The Beginner's Guide to Decorating Pottery: An Introduction to Glazes, Patterns, Inlay, Luster, and Dimensional Designs

by Emily Reinhardt, Amy Santoferraro (Foreword by)

Overview

Join ceramic artist Emily Reinhardt to learn how to decorate pottery surfaces with glazes, gold luster, patterns and marks, inlay designs, dimensional shapes, and much more.

With an emphasis on learning new skills, having fun, and embracing imperfection, The Beginner’s Guide to Decorating Potterysupports your creative process as you explore:
 

• Basic information on working with clays as well as materials used for decorating.
• Tutorials on color theory, combining form and function, and the importance of keeping a sketchbook.
• Beginner-friendly projects that show how to apply surface-design techniques to simple pieces such as coasters, a cheeseboard, a wall hanging, plates, tumblers, vases, planters, and more.

Throughout the book, skill-building is front and center, with tips and tricks to help you crack the code and make pieces you’re proud of. Gallery work from some of today’s top ceramics artists is sure to inspire potters of all levels. What will you make first?

For beginners and those returning to ceramics, the Essential Ceramics Skills series from Quarry Books offer the fundamentals along with fresh, contemporary, and simple projects that build skills progressively.

Explore even more ceramics techniques with:The Beginner’s Guide to Wheel Throwing and The Beginner’s Guide to Hand Building.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760381397
Publisher:	Quarry Books
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Series:	Essential Ceramics Skills Series , #3
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	388,281
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Emily Reinhardt is a ceramic artist and designer whose work focuses on beautiful, functional ceramic objects for the home. In her studio in the Crossroads Arts district of Kansas City, Missouri, Emily designs and builds by hand a variety of one-of-a-kind objects, including plates, vases, wall hangings, tumblers, mugs, goblets, and trays. Her modern, unfussy aesthetic features perfectly imperfect shapes and stunning surface design techniques, such as striking glazes, touches of gold luster, bold patterns, texture, and raised effects. Emily founded The Object Enthusiast in 2011 and continues to grow a loyal community of customers and students, teaching classes online through Skillshare as well as in-person at her studio. She is also the co-founder of her shop, Duet, and of The Ekru Project, an art gallery and curatorial project, both of which share space with her Crossroads studio. Emily lives in Kansas City, Missouri. To see more of her work, visit theobjectenthusiast.com and @theobjectenthusiast on Instagram, Facebook, and Skillshare.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Amy Santoferraro
Introduction
You Are an Artist, and This Is an Art Book
My Path to Ceramics
How to Develop Your Artistic Style
How to Build and Maintain a Creative Practice
Ceramics for Self-Care
Living a Creative Life
Embracing Imperfection
Why Ceramic Surface Design Is So Exciting
1 TOOLS AND MATERIALS FOR GETTING STARTED
The Studio and Safety, Tools and Equipment, Materials , Gallery
2 HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Choosing a Clay Body, Additive and Subtractive Relief Designs, Understanding Underglazes, Getting to Know Your Glazes, Applying Glazes, Overglaze and Luster, Decorations, Inlaying Colored Clay, Troubleshooting, Gallery
3 PLANNING YOUR SURFACE DESIGN
The Intellectual Approach, Form, Color, Pattern, Texture, Function, Keeping a Sketchbook, Gallery
4 IDEAS FOR GETTING STARTED
Set of Coasters, Beads, Spoons, Wall Hangings, Abstract Cheeseboards, Set of Cups, Set of Dinner Plates with Inlaid Clay Designs, Handbuilt Vases with Heavily Layered Glazes, Drip and Splatter Platter, Planters with Additive Designs,  Gallery
Contributing Artists
Resources
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index
 

Editorial Reviews

08/21/2023

Ceramics artist Reinhardt debuts with a helpful primer on ceramic surface design techniques. These include additive and subtractive relief (adding clay shapes to or carving out clay from the surface of a piece); applying glaze, underglaze (paint put on before the glazing process), and luster; and inlaying (using different colors of clay in one piece). Reinhardt shows how to put these techniques to use with straightforward projects. For example, creating coasters involves applying black and white glaze in a checker pattern on small circular pieces of fired clay, while the more ambitious planter is constructed by adding decorative rectangles to the side of a large clay bowl. Expounding on her “top five design principles” (form, color, pattern, texture, and function) to consider when decorating pottery, she encourages readers to find inspiration for patterns by walking through nature and notes that clays with lots of grog (granular bits of “ground up fired clay”) “finish with a rough, earthy, speckled texture.” Despite the book’s title, Reinhardt writes that readers “should already have a basic understanding of the ceramics process,” and true beginners may struggle to follow the undefined terminology (bisqueware, underglaze, slip-casting). Still, intermediate ceramicists will appreciate the ideas on how to liven up their pottery. This is worth a look. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Functional and beautiful, this book will likely inspire readers want to perfect their pottery techniques."—Library Journal STARRED Review

"A helpful primer on ceramic surface design techniques...This is worth a look."—Publishers Weekly

"Profusely illustrated throughout with color photographs, The Beginner's Guide to Decorating Pottery is an ideal DIY combination of instructional guide and 'how to' manual, providing thoroughly 'user friendly step-by-step instructions that will turn the most novice of potters into seasoned experts. Fun and informative."—Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

★ 07/01/2023

Ceramic artist and designer Reinhardt offers the third book (after Sunshine Cobb's The Beginner's Guide to Hand Building) in the "Essential Ceramic Skills" series. Reinhardt's title is a great introduction to surface decoration; it focuses on the most appealing aspect of pottery making—the patterns and glazes. The book gives useful tips for safety and how to position pieces in the kiln. She also warns crafters to test underglazes. The book encourages experimentation and describes how it led to the author's signature gold luster and the decision to make functional objects as well as art pieces. The author provides instructions for creating tableware, coasters, ceramic beads, and vases. For the tableware and spoons, there are explanations about how to use nontoxic, food-safe glazes. In the "Gallery" sections, the book spotlights the creative work of other ceramicists. There's also an extensive list of supplies, tools, and publications, plus recommendations for books, workshops, residencies, and podcasts. VERDICT Functional and beautiful, this book will likely inspire readers want to perfect their pottery techniques. An excellent and useful purchase for libraries with vibrant art communities.—Chantal Walvoord

Library Journal