Saturdays With Sharleen - Red Clay

Hello Everyone...Happy Saturday.  I always look forward to the weekends as a time that I can work/play, uninterrupted, in my clay!

When I was trying to decide what to write about today, I remembered a post a few months back on the BOC Yahoo chat.  A newbie was asking, what kind of clay should I use?  A mention was made about red clay.  To which another BOC member responded "I don't know why anyone would want to use red clay."  So I thought that would be a good topic.  Why do I sometimes use red clay?

I like the look of fired, unglazed red clay.  I don't like the way it looks by itself, with clear glaze over it. But, with other glazed colors next to it, it can be beautiful.  Especially with blue, which creates a complimentary color scheme of blue/orange; the color really pops.

Using colored glazes over red clay gives a whole new look to the glazes.  The red clay dulls the colors of the glazes, and without any effort at all, other than changing the clay one is using, a whole new color palette opens up.

Here are some pictures of a few pieces I have made with red clay.

Red clay bead; with turquoise, green and blue underglaze, wiped off the raised areas to let the red clay show, and glazed with clear.

This is the reverse side of the above bead.

Another bead like the last one, but with a different texture.

Red clay beads with dark green underglaze and clear glaze.

Red clay bead with underglaze and some crystal glazes on top.

I left a lot of the red clay showing on this ornament, on the tree and also on the border.

I made this pendant a few years ago.  I rolled out the red clay, dabbed on underglazes and then added texture.  I glazed it with translucent matte.

Saturdays With Sharleen - Custom Clay Stamp

Hello, it is a lovely Saturday morning here in central OH.  I am about to leave for a wire wrapping class...hoping to pick up some techniques for wire wrapping and making bails for my ceramic pieces.

Although I don't normally talk about tools, I stumbled on this clay stamp the other day while shopping for charms at http://www.charmfactory.com/; the link for custom clay stamps is on the left.

I have always struggled to sign the back of my clay work.  The best solution I could come up with was to carve my initials and year on the back when the clay is leather hard...time consuming and messy!  Most of my pendants are not signed on the back because I usually feel I just don't want to take the time and/or make the effort.

Here is a great solution.  This stamp can be customized or printed with a choice of 3 standard fonts.  I hope this product will help others like me who have struggled to find a way to mark their work.

"These custom made stamps are small (1/2" wide) and laser engraved to give you the precision impression you are looking for. You get a long lasting and clear product (unlike rubber stamps) and a great value over more expensive brass stamps. The handle is cast from lead free pewter, and your custom clay stamp is made to order from Delrin, a high temperature plastic also used for notary stamps and other demanding applications."


$44.99, free shipping in US

Saturdays With Sharleen - Bead Roller Tutorial

Hi, today I thought I would share my method for making ceramic beads with the plastic rollers that are sold for use with polymer clay. I have seen a few comments on the BOC chat that people find them difficult to use with earth clay. I have been using them successfully with earth clay since I bought a huge set of them at the Bead and Button show in 2003.

Here is a picture of the tools that I use to make these beads. I use a clay extruder because it makes a coil that can be cut into measured pieces to make consistent sized beads. You will need a clay knife and bead hole maker. I just bought these pokers, they are also made for polymer...they came in a package of 3 sizes. Nice.

Bead Roller Tutorial Step 2

Now you will need to make a ball of clay. You can use different sizes of balls, they will just make a bead that looks a little different. Experiment. I often use the large bicone roller to make barrel-shaped beads instead of bicones. It is just a shorter, fatter bead.

Place the ball of clay in the roller. I don't use the lids. They probably work well with polymer, but not with earth clay. I just use my hand. Sometimes I use the flat of my palm, sometimes my fingers on either side of the clay to shape it as I roll.

Bead Roller Tutorial Finished Beads

Here are a few pictures of beads that I have made with the rollers.

Saturdays With Sharleen - Make a Beaded Bail

Good morning...today for my blog I thought I would share this idea I had for using a ceramic donut. It is easy to make a beaded bail for a donut and turn it into a necklace.

1)Just take your stringing material, and string on enough beads to loop them through the donut, and meet again on the top, with no stringing wire showing between the beads or at the top.

2)Take a larger bead and slide that over both ends of the stringing wire. Then separate the ends, and continue stringing each side.

3)And Voila! Your donut has become a pendant.