I am in the final stages of a ceramic sculpture which has taken me much longer than expected to complete. The outcome is not entirely as I foresaw for the reason that there were changes done to its initial design in order to account for its overall structural support. I will be discussing more on the matter in a future post. In retrospect, there are some things I now understand better about hand building and although there are things which could’ve been done differently, the act of problem-solving has given me the necessary knowledge and experience to ensure continued success for my future pieces. I have come to understand that learning the art of ceramics is something which can be quite personal and although there’s an abundance of helpful information out there, you will never fully grasp the process until you get your hands dirty. Clay is a material which is constantly pushing my understanding of its potential and for that reason, you will fail many times before you see succeed.  There are many variables which can affect its outcome but hopefully, with experience, you can troubleshoot those unexpected results.

Here are some tips I’ve learned so far which have helped me when working with clay:

1. Before jumping in and working on your creative design, make sure you obtain enough information on the types of clay available. Some clays will work better for different pieces and depending on the complexity of the piece and equipment at your disposal, it can improve your chances of survival in the later stages. If you’re unsure which clay will work best, creating test strips or miniature studies with different clays can help save you time, money, and frustration in the future.
2. Always keep your clay supply covered when not in use. Clay will lose humidity very quickly which in turn makes it difficult to use when you’re hand building. This may seem so simple but can be easily forgotten when you’re carried away in the creative process.
3. On the same token, if your sculpture has been out in the open and exposed to the air for too long, it will begin to dry out. In order to prevent it from drying out too fast, maintain a spray bottle with water nearby and spray it (without drenching it) until your piece absorbs it and the surface looks moisturized. Note- if you’re sculpture is bone dry, do not wet the sculpture. At this point, you will only weaken its structure and make it vulnerable and susceptible to cracking and breaking.
4. Never apply wet clay directly unto the sculpture if it’s leather dry, although it may look like it takes, when it’s fired, the surface will crack and become uneven. Instead, use a slip and scoring method to attach additional pieces of clay.
5. If you’re not finished working and need to call it a day, wrap your sculpture with a damp cloth and cover it in an air tight plastic bag. Using paper-towels may not maintain the moisture long enough in between working periods. If your cloth is soaked, the clay will become too soft and the structure of your sculpture will weaken which may lead it to collapse. If you know you won’t be able to work on it for several days, just check-in on it every few days and use your spray bottle to dampen the cloth again.
6. Sometimes, if your sculpture is still very wet when you leave it out to dry, the environment may affect the drying time and outcome. Depending on the size and thickness of your piece, if dries it too fast, the sculpture is prone to stress cracks for the reason that certain areas may take longer to dry than others. You can control the drying time by keeping your sculpture covered in a plastic bag and only gradually opening the bag throughout a period of several days to let small amounts of oxygen in at a time. This should give your sculpture enough time to dry from the inside out.
7. From time to time, even if you’ve taken the necessary precautions to ensure the best possible outcome for your piece, it just doesn’t work out. There are many factors which can alter its outcome but the important thing is to try and figure out why something didn’t work. If you are unable to find an explanation, reach out to someone with experience. Talking it through with others may bring additional insight and can help you prevent a future mishap. This is key to success when working with ceramics and will increase your chances on achieving positive results.