jenn schiffer's live laugh blog

what i made during my fifth ceramics class

welcome to the latest in my what i made in my ceramics class series. this class was my 2nd time taking this wheel-throwing class because the time was convenient and i really like the instructor. because there were lots of summer camps going on and a kiln malfunction, i had to wait longer than usual to get these pieces home but i finally did today.

here's what i made during my fifth ceramics class.

a photo of all of my pottery together on my table: a blate, two bowls, three vases, a closed vessel and a teapot

this class had a lot of experimentation as well as technical work, i level up significantly whenever judy is teaching me! we worked on dinnerware, clay marbling, stacking pieces, and my wheel-throwing final boss: the teapot.

a photo of a blate and two bowls. the outside is black and the inside a cobalt blue. one of the bows are upside down to show how black the outside is and how dark the splotches of blue and black underglazes i used are

these pieces are a great example of why test tiles are great to make if you're not as impatient as i am. there would have been cool blue splotches where the outside black sections of the blate and bowls were, but for some reason the "medium blue" comes out dark as midnight from this studio's kiln. the pieces are still cool, though, and i use the bowls every day. the blate is quite wobbly because i didn't have the shelf space to really focus on keeping it flat as it dried. when i'm off the member waiting list, i'll get a bigger shelf and my own bats to dry them on.

a photo of three marbled clay pieces. one's a pot i turned so you can see some cool green inside splotches. the splotches appear inside the closed vessel that i have a lid hanging off the side of. the small vase has a light purple inside.

we got to use different kinds of clay for a couple of sessions so i made vases and a closed vessel. i kept the glaze clear on the outside with some accents so that the marbling shined through. the seafoam green splotches look alien and almost digital in person, i'm so pleased.

a photo of of a big, tall green vase with a pixel art flower painted onto it in black. there's a cropped photo to the side of one of the pixel art leaves i painted on it

i did a large vase from two thrown pieces stacked together again, but this time i tried some green commercial glaze painted on, along with a pattern of pixel art flowers and leaves. the pixel art came out so cool, and the green is a beautiful color. i could have gone thicker with the glaze, but reviews said it was drippy and i didn't want it to drip onto the drawings. see, i'm far too impatient for test tiles lol.

a photo of a white teapot with black horizontal stripes all around and it's like the top half was dipped in a periwinkle glaze that dripped down and melted some of the lines. i have the lid off and to the side.

the final piece, the one i've been eagerly waiting for and terrified it wouldn't survive the kiln is my first ever teapot. between throwing the body, spout, handle, lid, and glazing it so it's cool but not permanently shut - this was a true labor of love and i couldn't be happier with how it turned out. i definitely want to make more of these to share with others.

i just wrapped up my 3rd time taking that class, and tomorrow i'm starting back at the beginning with hand-building so i have studio access while i wait to get off the member waiting list. there are a couple of candle vessels and painting supplies in the kiln, which i will share in a few weeks as this series continues!

xoxo jenn

this was published September 8, 2026 under living art ceramics jersey-city clay wheel-throwing classes education ceramics-class

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