your clay. I hope
I've helped you in selecting your clay shades and even give you some glaze combination ideas.
Now head on over to my kiln opening video,
or how to bubble glaze video. If you do I get to play with more clay, Let's stay dirty.