Vaness Studios Pottery

Sgraffito is one of the oldest and most popular pottery decorating techniques around, having been used by countless cultures across the globe over the past few millennia. The word itself stems from the Italian term ‘graffito’, which means to draw or inscribe on a wall or any other surface (this is the same word that gave us the term ‘graffiti’!).

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As pottery beginner, you may not realise that you’re able to create striking ceramics without the use of coloured glazes and agateware is one way of doing so. Agateware is created by mixing different clay bodies of different colours to produce a marble effect. Particularly favoured by world famous potter Josiah Wedgewood, you too can create pottery of this kind using our beginners guide to agateware.

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Despite being one of the oldest professions in the world, pottery making is still a highly valued skill in a world that’s constantly looking to the past for solutions to many of today’s problems. There has, in fact, never been a better time to begin a business in pottery thanks to the wide reach of social media, business tools, and international online markets where just about every tool and material needed can be bought and delivered in just a few days.

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Making and maintaining pottery is one of the oldest hobbies in the world, dating back to when man first began to make use of tools in every day life. Today, pottery is not quite as important as it once was in terms of survival, but it does make an incredibly relaxing hobby that everyone should give a try at least once.

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Pottery is made up of plates, dishes, cooking pots, cups, and storage jars that are made out of clay. People use clay to make kitchen pottery for a variety of different reasons. Clay is extremely cheap and can be found all over the world, and just about anyone can make a simple pot out of it. It’s also waterproof when made properly, and it’s also relatively easy to clean.

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First popularised during the 19^th century in Straffordshire in the West Midlands of England, the process of spongeware is still a popular technique used today. In Straffordshire, the high clay content of the ground meant that the area established some of the most successful potteries in the world including Wedgwood, Dalton, and Minton. All three of these potteries exhibited the most intricate and ornate hand painted designs and spongeware can be seen as a resistance of this conformity. The technique to create spongeware is far simpler and requires less patience to create beautiful and interesting pieces. While the technique went out of vogue for some time, the revival of this technique can largely be attributed to British-born Emma Bridgewater who launcher her spongeware ceramics business in 1985.

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The coiling technique has been used to create a variety of pottery forms for thousands of years and there is a reason why it remains popular today – it’s one of the easiest pottery techniques to learn and master. Here we will discuss the origins of the technique, why it’s a good technique to use, and how to create large pottery using the coiling technique.

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Potters generally make use of a wheel or produce freeform pieces by hand for one-of-a kind art, but what do you do if you’re looking to create multiples of the same pieces? Unless you’re a master of free-forming or using a wheel, your pieces will likely not be identical and it will also be a highly labour intensive process. Instead, if you’re looking to create pieces again and again, making use of a press mould is your best bet. Here are our top tips and tricks for using a press mould.

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Guide to Buying a Pottery Wheel

This is an important step on your road to enjoying making your own pottery items and there are a few factors to look out when deciding which wheel to buy. (more…)