JRW Posted January 30, 2021 Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 Hi all, I’m curious to hear about your systems for tracking individual pieces through their process, including photographs during and of the final piece, as well as notes and specs. I am aware of the Pottery Notes app but several reviewers said that their entire archive of notes was erased with an update, and the cloud backup seems a little unreliable and hard to do from what I read. I also say an app called Clay Lab which I know nothing about. I’m trying to build a knowledge base for myself as I go along, as I’m sure we all do, and it would help to be able to track with precision the clay body, glaze, firing temp, etc for each piece. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted January 30, 2021 Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 My thoughts: notes are probably the winner for me although I have written firing spreadsheets that allowed users to post pictures and notes. Onenote in Microsoft office works great as is and forces one into some form of organization including tags etc.... to search with. The apps I have seen are great as well - with the proprietary stuff having the usual backup and information entry in arrears issue or the app becoming obsolete and no great way to publish. Diligent use of notes or the diligent use of a well structured OneNote is my favorite at this point. Pencil and paper in a studio environment is still most attractive for me though even though I am fairly IT savvy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEP Posted January 30, 2021 Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 I do this with notebooks and pens. If I'm working on a new design, I like to stop a jot down notes while in the midst of making, meaning my hands are too wet and dirty for an electronic device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRW Posted January 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 Thanks for the input! I also enjoy physical notes, but the downside to that is not being able to store pictures that show the outcome, which for me is very important in trying to reproduce or tweak something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRW Posted January 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 1 hour ago, Bill Kielb said: My thoughts: notes are probably the winner for me although I have written firing spreadsheets that allowed users to post pictures and notes. Onenote in Microsoft office works great as is and forces one into some form of organization including tags etc.... to search with. The apps I have seen are great as well - with the proprietary stuff having the usual backup and information entry in arrears issue or the app becoming obsolete and no great way to publish. Diligent use of notes or the diligent use of a well structured OneNote is my favorite at this point. Pencil and paper in a studio environment is still most attractive for me though even though I am fairly IT savvy. Thanks, that’s a good idea. I don’t use Microsoft but there may be programs for macs and iPhones that are for organizing more generally, versus the risky pottery-specific ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 +1 for the analog methods. I can use tech, but it doesn’t always mesh well with my ADHD to spend extra time on a device that I don’t have to. If you wanted to be able to add images to physical sketch or notebooks, they do make those cute little printers that print off your cell. If you prefer Apple products and storing things digitally, you can add photos in Notes. I’ve been building newsletter rough drafts and IG posts in there lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akilspots Posted February 1, 2021 Report Share Posted February 1, 2021 i take a lot of pictures greenware, bisque, glazed, fired. but i also keep a notebook that details how i've glazed things. i'll make a small drawing of the pot and then list what glaze is on the inside and whats on the outside. i'll note if it's over a slip or a wash. if there are layered glazes and in what order. if it's been dipped or sprayed or brushed on. what the thickness was like. etc. i do this as im glazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted February 1, 2021 Report Share Posted February 1, 2021 Paper and pencil for me-its a list. Electronics get clay and water on them so I leave all of them out of studio. For decades after a show make a list of whats needed and make that.. The rest gets written down when I'm working and thinking about the forms. My laptop ,Ipad and cell phone stay out of studio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimani Posted February 2, 2021 Report Share Posted February 2, 2021 paper notebooks in the studio, plus iphone for pictures. I use https://airtable.com to record per piece info .. I'm still at the stage of doing lots of experiments so like to be able to look up a piece to see what glaze I used etc ... it's basically an online database/spreadsheet - I've set up my own fields. I'm not perfect at entering info in a timely manner but good enough to be useful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StonedStudio Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 I'm working on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kakes Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 I like the PotteryNotes app for keeping track of photos with brief notes. It's hard to do that elsewhere. There is good info on their website, Potterynotes.com on how to back up your data. I do keep a physical notebook for extensive notes though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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