10 Steps to Creating Handmade Ceramics from Start to Finish
Ever wondered what it takes to make handmade ceramics from scratch? Visit the blog for a peek behind the scenes at our ten step handmade ceramics process.
How I Name Our Ceramic Pieces
Names have great significance which is why it's so important to us to choose the perfect name for each of our ceramic pieces. Each pottery piece is thoughtfully named after an amazing woman in my life and is a tribute to the incredible way she has influenced me.
The KT Mug: A Boobie Mug for Breast Cancer Awareness
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to help bring awareness we have launched the KT Mug, a boobie mug designed to uplift and empower women. Learn more about this mug and shop our products on the blog!
How We Make the Perfect Homeware Pottery Piece
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what goes on behind the scenes or how we make our pottery pieces here at Pottery by Eleni, then this blog post is for you!
Our homemade pottery pieces are made with three key ingredients: porcelain clay, glaze, and gold luster. Each ingredient is carefully sourced so only the best materials go into our products. We take great pride in creating high-end pieces that will look beautiful in your home!
3 Key Ingredients In Each Homeware Pottery Piece
Clay Body
The base ingredient we use for each homeware pottery piece is porcelain. Porcelain is actually a type of clay and there are six different varieties which can be used for a wide range of things such as dental implants or fillings. Most homeware dishes are made using soft porcelain but don’t be fooled. This type of porcelain is very durable and can even be used on a gas burner.
The type of porcelain we use has low porosity and high density, making it extremely durable yet beautiful and soft to the touch.
It is because of the strength of our clay body that I am able to create pieces that have a thin and delicate appearance yet are still strong and durable.
We always strive to shop and source locally, so after testing many products, we teamed up with Seattle Pottery Supply to source only the best quality clay for our products.
Glaze
We went through even more tests and disappointments to find the perfect glossy, opaque, beautiful white glaze. Glaze is a type of glass coating that gives our pottery its smooth surface though they can come in other types of finishes such as glossy, matte, or textured. During our testing, some of the glazes would appear too clear, too matte, or have too many imperfections. Who knew white would be so hard to find?!
Once the glaze is mixed, it is fused to the pottery through a process called firing. The pottery goes into the kiln looking one way and comes out completely transformed! It still amazes me to see this beautiful transformation process.
Durability was also a very important factor to consider as we specialize in making dinnerware. Our glaze resists cutlery marks while maintaining a glossy sheen making it perfect for every day use as well as any special occasion.
We source our clay from a local shop in Tacoma called Clay Art Center.
Gold Overglaze
Last, but certainly not least, is the gold! Our gold overglaze, or luster, is the key ingredient to giving the pottery its high-end, luxurious appearance.
Overglaze is a decorative accent product that gets applied on top of a finished glazed piece. It is the artistic flair of the piece. Some overglaze designs can be very detailed and intricate while others are sophisticated and simple. Our gold is carefully hand painted on the edges of our pieces adding beauty, luxury and design.
The overglaze we use is sold in just 2 gram bottles (which hardly measures over an inch.) Each little bottle ranges from $48-$60 in value as there is 11% pure gold in it. This is the highest percentage of gold available for this product and results in a 22k finish.
While the gold is durable and dishwasher safe, we recommend treating it like fine china and making sure to give the gold as little friction as possible to allow for the piece to have a long life of shining bright.
When combined together, these three ingredients are able to create beautiful, luxurious pieces perfect for displaying and using in your home. We strive to create pieces that will not only look high-end, but will be durable enough to use day-to-day. After all, enjoying these pieces is what it’s all about!
Looking to add the perfect piece to your home? Click the link below to shop our site.
The Perfect Painters Palette: The Vienna Travel Palette
As an artist, one of the most important tools you can have is a painters palette. A palette is essential for holding and mixing paint, and they can come in a variety of sizes and materials. When you are traveling or on the road, you'll need something that is lightweight and easy to pack. That is where the Vienna Travel Palette comes in! This travel painter's palette is the perfect addition to any palette collection and not only is it functional, but it is also beautiful, making it the best of both worlds!
What is The Vienna Travel Palette?
The Vienna Travel Palette is a porcelain watercolor palette made with traveling in mind. Painters palettes come in all shapes and sizes and finding the right palette often comes down to what is most important to you whether it be cost, quality, portability, or shape.
Key Features of The Vienna Painters Palette
The palette itself is hand shaped from locally sourced porcelain. Porcelain is one of the best materials for painters palettes, especially if you are using it for watercolor. With a porcelain palette, your paint will stay moist longer and mixing on the surface is so easy. Cleanup with a porcelain watercolor palette is also a breeze so what’s not to love?
- Lightweight and compact
- 5 paint wells plus a large mixing surface
- Slightly thicker for added durability
- Rounded corners creating less fragile/vulnerable spots
- Made from high quality materials our customers love: locally sourced porcelain with our creamy mountain white glaze (this glaze is glassy and smooth to make washing off our palettes easy and functional), and our hand painted 22k gold rim
- Option to monogram in gold with your name, an inspirational quote, or anything else you’d like
The Leather Wrap and Vienna Travel Palette Set
For this limited product launch, we wanted to create an entire set with everything you need to take your travel palette out on the road. We teamed up with the talented leather artist, Emily Drew, to make a custom carrying case so you can take your palette and up to four brushes anywhere. This leather wrap protects the palette so you can throw it in your bag and you don’t have to worry about the palette getting scratched or damaged.
The wrap also helps cover any paint between sessions. Your water color paint will dry on the palette and can be reactivated whenever water is added. You don’t have to clean your palette each time you use it making it even easier to use!
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Painting should be fun and accessible, no matter where your travels take you. Our artist’s palette is a luxurious, high-end watercolor palette that is also functional and compact, making it easy to carry wherever you go.
Ready to order your painters palette today? The Vienna Travel Palette is available for presale only from now until the end of September 2022.
Special shoutout to Sarah Simon. Sarah is an incredible artist and teacher. See more of Sarah’s work over on her website, The Mint Gardener.
Embrace Your Curves
The Helen Vases are very meaningful to me. When I first decided to make these vases they reminded me of the curvy hourglass figure of a woman.
