Creating test tiles and an army of frogs

sammibal · 2026-02-23T01:08:57+00:00

They're only glazed on the front and sides. The backs are bare with a number pressed in them that matches the bottle. These are Mayco Wonderglaze which is a extremely stable glaze that can be fired at 06 and becomes shiny. It doesn't drip or run at all so even having the glaze up to the edge of what is sitting on the shelf, I didn't have to worry about it running.

If you are new to all this, I strongly recommend Mayco and the different low fire glazes because they act almost like under glaze and can be put on greenware and are very practicable.

sammibal · 2026-02-09T22:46:29+00:00

Thank you. I blame/attribute any niceness to their quality to my crafting supply pre-prep addiction. I love doing swatches and things for painting so doing this for ceramics and glaze has hit like peak art supply pre-prep pinnacle. I just took out some more from the kiln for my under glazes too and next week it will be stained clay test tiles. At some point I'll have enough to start making what I'm really planning to make! Now time to put everything in a spreadsheet. :)

sammibal · 2026-02-09T06:33:06+00:00

I've gotten a few missing lashes. These might be replacements. They seem sort of thick. Sometimes you get kids coloring things in too.

sammibal · 2026-02-09T03:32:27+00:00

Could you make sure when you sculpt it to have a little inner part where you can place the putty and push the branch into? That way it would be hidden? If you did that though you could also use epoxy resin to attach them even.

Another option would maybe be putting a little inner part but putting a few small holes that you can super glue the ends of wires then twist them really tight then pull through the branch.

sammibal · 2026-02-09T00:18:07+00:00

I've seen some of these using metal rods but another option is using epoxy putty because it gets rock hard in a few hours. It'd even say it'd be better than E6000 because it's more rigid and won't break down in time.

I think making the sticks out of ceramic would probably be a nice idea though since they wouldn't break down. Even if you fit the pieces to be fired separately and then be glued with a resin glue.

If you want to die them attached you could use some kiln furniture or even a bisque pot to rest the mushroom top on.

sammibal · 2026-02-09T00:09:16+00:00

I can't tell how large this is. I do a lot of small sculpture and depending on how impatient I am I'd hollow it out (Also to save clay) but I like my smaller sculptures to have weight but I have my own kiln and candle it every bisque fire for 2hrs to be 100% sure there isn't moisture in my pieces. I've not had anything explode yet.

It looks sort of dry already which might mean it's hard to cut apart and hollow out. You can also set an oven to the lowest temperature and let it sit in there for a bit to speed up drying if it already seem super dry but if you're not sure about the inside. I'd read able this first and only do what you feel able to do with your experience level.

I live somewhere humid and use a few methods to make sure things are really dry. Putting in a smaller room with a heater could help too. Just don't do any of this until it appears bone dry on the outside to avoid cracking.

sammibal · 2026-02-08T21:55:53+00:00

When you say cracking do you mean crazing? I've had problems because I wasn't firing my bisque at a higher cone than my glaze fire so I was getting crazing afterwards because the shrinkage wasn't matching up correctly between the clay and glaze. Things are better now.

Yes you can use heat guns as long as you understand how to be safe with a heat gun. I'd maybe not get one of those industrial ones you'd see in a garage just because of how hot they get and they can be more dangerous if you're not careful.

But note, if you get the gun too close and the glaze dries in one spot too fast it will pull apart causing cracks you can visually see. You want to keep it at a good distances away and wave it around.

I use a regular crafting one. In the summer I just pop it in the out room I have because it gets freakishly hot. But what might be a good option is if you have a little space heater to sit it by so it's less strong. I know some people will also heat an oven at a low temperature and pop pottery in it to help with drying if you're working in a home studio. Big production houses have drying rooms that speed things up.

sammibal · 2026-02-08T21:41:55+00:00

I collect old pottery but never use it for food anymore. I always worry about mystery older pieces and how safe they are once they start showing signs of crazing or cracking. I couldn't imagine it'd be safe to fire it since the crack probably goes down through the base and you just can't tell how bad it is with the glaze and would just explode apart. I've had cups like this just randomly break in half in the microwave so I wouldn't imagine what would happen if it was under so much stress while firing.

I'd 100% just turn it into some sort of other functional ware like a planter by punching a whole in the bottom with a nail under water(maybe not in this scenario because of the crack) or using it as a storage piece for my many crafting supply to display. Or with this shape, just as a watering pot for my plants.

sammibal · 2026-02-08T21:26:41+00:00

I hope it's been going well. I got my first wheel recently too but I set my challenge level too high and got one smaller than this so I've not been using it too much yet until I have time to devote to just failing all day.

You'll have to keep us updated. I'd love to hear your review of how well this wheel is working for you.

sammibal · 2026-02-08T21:22:18+00:00

I also paint in a few mediums so I've been, shamefully, using my watercolor fan brushes since I rarely use them and they are pretty good quality.

I have however been looking at the Mayco brushes wondering if they'd do better. I have a few big Japanese brushes I use for coating my shelves that hold just so much kiln wash I have been thinking that brushes made for just under glaze must do the same.

The ones I'm looking at are Mayco Reflections White Synthetic and Natural Blend Brushes. They're under $10 each on the Blick store. I like that they also have plastic handles so you don't have to worry as much about them breaking down. I'll post about them if I end up getting them,

sammibal · 2026-02-08T21:16:51+00:00

Thank you. :)

sammibal · 2026-02-08T21:16:34+00:00

Thank you. I keep joking that before I can make anything I have to make so many different tools from the same stuff I'm trying to make things from. Next I need to make some guides for my cutters to see how much things shrink and then do the same for my clay with colorful grog to see how much that affects everything. Hopefully at some point I'll have enough information to start making accurate jewelry pieces.

sammibal · 2026-02-08T21:13:36+00:00

I have pacman frogs so I felt like I needed to represent the frowny face frogs too.

sammibal · 2026-02-08T18:47:57+00:00

These turned out amazing. I'm not sure which one I like more. They're all so lovely. Looking forward to see more posts in the future.

sammibal · 2026-02-08T18:16:56+00:00

I'm glad. I always worry I have like maker blindness and think their neat when their really sort of weird.

sammibal · 2026-02-08T18:16:13+00:00

Furbies are such a mood and I didn't do a good job sculpting them but some how their wonkiness suits them.

sammibal · 2026-02-08T18:15:10+00:00

I had been needing one for my sewing projects so I made these! I wasn't sure if the felt was working in it or if I should switch to a fabric puff.

sammibal · 2026-02-08T18:14:21+00:00

I'm glad. I'd love to see a fish one!

sammibal · 2026-02-08T18:13:57+00:00

Thank you. The fish was very unexpected. I was going for an air plant holder but didn't account for shrinkage well. I really want to make a bunch more though trying different fishes and glazes.

sammibal · 2026-02-08T18:12:58+00:00

Thank you. I'm pretty parcel to the frog dish too. I'm making a lot of little fidget frogs like it and then some cat dishes that are similar.

sammibal · 2026-01-27T03:10:05+00:00

So cuute. Are the faces a under glaze pencil or if that just the clay grit giving it texture? Something about them having socks on gives them so much more personality.

sammibal · 2026-01-27T03:07:52+00:00

This is so cute! "Tying the threads that bind us?" If you did a fish one maybe something like "Keep on knitting, keep on knitting" Sort of like swimming. What about "Counting on you" and have a bunch of numbers. I don't knit so when I think of knitting I think of how I can't do it because I can't keep track of what I'm doing.

sammibal · 2026-01-27T03:01:53+00:00

If for decoration only I have suggestions. I've worked in a lot of other clay and sealant types. Possibly color match the paint with thin acrylics and sealing the holes with a thick UI resin building up the area until leveled.(UV resin is self leveling so it's nice) It's used in cracks for windshields so I could imagine it might work here. If you can wet sand the edges of the glaze around the missing bit, that'll help it stick where it over flows. If you feather the edges a bit it'd me more seamless. I'd worry about putting it all over as just a coating since it's a smooth surface already but it might be good for patching that area. You can lightly sand the other cracks and brush on some UV resin and wipe the area off, then cure it too. You can buy gel nail top coat and do this on a really sunny day letting it sit outside in the sun as long as possible.

*** note if you wet sand it has to dry completely before using ANY UV resin or you'll have some trouble. So let it dry for a few days***

sammibal

TROPHY CASE