Hi everyone! First of all, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who took their time to watch my video in my last blog. I received positive feedback so I will definitely be doing more throwing demos in the future. If anyone has any requests, don’t hesitate to ask!
Well since last week I showed you how to make a mug, this week I’ll talk about what actually makes them a “mug”. Handles! Handles are something I’ve struggled with in my ceramic journey. They can truly make or break a mug, or any piece. I look at the handles on the mugs I made freshman year and I cringe! Anyway, I have recently learned to appreciate them and their aesthetic value, as well as their functional value. Pulling a handle can be a tad frustrating at first, but the process in itself isn’t too difficult (in my opinion). For me, the difficult part is attaching the handle cleanly and making sure the curve is both aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. You want to make sure the handle is something comfortable to hold, and not too big or too small. Something I struggle with is the patience required in attaching a handle to a mug. When you pull the initial handle, you must let it sit and stiffen up a bit before attaching it to the mug, otherwise it will sag and not hold its shape. But with time I’ve learned that in the long run I’m better off waiting for the handle to stiffen up rather than applying it too wet and having an unattractive handle.
The pictures below are mugs that I just finished last week, and one of these mugs is the one I made in the video!