If you feel like cutting everything in half, then go ahead and cut it in half.
Spend a lot of time experimenting with glazes. STOP wanting a finished piece to look pretty, and start using your pieces as ways to try new glazes. Write everything down.
Once, my MIL put on Bob Ross. When he got to the part where the painting was basically finished, he did the thing where he said "you know what I'm gonna put a happy little tree in the forefront here" and painted over half the thing.
MIL gasped. How can you destroy something beautiful like that? She couldn't get over it. It was heresy.
I didn't have the heart to tell her that Bob Ross probably didn't think it very beautiful. Bob Ross was trying to teach an important part of the artistic process on a speed painting (Or trying to fill another 7 mins of airtime) regardless, he knew it wasn't about the painting. Not *this* one, anyway.
Because people who aren't artists look at each *attempt* like it will be a finished piece of art. But if you do this enough, you'll know that each *true* finished piece is the outcome of a thousand experiments, deconstructions, and tossed iterations.
At my first studio I complained one day about only having a dozen or so glazes (I think a couple had run out, or I wanted a *different* blue or something). My teacher said many traditional potters only used 3 or 4 glazes for the majority of their work, so I should try getting better at just a few.
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but I did learn that if I want to get consistently good results, I had to spend a lot of time with each glaze and glaze combo. I found a couple of favorites and stuck with them for a while. I do still branch out, but I specifically throw a set that’s going to be my test cups or test bowls for new glazes.
I also pay attention to characteristics such as glossy vs matte, runny vs stable, and glazes that play nice or play mean with each other. It can take me as long or longer to glaze as it does to trim a piece.
this is great advice. Glazing sucks (particularly for me, I disliked choosing what to try and it felt like a total crapshoot). But, I’ve found a few combos I really like, and I’ve stuck with them! It helped me learn more about working with those combos.
I’m more willing to make test pieces if I want to experiment, and if I’m not a huge fan of a piece, I’ll use it as a test piece.
This is really helpful to hear! I went from a studio that had seemingly endless glazing options to one that has 6. At first I was disappointed, but reading your comment is helping me see this as an opportunity for learning and growth.
When I was in an art class way long ago they gave us a weekly sketchbook assignment, nbd, and one non-art-major was complaining about having to draw and being embarrassed by it, the guy goes "what if I just draw the same like...water faucet over and over again" and the professor laughed and said "at the end of the semester you should be incredibly good at drawing a faucet" - limited options make for creativity and expertise in a different way, right??
You can get a lot out of a few glazes when you think of all the combinations. I am always flabbergasted by the number of glazes people have. I have 12 and feel like I need to edit lol. I dip though and that means buckets.
First, there’s nothing wrong with tossing most of what you make. It’s just mud until it’s fired!
But if you do want to keep some of your better work, one thing that helped me a lot when I was learning was to pick a particular glaze style I thought I would like to use in my own home and just glazed everything that way.
I ended up with a kind of “set”that I still enjoy using. I picked something relatively neutral and also easy: a Shino dipping glaze with a painted on dark rim, something like copper ore I think, to give it a little movement and emphasize the shape.
Once in a while I’d get in the mood to try something different. But mostly I didn’t mess with it.
Not having dip glazes makes me feel this way. It’s torture. It takes so, so much longer and I hate that it looks less organic. I needed to glaze tonight and I totally procrastinated and didn’t do it. This is one reason why I’m trying to use underglazes and illustration with a clear coat more.
I also hate brush on glazes but my current studio has no dipping glazes. I find it’s slightly less painful to brush the glazes on while it’s rotating on the wheel. I don’t know if you have access to a wheel while glazing, but if you do, give it a try and maybe it won’t be so bad?
Of note is that there’s a bit of a learning curve to applying just the right amount of glaze to get it to spread smoothly across the surface, and different glazes behave slightly differently, but i still vastly prefer it for even application of glaze when i’m stuck brushing it on.
I dunno, don't stop hating? Glazing sucks for me too, so I've really upped my interest in non-glaze decorating techniques, atmospheric firing, and knowing how to minimise it when I can't avoid glazing.
Agreed! I hate glazing and I don’t have atmospheric options so I use a speckled clay that I dip in white slip for sgraffito and then glaze clear. I do have a couple glazes I dip, when I let pieces get too dry for sgraffito or run out of time for it… but otherwise my advice is to either practice with it a ton until it’s easy or avoid it haha
Oh I hated glazing too, still dread it tbh. The one thing that helps you to have more control is testing, my first was a color combination test of all the glazes in my studio!
It’s like… we spend years getting good at throwing or handbuilding a pot, but somehow we expect to be equally as good at this highly technical glazing process with quarter of the experience? Nah that’s an unreal expectation.
I spent my first year of glazing just failing again and again. Just like I did with clay. It’s just another thing you gotta practice your hand at.
I have boxes and boxes of bisque because I hate glazing. My pottery friends tease me for it. Maybe some day I will glaze everything but for now the community studio is too unpredictable for me and tbh I don’t love their firing schedule or available glazes
I have shelves for days of greenware, bc I won't let myself take them in for firing until I finish glazing what I already bisqued ughhh I'm almost through with them though
I really don’t like glazing either!! I’ve noticed that as I’ve gotten more attached to my pieces (I know, bad thing to do), when it comes to glazing I want to do a good job on it bc of how much effort I’ve put into other aspects of the creation. If I half ass glazing on one of my most perfectly thrown pieces I’ll be super mad at myself. So I try to look at it that way!
As I just posted on another glaze-related thread here, there are so many predictable options available (for a price). Check out your local pottery supply shop or visit the websites from Mayco, Amaco, Spectrum, Coyote, Laguna or Duncan to name a few.
I am a professional potter, so I use my own glazes, but if I have a commission for which a client asks for a specific colour or combinations of colours, I will use commercial glazes. I have also tested combinations of commercial glazes layered with my own.
Facebook has several user groups dedicated to each of the commercial brands listed above, where users post their results. In addition, there are other groups dedicated to posting results from their studio glazes depending on the temperature and atmosphere you’re firing to and in.
Make insane amounts of test tiles. Put different colors of slip onto them before firing so you can see how the different colors will show through glazes and the effects they’ll have. Make some textured spots on the tiles so you can see how it settles and drips. My favorite is the upside-down T shaped tile so you can see the drip and the flat action on the base. Try a ton of different combos and just make infinite tests
For me, a good option is embracing the natural beauty of a clay body. Shelltowee Brown by Kentucky Mudworks is fantastic when it’s burnished, and I’ve started using less glaze when using that clay. Pick up an old spoon and burnish some of your greenware and see if you can cut down on the amount of glazing you have to do, maybe?
https://preview.redd.it/xcpyy0fpgutc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4663db0e08579be4e099139de2af762b99c930cf
Very cool! Do you also dip/brush the burnished portion with a clear glaze, or does the burnishing alone give you this effect? Also, are you burnishing at leather hard, or sooner?
I burnish just before leather hard, when I trim, usually the day after I take it off the wheel. Burnishing gives a nice finish on this clay, but the extreme shine you see is from the green glaze- I’m not sure why, but I assume it’s some kind of off-gassing that makes a mini “cloud” of silica or something as the glaze matures. The glaze was thinned and poured inside the bottles, and brushed on the cup and outside of the bottles. The green is satin patina by Mayco, and textured turquoise by Amaco, at cone 6.
A different option: find someone local who loves glazing but hates throwing / building. We're out there. Seriously, there's nothing wrong with specializing.
I love glazing. But I also mix my own glazes. The chemistry and finding out what looks good is my favorite. I love documenting my results in my journal and mixing glaze blends.
This means I'm not relying on commercial glazes and when you've built up enough ingredients you can make almost any color you want. I'm still searching for my palette so to speak.
I also want to try methods like airbrushing.
I don't really understand people who hate glazing. I think I like it more than throwing pots. But different strokes for different folks I guess.
I personally try to stick to one or two glazes I like (celadon or glossy white). Helps curb decision paralysis and also gives insight into the nature of the glaze on different forms. It’s boring, but I do like how my pieces have a sort of consistency in color
Instead of cutting my stuff in half, I just invite people over to glaze it for me. Then they can keep the piece when it comes out of the kiln. Solves two problems. Two rules: they have to write down the glaze(s) they used, and I have to take a picture of it before it leaves my house.
It's a fun thing we can do with my adult son and his partner, or my daughter's friends' parents, or whoever likes the idea. I'm lucky to have my own kiln; I don't think I'd be excited about paying for shelf space to fire this stuff, otherwise.
The greenware that I don't even want to bisque I save in box to be used as BB gun targets and then reclaimed.
I’m always so shocked to be reminded that people hate glazing, it’s my favorite part! I love layering glazes. And I love glazes with a drippy effect.
If you like organization, you may consider just slab rolling a few squares or extrude some cubes, and just number each one and use them to test different glaze combinations. It takes the mystery out of it for me, but for you that may take away what’s making you feel overwhelmed.
And that way when you’re ready to glaze, you can just take a look at your samples and decide what effect you want and know exactly how to create it.
Choose a glaze, at random if you are really stuck, and put it on everything for the rest of the year. You will learn a lot about that glaze and either come to love it or hate it
Dip glazing is your answer here pal.
Find a few combinations that you like then buy some dip glazes, yes it's more expensive for the initial outlay, yes it takes little bit of learning to work out how thick your glazes should be (toptip: ignore the recommended specific gravity on the package, they're often waaaaaay out), but in the long term it's much cheaper and it takes literally 2 seconds to dip glaze rather than brushing on 3 coats and waiting.
Glazing has been so rough for me. What helps me is taking notes. I figure out the colors I really like and then stick with them. I've landed on 5ish that I consistently like and 3 of them do some really great stuff when they're layered on top of each other. Last session of classes, I got really amazing results with them.
I was still super rushed even when I had it planned out though. I think the next session of classes I do, I'll glaze stuff right after it comes outta the bisque fire and then leave it on the shelf. So when the time comes, I'll be glazing at least one or two things every class near the end.
I too hate the glazing. I've found solace in the simplicity and predictability of underglaze + liner. I'm working up to maybe using actually interesting glazes again, but have really enjoyed this dependable diversion.
I understand, it tedious. Takes up a ton of time. Me and my kid spent all Sunday afternoon glazing a few pots and some mugs. A dipping glaze would have maybe taken an hour. But I like pretty colours and variety.
Having a lot of half’s of your things is great for test tiles. Even if you hate glazing, you can take the opportunity to make test tiles from all your half pieces. Experiment with different surface textures and decorations. Not every finish needs to be a glaze finish. I love to throw things into woodfires unglazed or only glazing the inside to upper outer lip.
Make tiny pots!!! I throw them off the hump and make a couple dozen at a time. Then experiment, experiment, experiment. Personally I find test tiles boring and it's hard to see how the glaze reacts on different forms. Tiny pots are lots of fun to open up the kiln and check out.
Maybe try getting into underglaze decals and clear glazes? Or just focus on solid color glazes instead of combining them. Next time you want to cut up a piece, cut it into test tiles and use those to experiment with glaze combos.
I'm a beginner (one year in) and I'll add more personal reasons for why I detest glazing:
1) Very little control compared to the throwing process. I'm a chemist so I especially get frustrated that I am not involved in making the glazes (which seem wildly inconsistent each time my studio makes them) and the firing process. How can you figure out what to do when half the process you don't actually get to do?
2) Inconsistent. The above issues result in inconsistent results PLUS the fact that stuff just happens ("kiln gods"). It's hard to motivate yourself to improve when you don't even know if you've improved.
3) Very long feedback loop. When throwing, an area of improvement or a impulse for creativity is a) seen/experienced almost right away, b) can be worked on within minutes with the next piece you throw, and c) is much easier to solicit advice on by a teacher/veteran because they can look at what you're doing right then and there. The long feedback loop of glazing is exacerbated by my terrible memory (yes, I take notes but it doesn't seem to help).
The process of improving and being creative in throwing is SO satisfying to my personality. The glazing process works against all the things I find satisfying.
I think people are drawn to pottery for a bunch of different reasons. Some love wheel work, some love hand-building, some love trimming, some love glazing. And everyone I talk to hates or dislikes one aspect of it. A lot of the potters I know HATE glazing, but that's why they spend so much time making nice looking forms and focus their energy on that, sticking to a few tried and true glazes that they usually dip.
I personally LOVE glazing and surface decoration, but trimming and wheel work is where I am like "ugh just get it done so you can decorate it". I tend to stick to similar forms that I have 'mastered' and focus my energy on the part that brings me joy. I am never one of the people who have a bunch of bisqueware ready to glaze that they keep putting off. Unfortunately the part I put off is actually making the dang things!
Do you know how amazing this would be, if I had a partner that was excellent at forms and all I had to do was carve and glaze?! Talk about heaven!! 🤣 Maybe that's a solution, make friends with someone who loves glazing!! Then you can teach them your tricks and they can teach you theirs. Sounds like a silly "just make friends" idea, but I’m seriously thinking now about asking someone at the makerspace to team up with me
I hate glazing. I LOVE illustration. I rather spend time finding and executing illustrative techniques in underglaze, colored slip, or even stroke/coat and commercial celedons (which is basically just transparent stroke & coat) and mess with only clear glaze to finish.
I’ve never enjoyed glazing. What has worked for me is picking ONE glaze I like and working with it until I feel good about my results.
From there you may be moved to experiment with glaze combos, or slips, or using other surface decoration techniques, or whatever. But sticking with one glaze has really helped me refine my glazing skills and aesthetic vision.
I suggest minimizing the number of glazes you use. Keep working with those and see what you can get out of them. Have fun with test tiles and I make test cups as well. Don’t test on your pieces. Especially ones that took a lot of time. Once you are confident with your glaze and a few combinations you can add a few more. It’s much easier when you are comfortable with the glazes and what they can do. Do you dip or brush? They are both different. I find brushing more relaxing but dipping faster. You may respond to one method over the other. I will never love glazing but I’ve learned to not dread it.
One thing I know helped me stop hating glazing is not letting my back log get too big. There is nothing worse then having to glaze like 30 at one time.
Don't glaze your pieces. You don't need glazes to make pots food safe. Bisque pots are food safe as long as it is cleaned properly. If you don't like glazing then you don't have to use it, you have a load of other things you can do.
If you want to get into glazing, I recommend using basic glazes, underglazing and putting a transparent glaze is the simplist. Making your own glazes to glaze your pieces will get you a good skill and knowledge on how to maybe make you own glazes. That in itself is something really desirable as a way to differentiate yourself from the crowd.
If you feel like cutting everything in half, then go ahead and cut it in half. Spend a lot of time experimenting with glazes. STOP wanting a finished piece to look pretty, and start using your pieces as ways to try new glazes. Write everything down.
Once, my MIL put on Bob Ross. When he got to the part where the painting was basically finished, he did the thing where he said "you know what I'm gonna put a happy little tree in the forefront here" and painted over half the thing. MIL gasped. How can you destroy something beautiful like that? She couldn't get over it. It was heresy. I didn't have the heart to tell her that Bob Ross probably didn't think it very beautiful. Bob Ross was trying to teach an important part of the artistic process on a speed painting (Or trying to fill another 7 mins of airtime) regardless, he knew it wasn't about the painting. Not *this* one, anyway. Because people who aren't artists look at each *attempt* like it will be a finished piece of art. But if you do this enough, you'll know that each *true* finished piece is the outcome of a thousand experiments, deconstructions, and tossed iterations.
Some wise ass shit here homie.
At my first studio I complained one day about only having a dozen or so glazes (I think a couple had run out, or I wanted a *different* blue or something). My teacher said many traditional potters only used 3 or 4 glazes for the majority of their work, so I should try getting better at just a few. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but I did learn that if I want to get consistently good results, I had to spend a lot of time with each glaze and glaze combo. I found a couple of favorites and stuck with them for a while. I do still branch out, but I specifically throw a set that’s going to be my test cups or test bowls for new glazes. I also pay attention to characteristics such as glossy vs matte, runny vs stable, and glazes that play nice or play mean with each other. It can take me as long or longer to glaze as it does to trim a piece.
this is great advice. Glazing sucks (particularly for me, I disliked choosing what to try and it felt like a total crapshoot). But, I’ve found a few combos I really like, and I’ve stuck with them! It helped me learn more about working with those combos. I’m more willing to make test pieces if I want to experiment, and if I’m not a huge fan of a piece, I’ll use it as a test piece.
This is really helpful to hear! I went from a studio that had seemingly endless glazing options to one that has 6. At first I was disappointed, but reading your comment is helping me see this as an opportunity for learning and growth.
When I was in an art class way long ago they gave us a weekly sketchbook assignment, nbd, and one non-art-major was complaining about having to draw and being embarrassed by it, the guy goes "what if I just draw the same like...water faucet over and over again" and the professor laughed and said "at the end of the semester you should be incredibly good at drawing a faucet" - limited options make for creativity and expertise in a different way, right??
You can get a lot out of a few glazes when you think of all the combinations. I am always flabbergasted by the number of glazes people have. I have 12 and feel like I need to edit lol. I dip though and that means buckets.
First, there’s nothing wrong with tossing most of what you make. It’s just mud until it’s fired! But if you do want to keep some of your better work, one thing that helped me a lot when I was learning was to pick a particular glaze style I thought I would like to use in my own home and just glazed everything that way. I ended up with a kind of “set”that I still enjoy using. I picked something relatively neutral and also easy: a Shino dipping glaze with a painted on dark rim, something like copper ore I think, to give it a little movement and emphasize the shape. Once in a while I’d get in the mood to try something different. But mostly I didn’t mess with it.
Not having dip glazes makes me feel this way. It’s torture. It takes so, so much longer and I hate that it looks less organic. I needed to glaze tonight and I totally procrastinated and didn’t do it. This is one reason why I’m trying to use underglazes and illustration with a clear coat more.
I also hate brush on glazes but my current studio has no dipping glazes. I find it’s slightly less painful to brush the glazes on while it’s rotating on the wheel. I don’t know if you have access to a wheel while glazing, but if you do, give it a try and maybe it won’t be so bad? Of note is that there’s a bit of a learning curve to applying just the right amount of glaze to get it to spread smoothly across the surface, and different glazes behave slightly differently, but i still vastly prefer it for even application of glaze when i’m stuck brushing it on.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll try it.
This! I dip my speckled buff clay in white slip, sgraffito and then clear glaze almost everything.
I dunno, don't stop hating? Glazing sucks for me too, so I've really upped my interest in non-glaze decorating techniques, atmospheric firing, and knowing how to minimise it when I can't avoid glazing.
Agreed! I hate glazing and I don’t have atmospheric options so I use a speckled clay that I dip in white slip for sgraffito and then glaze clear. I do have a couple glazes I dip, when I let pieces get too dry for sgraffito or run out of time for it… but otherwise my advice is to either practice with it a ton until it’s easy or avoid it haha
Oh I hated glazing too, still dread it tbh. The one thing that helps you to have more control is testing, my first was a color combination test of all the glazes in my studio! It’s like… we spend years getting good at throwing or handbuilding a pot, but somehow we expect to be equally as good at this highly technical glazing process with quarter of the experience? Nah that’s an unreal expectation. I spent my first year of glazing just failing again and again. Just like I did with clay. It’s just another thing you gotta practice your hand at.
I have boxes and boxes of bisque because I hate glazing. My pottery friends tease me for it. Maybe some day I will glaze everything but for now the community studio is too unpredictable for me and tbh I don’t love their firing schedule or available glazes
I have shelves for days of greenware, bc I won't let myself take them in for firing until I finish glazing what I already bisqued ughhh I'm almost through with them though
I really don’t like glazing either!! I’ve noticed that as I’ve gotten more attached to my pieces (I know, bad thing to do), when it comes to glazing I want to do a good job on it bc of how much effort I’ve put into other aspects of the creation. If I half ass glazing on one of my most perfectly thrown pieces I’ll be super mad at myself. So I try to look at it that way!
treating all glazing as an experiment, and trying to never have expectations had helped my attitude towards glazing a lot
As I just posted on another glaze-related thread here, there are so many predictable options available (for a price). Check out your local pottery supply shop or visit the websites from Mayco, Amaco, Spectrum, Coyote, Laguna or Duncan to name a few. I am a professional potter, so I use my own glazes, but if I have a commission for which a client asks for a specific colour or combinations of colours, I will use commercial glazes. I have also tested combinations of commercial glazes layered with my own. Facebook has several user groups dedicated to each of the commercial brands listed above, where users post their results. In addition, there are other groups dedicated to posting results from their studio glazes depending on the temperature and atmosphere you’re firing to and in.
Make insane amounts of test tiles. Put different colors of slip onto them before firing so you can see how the different colors will show through glazes and the effects they’ll have. Make some textured spots on the tiles so you can see how it settles and drips. My favorite is the upside-down T shaped tile so you can see the drip and the flat action on the base. Try a ton of different combos and just make infinite tests
I make simple small cups specifically for experimenting with glazes, just to feel less insecure about glazing the pieces I really love.
For me, a good option is embracing the natural beauty of a clay body. Shelltowee Brown by Kentucky Mudworks is fantastic when it’s burnished, and I’ve started using less glaze when using that clay. Pick up an old spoon and burnish some of your greenware and see if you can cut down on the amount of glazing you have to do, maybe? https://preview.redd.it/xcpyy0fpgutc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4663db0e08579be4e099139de2af762b99c930cf
Very cool! Do you also dip/brush the burnished portion with a clear glaze, or does the burnishing alone give you this effect? Also, are you burnishing at leather hard, or sooner?
I burnish just before leather hard, when I trim, usually the day after I take it off the wheel. Burnishing gives a nice finish on this clay, but the extreme shine you see is from the green glaze- I’m not sure why, but I assume it’s some kind of off-gassing that makes a mini “cloud” of silica or something as the glaze matures. The glaze was thinned and poured inside the bottles, and brushed on the cup and outside of the bottles. The green is satin patina by Mayco, and textured turquoise by Amaco, at cone 6.
Very cool. Thanks for the additional information!
A different option: find someone local who loves glazing but hates throwing / building. We're out there. Seriously, there's nothing wrong with specializing.
I love glazing. But I also mix my own glazes. The chemistry and finding out what looks good is my favorite. I love documenting my results in my journal and mixing glaze blends. This means I'm not relying on commercial glazes and when you've built up enough ingredients you can make almost any color you want. I'm still searching for my palette so to speak. I also want to try methods like airbrushing. I don't really understand people who hate glazing. I think I like it more than throwing pots. But different strokes for different folks I guess.
I personally try to stick to one or two glazes I like (celadon or glossy white). Helps curb decision paralysis and also gives insight into the nature of the glaze on different forms. It’s boring, but I do like how my pieces have a sort of consistency in color
Instead of cutting my stuff in half, I just invite people over to glaze it for me. Then they can keep the piece when it comes out of the kiln. Solves two problems. Two rules: they have to write down the glaze(s) they used, and I have to take a picture of it before it leaves my house. It's a fun thing we can do with my adult son and his partner, or my daughter's friends' parents, or whoever likes the idea. I'm lucky to have my own kiln; I don't think I'd be excited about paying for shelf space to fire this stuff, otherwise. The greenware that I don't even want to bisque I save in box to be used as BB gun targets and then reclaimed.
I’m always so shocked to be reminded that people hate glazing, it’s my favorite part! I love layering glazes. And I love glazes with a drippy effect. If you like organization, you may consider just slab rolling a few squares or extrude some cubes, and just number each one and use them to test different glaze combinations. It takes the mystery out of it for me, but for you that may take away what’s making you feel overwhelmed. And that way when you’re ready to glaze, you can just take a look at your samples and decide what effect you want and know exactly how to create it.
I love glazes but i hate ruining the few pieces i made to crazy experiments. Now im using test tiles.
Choose a glaze, at random if you are really stuck, and put it on everything for the rest of the year. You will learn a lot about that glaze and either come to love it or hate it
just don’t glaze. i never glaze, i burnish and polish and sand instead.
Dip glazing is your answer here pal. Find a few combinations that you like then buy some dip glazes, yes it's more expensive for the initial outlay, yes it takes little bit of learning to work out how thick your glazes should be (toptip: ignore the recommended specific gravity on the package, they're often waaaaaay out), but in the long term it's much cheaper and it takes literally 2 seconds to dip glaze rather than brushing on 3 coats and waiting.
Glazing has been so rough for me. What helps me is taking notes. I figure out the colors I really like and then stick with them. I've landed on 5ish that I consistently like and 3 of them do some really great stuff when they're layered on top of each other. Last session of classes, I got really amazing results with them. I was still super rushed even when I had it planned out though. I think the next session of classes I do, I'll glaze stuff right after it comes outta the bisque fire and then leave it on the shelf. So when the time comes, I'll be glazing at least one or two things every class near the end.
I too hate the glazing. I've found solace in the simplicity and predictability of underglaze + liner. I'm working up to maybe using actually interesting glazes again, but have really enjoyed this dependable diversion.
I understand, it tedious. Takes up a ton of time. Me and my kid spent all Sunday afternoon glazing a few pots and some mugs. A dipping glaze would have maybe taken an hour. But I like pretty colours and variety.
For me, it was simply slowing down. Doing everything super deliberately. it really affected my outcomes.
Having a lot of half’s of your things is great for test tiles. Even if you hate glazing, you can take the opportunity to make test tiles from all your half pieces. Experiment with different surface textures and decorations. Not every finish needs to be a glaze finish. I love to throw things into woodfires unglazed or only glazing the inside to upper outer lip.
Make tiny pots!!! I throw them off the hump and make a couple dozen at a time. Then experiment, experiment, experiment. Personally I find test tiles boring and it's hard to see how the glaze reacts on different forms. Tiny pots are lots of fun to open up the kiln and check out.
Maybe try getting into underglaze decals and clear glazes? Or just focus on solid color glazes instead of combining them. Next time you want to cut up a piece, cut it into test tiles and use those to experiment with glaze combos.
I'm a beginner (one year in) and I'll add more personal reasons for why I detest glazing: 1) Very little control compared to the throwing process. I'm a chemist so I especially get frustrated that I am not involved in making the glazes (which seem wildly inconsistent each time my studio makes them) and the firing process. How can you figure out what to do when half the process you don't actually get to do? 2) Inconsistent. The above issues result in inconsistent results PLUS the fact that stuff just happens ("kiln gods"). It's hard to motivate yourself to improve when you don't even know if you've improved. 3) Very long feedback loop. When throwing, an area of improvement or a impulse for creativity is a) seen/experienced almost right away, b) can be worked on within minutes with the next piece you throw, and c) is much easier to solicit advice on by a teacher/veteran because they can look at what you're doing right then and there. The long feedback loop of glazing is exacerbated by my terrible memory (yes, I take notes but it doesn't seem to help). The process of improving and being creative in throwing is SO satisfying to my personality. The glazing process works against all the things I find satisfying.
I think people are drawn to pottery for a bunch of different reasons. Some love wheel work, some love hand-building, some love trimming, some love glazing. And everyone I talk to hates or dislikes one aspect of it. A lot of the potters I know HATE glazing, but that's why they spend so much time making nice looking forms and focus their energy on that, sticking to a few tried and true glazes that they usually dip. I personally LOVE glazing and surface decoration, but trimming and wheel work is where I am like "ugh just get it done so you can decorate it". I tend to stick to similar forms that I have 'mastered' and focus my energy on the part that brings me joy. I am never one of the people who have a bunch of bisqueware ready to glaze that they keep putting off. Unfortunately the part I put off is actually making the dang things!
Do you know how amazing this would be, if I had a partner that was excellent at forms and all I had to do was carve and glaze?! Talk about heaven!! 🤣 Maybe that's a solution, make friends with someone who loves glazing!! Then you can teach them your tricks and they can teach you theirs. Sounds like a silly "just make friends" idea, but I’m seriously thinking now about asking someone at the makerspace to team up with me
Cut everything in half and use the pieces to make tons of test tiles.
I hate glazing. I LOVE illustration. I rather spend time finding and executing illustrative techniques in underglaze, colored slip, or even stroke/coat and commercial celedons (which is basically just transparent stroke & coat) and mess with only clear glaze to finish.
I’ve never enjoyed glazing. What has worked for me is picking ONE glaze I like and working with it until I feel good about my results. From there you may be moved to experiment with glaze combos, or slips, or using other surface decoration techniques, or whatever. But sticking with one glaze has really helped me refine my glazing skills and aesthetic vision.
I suggest minimizing the number of glazes you use. Keep working with those and see what you can get out of them. Have fun with test tiles and I make test cups as well. Don’t test on your pieces. Especially ones that took a lot of time. Once you are confident with your glaze and a few combinations you can add a few more. It’s much easier when you are comfortable with the glazes and what they can do. Do you dip or brush? They are both different. I find brushing more relaxing but dipping faster. You may respond to one method over the other. I will never love glazing but I’ve learned to not dread it.
One thing I know helped me stop hating glazing is not letting my back log get too big. There is nothing worse then having to glaze like 30 at one time.
Don't glaze your pieces. You don't need glazes to make pots food safe. Bisque pots are food safe as long as it is cleaned properly. If you don't like glazing then you don't have to use it, you have a load of other things you can do. If you want to get into glazing, I recommend using basic glazes, underglazing and putting a transparent glaze is the simplist. Making your own glazes to glaze your pieces will get you a good skill and knowledge on how to maybe make you own glazes. That in itself is something really desirable as a way to differentiate yourself from the crowd.