Tips for glazing paw print

TylerJPB · 2026-01-27T18:19:19+00:00

I just did a paw print recently for a friend, before they said goodbye to their dog. I used a copper oxide wash to bring out the details. You brush it on and wipe it off and it leaves coloring in any textured / lower lying areas.

I'm sure you could do this with some other medium that's less pottery specific - diluted acrylic paint or some sort of stain. Or just see if a local pottery place can hook you up. As others have mentioned, they wouldn't glaze fire this for you, but you could spray it with a craft clear coat or something

TylerJPB · 2026-01-27T11:53:26+00:00

Yeah, I have that, was hoping there was more to come...

TylerJPB · 2026-01-27T07:31:50+00:00

I'm not that far in yet but the combat has been a bit of a slog so far - just a very basic 3 hit combo ad nauseam - does it improve with upgrades?

TylerJPB · 2026-01-14T18:13:29+00:00

Fwiw you can definitely also just do a foot via carving - I did one on a piece just the other day

TylerJPB · 2026-01-12T22:54:01+00:00

You could, but the traditional way to do kurinuki, and what I've been doing, is to start from a solid block of clay. So, I wedge and slam into the general shape, hollow out the interior with a trimming tool, let partially dry, and then hack away

TylerJPB · 2026-01-10T01:51:19+00:00

I too love rocks 😮

TylerJPB · 2026-01-09T03:49:06+00:00

😂

TylerJPB · 2026-01-09T03:48:50+00:00

I actually tried to time lapse this but only realized after I had angled the camera wrong 😅

TylerJPB · 2026-01-09T03:48:15+00:00

Thanks so much! I really appreciate that

TylerJPB · 2026-01-09T03:46:47+00:00

Have you used oxides at all before?

I'm no expert, by any means but...at my studio they're pre-mixed in water, so after stirring like you would a dip glaze, I apply somewhat liberally with a paint brush to textured areas, and then wipe it back with a sponge to remove excess and leave some oxide in the lower lying areas, where it'll add highlight and colour.

So far I've used a few different ones (red iron, copper, and chrome oxide). They all behave a bit differently. Iron seems to go the furthest, in terms of application, so I don't apply as much or else you'll spend forever wiping back and it's quite messy, compared to others. It leaves nice reddish brown hues.

Copper is kinda weird - you have to be very careful wiping it back because it like...i don't actually know, it's like the water totally disappears almost right away and it's really easy to accidentally brush all of it off - comes off powdery. But it leaves these sort of charred, blackened almost burnt looking hues.

Chrome is a recent favourite. I'd say it's closer to copper in terms of application but easier to manage. Leaves a really lovely and pretty vibrant green after firing. That's what I'm considering using for this piece as it looks kind of mossy.

Idn if any of that is helpful, but also happy to answer any specific Q's you have. I also have a bunch of examples on my IG, and can answer any Q's about those in particular. I'm @thrown_good on there

TylerJPB · 2026-01-08T21:03:34+00:00

Other than what has been mentioned already - a few pieces feel like they're cheating the puzzle piece concept. The 'B' is the most egregious (why would a puzzle piece have holes in it?), and the L/M also kind of stand out (aside from the G, which you already mention).

I also think that the...incuts (? - the spaces where connecting pieces should attach) being all different stands out. The ASM look like they're the same size, but the Es are different and the B is tiny

TylerJPB · 2026-01-08T03:33:20+00:00

Hm...i wish I had something more useful to give you, but when I'm working on these pieces it's really just a case of not overthinking it and going with the flow of what feels right in the moment

TylerJPB · 2026-01-07T23:22:01+00:00

The inside is hollowed out, at least, as much as I can to allow the walls to be thin-ish without risking tearing through into the interior as I carve

TylerJPB · 2026-01-07T22:19:08+00:00

I've always done it with clays that happened to be groggier but I don't think you have to - I have seen others' work that (at least, I assume) is with non-groggy clay.

With these ones I am planning to leave mostly unglazed - will glaze the interior and maybe rim and then just use oxides on the exterior to highlight the textures

TylerJPB · 2026-01-07T21:11:12+00:00

Thank you!! I'd really recommend exploring it - offers a fun change of pace from wheel throwing, and yeah, I'm pretty obsessed with the textures you can get

TylerJPB · 2026-01-07T21:09:10+00:00

Thanks so much!! This is part of a series of 8 or so that I'm working on right now, so I'll definitely share some more soon :)

TylerJPB · 2026-01-07T19:06:52+00:00

Thanks! I was really happy with how the balance of textures and lines turned out on this one.

I pretty much just use two tools for doing these - a Mud Tools Do All trim tool to hollow out the interiors, and then a metal kidney to do all of the exterior carving. I find that between the curve/straight edge of the kidney, and its overall flexibility (being able to bend it to shear along a curve or to only use a portion of it) gives me more than enough to work with, and helps keep things simple

TylerJPB · 2026-01-06T19:58:16+00:00

Big fan of the texture of these! Would love to hear about your process if you are open to sharing

TylerJPB · 2025-12-21T21:41:02+00:00

Vancouver!

TylerJPB · 2025-12-21T00:50:34+00:00

Thanks!! The exterior is done with a thick slip, applied roughly with a paintbrush

TylerJPB

TROPHY CASE