How to Make Italian Ceramic Pottery
Do you like Italian ceramic pottery enough to attempt making it yourself? If so, it's never too late to learn how. Italian ceramic pottery is unique and varied in style and technique. It comes in many styles, and the method for creating it has been perfected over many centuries. To join the ranks of centuries of Italian artisans takes skill, practice and patience. If you are dedicated and at all artistically inclined, one of the worlds most beautiful utilitarian art forms is within reach.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Red, chalky clay
- Kiln
- Tin glaze "Bianco"
- Colored ceramic glaze in a variety of colors
- Animal Hair painter's brushes
- Potter's wheel
- Ceramic mold
Instructions
-
-
1
Throw the pot on a potter's wheel by placing the clay in the center, spinning the wheel with your foot (more modern wheels have electric foot pedals that control the spinning) while shaping it with your hands. Be sure to keep your hands moist and the clay wet as well so that it will take on the desired shape. Spin the wheel only as quickly as you feel you can control the shape of the clay in your hands. You may also choose to use a mold to shape the clay instead of a potter's wheel as you'll have more control over the final shape.
-
2
Leave the "green ware" or final piece on a rack to dry until the color changes from a greenish-gray to light gray in color. The piece will also become lighter as it dries and the clay changes density. It is best to dry the green ware on a rack so that air can circulate and dry the piece uniformly.
-
-
3
Fire the dried green ware in a kiln at 1890° Farenheit. Be sure to fire it until the color changes to a terracotta red. This will indicate that the piece has been fired completely and that the chemical changes have taken place that change the piece from green ware to pottery. Do not open the kiln until the firing process is complete.
-
4
Dip the cooled piece "bisque" into the first glaze, or "primo bianco" and let this dry over night.
-
5
Paint the glaze onto the surface freehand or with a stencil. Italian ceramic stencils usually consist of a thin piece of paper with small holes punched out along the edge of the design. You then lay the design on the ceramic and gently tap it with a bag of charcoal dust called, "spolvero."
-
6
Fire the piece in the kiln at 1690° Farenheit for up to 24 hours. After the final firing process, you should have a lovely piece of Italian ceramic pottery for display or daily use.
-
1
