Midway through this term, someone reached out to me through my professional Instagram account with a request for commissions. The thought of this opportunity really excited me, as I could genuinely see myself pursuing something like this after university. I asked him to send through some inspiration images, and he shared a selection that provided a clear sense of what he was envisioning. See below for Images:
He said that he wanted two large mugs that had some texture like the image in the middle with a glaze style similar to the final image. In response to this i completed some initial sketches:
On the left are the draft sketched that I completed in response to his brief. once i sent those through he had a small tweak that he wanted to make which was that he wanted the handle to be more angular. In response, I did a further sketch and when got cracking with the making.
Samples I completed practicing the application of hand pulled handles:
This process was very valuable because it was a good bit of practice leading into the actual making of the mug. I relearned a few small things throughout this process like how its easier to apply the hand pulled handles if they are leather hard because they keep their form much better.
Beginning Making:
One approach I took during this process was measuring out 1.5 kg of clay for each ball to promote repeatability. Having the reference image visible was incredibly helpful, as it allowed me to practice consistency and made me aware of small but important factors, such as hand placement and grip. I realized that my grip when pulling up the piece can sometimes be too tight, resulting in uneven walls. Although I made progress, I recognize that there is still a long way to go in refining my throwing process. Completing this task highlighted several gaps in my technique. For instance, I feel I need more control over each step of the process. My current understanding of throwing consists of four basic steps: centering, drawing out, pulling up, and shaping. However, I now realize that I need to break these steps down further to analyze exactly what I am doing at each stage and identify areas for improvement. To support this, I plan to create a diary or notebook to document every element of my throwing sessions, helping me track what works and what doesn’t. Additionally, I think videoing myself would be beneficial, as it would allow me to observe my techniques more critically and identify any issues in my practice.
Finishing the Pieces:
Unfortunately, this process doesn't have much documentation due to the fact that I was a little bit rushed off my feet with the actual project. However I am very happy with the outcome as the whole process only took 2 days to complete. One thing that I found really fun about this process was the idea that I was making something specifically for someone. I had such a deep urge to tweak and make the piece perfect because I loved the idea that this was tailored to someone's wants and needs. One thing that I found hard was applying the handles. they were relatively easy to apply but it was mainly the shaping that I struggled with. This was because didn't wait for the handles to become leather hard so the shape wasn't holding. One thing that I did to combat this was to place the cups upside down once the handle had been shaped so that it didn't droop and this proved to work quite well.
Meeting with Jake:
I wanted to arrange a meeting with Jake to show him my glaze tablet so that he could show me the colour/s that he wanted to feature on his mug. I wanted to do this because most of the colours that I had fulfilled the brief that he gave me so I thought that this would give me a good gage of what he was after.
from the meeting I was able to gather that he really liked the blue rutile on its own which is good because it keeps the process quite simple. He also mentioned the he wanted it half and half with a white matte ish glaze.
Further testing:
For this testing, I used a left over pot to test blue rutile along with a couple other combinations just to see what they came out like. for the white part I used Zirconium which is a white shiny glaze. the issue that I ran into was the glaze from the tip layer running to the bottom layer. ideally these two wouldn't merge so I think for next time I'm going to try and use a stiffer chalkier glaze like Cornish stoneware.
Further Testing:
For this testing I used samples from earlier on in the development as I thought that they were very representative of the features of the final mugs. for this testing I did two coats of blue rutile on the top and then two coats of Cornish stoneware on the bottom.
Outcome of samples:
Overall, I am really happy with the samples. Using Cornish stoneware proved to be effective in preventing bleeding from the blue rutile glaze. On the carved sample, I particularly like how the blue rutile has pooled in the indents, creating a much brighter and more dynamic look. Compared to the mug, which has a smooth surface, this piece worked significantly better, as the mug retained much less pigment. For future pieces, I think applying a couple more layers of blue rutile on flat surfaces would help achieve a more vibrant finish. Once these pieces came out of the kiln, I had a conversation with Rudi, who suggested a small adjustment for the final commission pieces. For these samples, I used Cornish stoneware on both the inside and outside of the vessels, but Rudi recommended switching the interior glaze to something slightly shinier, such as zirconium. This change would help reduce the risk of significant staining, especially if the vessels are used for hot beverages. I also spoke to the customer, who expressed their excitement and love for the samples, and they are looking forward to seeing the final resolution.
Final Pieces:
As a whole, I am ecstatic with the outcome, as it has exceeded even my initial expectations. This process has sparked further realizations about my practice, particularly my newfound enthusiasm for mug making. I am especially pleased with the handle design; I thoroughly enjoy both creating the shape and using it, which has inspired me to further develop my own unique style of handle. This experience has also deepened my interest in pursuing commissions after university. I love the idea of crafting something tailored to a person’s specific preferences—taking what they want and making it uniquely theirs. Moving forward, I am excited to refine and expand on these elements, exploring how I can blend functionality with personal touches to create meaningful, customized pieces. In addition to these images, Jake has agreed, since he does photography, to take the mugs to his work and take professional photos in context in return. Originally I was going to charge around 50 for the two because of how amazing the outcome was however I decided to sell them for 40 in return for him taking great pictures of my work :)
