Cynthia44 Posted April 5, 2021 Report Share Posted April 5, 2021 I wanted to ask for constructive criticism from my fellow potters here on a slab built dish set I made for a friend. He is a good friend of mine and is one of my first customers. My initial disappointment in this set is in the glaze application. There are many unexpected lumps and bumps that definitely make this set look more homemade than I intended. I’m trying to not strive for perfection because I don’t believe that’s what handmade is about but there’s a certain level of intentionality that I believe there should be in the perfectly imperfect look. My question is do you guys think the quality of these pieces are worth paying for or should I remake the set? Any constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thank you if you take the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted April 5, 2021 Report Share Posted April 5, 2021 A long time ago when I was in a high school sewing class my teacher was talking about sloppy seam finishing. A couple people said the obvious, along the line of if it doesn’t show it doesn’t really matter. The teacher came back with “but you’ll always know it’s there”. I can’t count the number of times her reply has come back as a whisper in my ear. I’ve always felt better when I’ve redone something that is irking me. Some people might not have any problems with how these pieces look but it’s how you feel about them that's important. I think the fact you are asking the question means you’ve already been whispering the answer to yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted April 6, 2021 Report Share Posted April 6, 2021 For me, if I'm making something to look rustic, I want it to look intentional. To me your photos are a blend of intentional and accidental. If you aren't happy, don't be surprised if someone else isn't happy either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawnhar Posted April 6, 2021 Report Share Posted April 6, 2021 I agree with Min and Liam, but I also have to say, my friends want the ones I am not happy with, can't explain it, but if I don't like it they love it. Also, if I screw up one of my green mugs, like drop it in the splash pan or bang it into the table, I just bang it up some more and smooth out the rim, those sell immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinR Posted April 6, 2021 Report Share Posted April 6, 2021 If someone comes along and falls in love with the pot and buys it that's great. But if it is an order or a gift it should be as good as you can make it. I think I see glaze runs on the dish and a little crawling on the side of the bowl. I'm wondering if your glaze is a bit too thick? Lin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted April 7, 2021 Report Share Posted April 7, 2021 Personally, I find the bowl quite charming. Because you spent the time to make a really clean, smooth foot with a considered maker’s mark, it makes the glaze and rim variations read as intentional, especially since they seem to stack well. Those oft-neglected details are what will separate the truly rustic from the “I’m still learning” pots. The plates I’m less sure of, because they seem a little more irregular, and you don’t have an image showing a pile of the salad and dinner sizes separate from each other. But it could be the photography angles. The thing I’d be most concerned about is the fact that the glaze seems just a hair under melted. It’s got a very slight pinhole thing going on, and there’s that gap near the rim on the one you’re holding. This is one of the few times I’d suggest touching up and re-firing to see if that helps it a bit. Could be worth making some replacements just in case that doesn’t work. Have you tested this glaze for cutlery marking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynthia44 Posted April 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2021 Thank you so much to all of you for replying. I felt almost relief when most of you confirmed my sinking feeling that these just aren’t it. I love the shape of these plates and bowls and will happily keep them as my new plate set lol but that glaze I just wasn’t happy with to send to my friend all the way in Colorado who paid real money for these. So I am trying to figure out what went wrong in this glaze application so that I don’t make the same mistake this next round. There is some slight pinholing and it is not nearly as glossy as I know this glaze comes out to be normally. It’s georgie’s Perfect white if anyone is curious. Any ideas on what I can do to tweak the glaze or the firing to make it better. I fired at cone 6. The glaze was brushed on the outside rim a few times on the outside of the plates otherwise everything was poured and dipped once. My idea is to thin the glaze a slight bit and do two layers on each piece. What do you guys think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted April 16, 2021 Report Share Posted April 16, 2021 @Cynthia44 Have you tried re-firing any of the pieces to see if the pinholes resolve or worsen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cscoley Posted September 6, 2021 Report Share Posted September 6, 2021 On 4/6/2021 at 1:32 PM, shawnhar said: I agree with Min and Liam, but I also have to say, my friends want the ones I am not happy with, can't explain it, but if I don't like it they love it. Also, if I screw up one of my green mugs, like drop it in the splash pan or bang it into the table, I just bang it up some more and smooth out the rim, those sell immediately. Do you have any pictures of the green mugs you intentionally bang up? I'm intrigued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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