oldlady Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 i am surprised at how few potters know about a mirror placed so the potter can see the profile of the pot all the time. saves all that twisting around to see the shape. some of the you tube things i watch make me squirm in sympathetic pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 I do. I use it so I don't have to get up from the wheel and step back to look at the form I am throwing. This was something my teacher, Paula Winokur, recommended back in college days. SInce I am throwing mostly tall forms lately in porcelain, it is nice to lean back and look at the overall shape from the wheel. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 I did a long time ago-now its one more thing to break. I really just need to see the side of the pot my head is close to. I will say that I have straighted up to view now and again but thats also just good to move around on the seat after a throwing session.I tend to fill a ware board get up and move it and repeat. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark McCombs Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 When I cleared out the space for my small studio, I found a 2' x 2' mirror. I set it on a couple buckets in front of the wheel and propped it up against the wall. Works great. I pretty sure I got the idea to do that from one of Simon's videos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay lover Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 When I cleared out the space for my small studio, I found a 2' x 2' mirror. I set it on a couple buckets in front of the wheel and propped it up against the wall. Works great. I pretty sure I got the idea to do that from one of Simon's videos. I do. It is a big old dresser top thing, sits at about10 o'clock to my wheel head. It has helped me straighten up a bunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 Thank you for reminding me about the mirror, I usually have one hung next to my wheel, I just forgot about it when I built my new studio. Makes me wonder what happened to the last one, may be it's still hanging on the wall at my old house. Denice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SShirley Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 Not me. I tried it but didn't like seeing my ugly self in the mirror. Better to just bend over once in a while. Sylvia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 Not me. I tried it but didn't like seeing my ugly self in the mirror. Better to just bend over once in a while. Sylvia Never don that. I might have to try it, but usually when throwing larger pieces I am standing and just walk a way leaving the wheel moving slowly. Other pieces I have a tendency to get up and walk back to see also. this allows me to stretch while working, but then I am not trying to crank out great numbers of pots. Some times I throw for the joy of throwing-in the dark. Good practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJR Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 I use a mirror to brush my teeth in the morning. For some reason I can't find my mouth that early in the A.M. Have seen videos of Simon Leach etc. using a mirror for throwing. Never tried it. TJR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doulla Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 I sculpt animals and have a very large mirror on the wall behind my table. I like viewing the sculpture in the mirror, for some reason I can see mistakes better in the mirror. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missholly Posted May 24, 2013 Report Share Posted May 24, 2013 i definitely do. i like being able to see the profile as it spins. i feel like i can see the clay better. id definitely suggest it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idaho Potter Posted May 25, 2013 Report Share Posted May 25, 2013 I've never used a mirror for throwing pots, but do use one when working on a sculpture--especially the faces. Was taught that when I was learning wood carving--it will show every mistake in portrait heads, and in wood carving, the sooner you know you've gone astray, the better. Thank heavens clay is easier to adjust. Shirley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Ann Posted May 25, 2013 Report Share Posted May 25, 2013 There was a giant 4x2.5 foot mirror in my basement so when i built my studio down there I tucked it in between the wall and my wheel. When I am trimming with my giffin grip on the wheel head and I have the tall bucket to catch the trimmings I can't see the pot im working on and that seems to be when I glance up to check it out the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrgpots Posted May 26, 2013 Report Share Posted May 26, 2013 I've never used a mirror for throwing pots, but do use one when working on a sculpture--especially the faces. Was taught that when I was learning wood carving--it will show every mistake in portrait heads, and in wood carving, the sooner you know you've gone astray, the better. Thank heavens clay is easier to adjust. Shirley I think the mirror allows us to use the right side of our brain more easily. It's like drawing upside down. Jed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annekat Posted May 26, 2013 Report Share Posted May 26, 2013 I used to. I gave it up at some point, not sure why. Maybe felt like it was too much of a crutch, that I should be shaping the inside of the pot rather than being hung up on the outside profile. Now I'm thinking it might be a good idea to try it again! It's not always easy to judge the shape of a pot just by looking at the inside, or by looking at the outside up close, especially with bifocals. And many times I'll look at a pot later, when it's leather hard, and wish I had put a little more volume or roundness into it that might have been easier to assess with a mirror during throwing. Pots may change shape a bit as they shrink, making it more important to really emphasize the shape you want to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyne Schoenmann Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Yes, I heard of people using a mirror, and I saw a youtube video once of a Lady sitting in front of a huge "seamstress mirror", throwing a pot. I never tried it myself, but I can see the sense of using a mirror all right. Maybe one time I will try. Greetings Evelyne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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