Glazing (Add Colour) Dates for Ceramic Gnome Cookie Jar Workshop

There are 5 stages to clay:

Wet: Wet clay usually comes in 22.5 pound plastic bags from pottery suppliers who make the clay up using different combinations of clays. It must be kept wrapped in plastic at this stage to keep it in a usable state. You could put underglaze on your gnome at this stage if you have time in the first session.

Leather-hard: When wet clay has dried slightly but is not fully dry it is known as ‘leather-hard’. It's now too late to put underglaze on your gnome until the bisque stage.

Dry: Dry clay is also known as ‘greenware’. It is when clay is at its most fragile, and needs careful handling to prevent breakages. Dry clay needs to be fired in the kiln in order to make it strong enough to use.

Bisque: ‘Bisque’ refers to clay which has been fired once to a low temperature in the kiln. This permanently changes the chemical and physical nature of the clay. Clay at this stage is hard but still porous enough to absorb glaze. This is the point at which most of you will put glaze on your gnome cookie jars!

Glaze ware: After a second firing to a higher temperature, the clay and glaze have fused making a non porous surface.

Please pick one session that works for you to glaze your gnome, at least 2 weeks after your initial workshop date, unless otherwise told in person.