100 Days: Pluck a Rose for Tea
I went back to the ceramic studio for the forth time and finally retrieved my tiny thrown cups for the props. I fired the worm-sized handles separately and the clear glass glaze slipped off them during firing and melded many of them to the flint board they were on. I chipped off as many as I could and then had to play match up with whatever cups survived to whatever handled made it through.
The "white" glaze I used came out more like iron ware to me, nice looking on their own, but I really needed these props to be bright white to read as teacups. I painted them with acrylic (I'd use white glossy spray paint if I had to suggest an improvement) and then hit em twice with glossy clear acrylic for a porcelain sheen. Much better.
I love the wonky misshapen quality throwing these cups on a wheel made. I could have sculpted more perfect cups, perhaps even casting duplicates for uniformity, but the way these surprised me works for me. I think that's because these cups are meant to be actually grown as living things.
I added calyx to the cup bottoms to further sell the concept (upper right). When I pair these finished cups with the paper roses on the hand-painted vines I've made, it looks positively magical.
Today, as I was waking up, I solved how I want to construct the bay Tudor window that the Teacup Rose bush will grow on (AND THROUGH!). With all the rose foliage now painted, all the little cups now ready to grow on them, now all the miniature roses finished ready to go on the trellis as well, the brown twig like wire base for it all now ready... assembling this special Teacup Rose set detail is going to be an enormous thrill.
m_))) holy wires of neptune! After watching several previous post with your precious jars..It all seemed so BIG..but now looking at your lips and the jar next to them...well, now it all just got back to tiny micro life..
ReplyDeletem_) anyhow, LOVE your thrown cups, should you not throw them..or donate to me? ;)
and I totally get that feeling of waking up all of the sudden and answers come to you, as though they slept in the same bed or something.
EDIT: donate..THEM ..to me,
ReplyDeleteHeh, these cups only get thrown once, Dan!
ReplyDeleteYeah, the film's scale is about 1/3rd of life's, with a bit of license where it pleases me. Like the ants. The Marching Ants, if true to scale, would be the size of grains of sand. I instead plan to make them the size of my pinky fingernail, which would make them as large almost as a thumb in Rana's world.
I can't believe you threw those on a wheel! You floor me!
ReplyDeleteThanks, DJ! A generous client gifted me and Paul with 2 weeks at an LA ceramics studio. We had a blast Paul made a few things (his first time touching clay or a wheel!) And I made a couple, my main bowl cracked in glaze firing. I made the teacups on a whim with the last remaining time. Glad I did!
ReplyDeleteShelley, I remember Mike saying somehwhere that pure white color may cause problem while shooting. You know my little birds are white with some blue and I had hard time adjusting lighting to prevent light blasting.. You know brightness and contrast problem. White areas get too white while you try to light the other parts enough.. Anyways, wanted to tell you this after reading you making the teacups bright white.
ReplyDeleteTeacups are looking amazing.. If those were little bigger they could have made very nice Turkish coffee cups.
Excellent advanced notice, thanks, Yaz! I'll for sure watch out for the whiteness of these little objects. I guess if it blows out, I could tint them a bit with gray to give the illusion they are still stark white.
ReplyDeleteYes! Turkish coffee cups are nearly to Halfland scale! Japanese miniature tea bowls would make great soup bowls here. But I already threw some of those too! Too boring to show though.