Part 4: Exercise - Contemporary Ceramics

Sketchbook Pages:

Starting my mind mapping with well known pottery brands throughout history.

I chose Pyrex to focus more research on because I love their pastel colours and simple designs. My interest in vintage colours, styles and design also influenced this decision.

I also did some more research into contemporary ceramics that are handmade, therefore providing a contrast and comparison to use in my own designs.

For my initial designs I intended to design a side plate which was inspired by a roses pattern. Pyrex use a lot of floral or natural patterns and roses are my favourite flowers. After further research on Pyrex patterns, I decided to go with contemporary Christmas designs with a limited colour palette because I wanted to try different types of Christmas elements and then narrow it down.

I liked the idea of a simple repeating pattern that provided an eye catching set but didn't overwhelm, keeping true to my inspiration from Pyrex.

I thought about the different placements of the patterns and which ones would work the best.

I decided to use fine nib Posca pens on my plate to create my design to give me definition as I wanted the designs to be very simple and delicate.

I then went on to design my own mug for the set. I was inspired by afternoon festive snacks, gingerbread biscuits and hot chocolate. The plate I had found in the charity shop was the perfect side plate size and so I wanted a mug to go with it. Since I haven't had much experience with ceramics and am very interested in handmade pottery I decided to buy a kit and have a go at making my own mug from scratch. Here are my initial designs and colour ideas.

Inspirations:

Contemporary handmade ceramics have such a tactile feel to them, here are some of my favourite inspirations. I love the wonky, handmade look and the pastel colours. They have a warm, comforting feel about them.

Adding my Design to the Plate:

I found a blank side plate at my local charity shop and drew my contemporary Christmas design onto it. The process was fairly easy with the pens, I used the fine nibs to get the definition I wanted and I created a method so that repeating it all the way round way easy. The shape of the plate wasn't a problem when drawing, I just made sure to line up the designs all the way round.

I am really happy with how my plate turned out and I wanted to then try my hand at making a mug from scratch using air dry clay. I used the kit below to bring my idea to life.

Developing my design further:

I used the coil method to create my mug and shaped it with a heavy bottom, narrowing towards the top to give a nice shape. Working with the clay was tricky as it was easy to scratch with my nails and I needed to make sure I blended the coils well so they stuck together.

Once I was happy with my mug shape I used a tool to slice the top edge to make it really smooth and flat.

Then I started making the details of the design. This was the hardest part, trying to make the trees in a simple way, not too chunky or too thin and putting the snowballs in the correct place all the way round.

Left for a few days to fully dry out before painting with white emulsion supplied in the kit.

Then I used craft paints to add colour. I decided for this mug I liked the teal and pink combination for a unique, contemporary Christmas look. I finished it with a layer of clear glaze.

Contemporary Christmas Table Mock Up:

Reflection:

I really enjoyed this exercise and am glad I took it further by making my own mug and creating this contemporary Christmas set up. The style and colours are very much my own voice and I love the tactile feel of the handmade mug. 

Working with the Posca Pens on the plate was fairly straight forward and achieved the look I was going for, whilst making the mug was harder but still very enjoyable. Clay is quite difficult to work with and it came out even more 'rustic' than I intended because I found it really hard to smooth without compromising the structure. Still I really like how it turned out. 

This exercise has taught me that even though my designs are simple, my colours and the way I draw are unique to me and I can take this forward, continuing to use my voice in other projects confidently with my limited pastel colour palette that I enjoy.

My ceramics set would be perfect for a person who loves pastel colours and simple handmade designs. The colours I chose bring a sense of fun, warmth, comfort and uniqueness.