another tea pot

[buckeye]

between other stuff I threw another tea pot. I have come to realize I cant stand petite handles and I realize the handle on this one is bigger than it should be (like on most of my stuff). Besides the handle being to big what else is wrong with it. I like this one a lot but the proportions are off again. I think the spout should have been a little bigger and it would have matched the lid or I could have maybe put on a smaller lid handle... what do you think? For me I think it looks pretty good but still trying to figure out proportions and bringing them all together so would love to hear opinions.

 

For a while I have wanted to make a tea pot this shape and then at the top step it in and bring it straight up. I think if I would have done a lid that sit down in it would have turned out better as well.

[lynny]

 

 

Hi, firstly I'm impressed with what your throwing after just a year

I too came to clay 6 yrs ago and became addicted and ended up going to univerisity and just graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Art (major ceramic).

Throwing only started 3 yrs ago and I spent my first yr hating it because of frustration- so zillions of youtube clips later I've got it and love it and am addicted. My limit is my body, I'm not young (54) and have a serious back injury, so cant spend hours at the wheel.

But our lecturers would go on and on about 'form' and balance and line etc etc. I found it best to make a tea pot and just look at it every day and feel it, pour it and 'use' it before I made another with improvements. For what my comments are worth I think the spout could be a bit thicker on yours and the lid may be wobbly when it's tipped. They are the most challenging forms to make- with so many seperate componants to join together.

Another thing is to do HEAPS of simple profile line drawings to see shapes etc in a better way. Play with the profile lines, even a slight adjustment on a curve can make a huge difference to a form.

Love this forum and its support and sharing of knowledge.

regards

 

 

[Lucille Oka]

I realize we can make what we want and name it what weight want but this particular shape is more of a coffee pot.

It is pretty nice. I hope you have a good decorating technique for yourself vessel.

[LawPots]

I am also a beginner who loves to make teapots. Mostly, I've used the trial and error method of design. In the past year, I've made 7 so far. But, only one pours as well as my favorite commercial teapot (from ForLife); none look good to me. There may come a time soon when I'll by a good handmade pot, but I haven't decided on which of the many wonderful pots I'm going to buy.

 

Here's what I like about your pot: Big handles are good for use. Side handles are easier to fill and clean than top handles. It looks like a hand can fit down through the opening in your pot to clean it. I drink lots of green tea, and the theory is that a spout high on the pot is good for green tea. You pot looks like (after firing) it will hold 16-20 oz - a good size if you want to share a cup. Also, this seems like a funny thing, but the body of a teapot really must be narrower above the spout so that tea won't come out at the lid if you tilt it a bit too much when it is full.

 

My failures in teapots come from things that aren't so obvious, and you may have already experienced this:

 

Thrown spouts in stoneware twist in the glaze firing. If you threw that spout, having it come dead center in the wet clay may mean that it will twist and give you a funny looking spout after the glaze firing.

 

Do you have ample holes behind the spout? If you have less surface area in holes than the opening in the spout, look for trouble pouring. Slow pouring will encourage your user to tilt the pot too much and tea will come out the top. You may have cut a big hole behind the spout, but then, there won't be any straining of tea leaves - no big deal, just use a bag or something. Oh, and keep glaze out of those holes!

 

Your lid looks great - but does it shift when you tilt the pot to 90 degrees? If so, you want to find a way to lock it in place - either on the inside, or outside. One of the problems with a spout high on the pot is that you will find that you have to tilt the pot farther to get the tea out of the bottom. And, yes, I know that you can hold the lid in place - but unless I'm thinking about it, I forget.

 

The spout appears to be level with the top; but check it with a ruler. If it is below the height of the top, there's more trouble with tea pouring when you don't want it to. Like when you carry it from the kitchen to the table.

 

Do you have a hole in the lid? One of my teapots would actually bubble out tea when I put my not particularly tight, but well sealed lid, over a pot full of hot water. (BTW - the lid didn't displace any water, it was a dome lid that sat in a gallery) I had believed that this was impossible untill I saw it happen. In any case, a hole in the lid helps it pour.

 

You have the proverbial "sharp" lip on the spout? Purportedly, that helps prevent dribbling.

 

I don't think a teapot needs to be short and stout, and there are some really fine examples out there that aren't. I like this shape, athestically, but the proof will be in the pudding - I believe teapots need to function! To me, a teapot looks the best when it functions well.

[buckeye]

Law pots - thank you for all the great info. some of it I have learned through trial and error but your provided me with some great information.

 

I gave up on multiple smaller holes behind the spout and just cut it all out now, I never liked how they poured with smaller holes. Thankfully I have not had any problems with the spout twisting yet so I am good there and I am working in stoneware. My spout does come to the top, something I make sure to do every time after my very first tea pot couldnt be filled up much past the halfway point, since then I make sure all go to the top if not just above.