Elements Pinch Pot Cactus

Handbuilding

1. Separate out ¼ of your clay and set it aside.
2. Smack the remaining ¾ of your clay into a sphere.
3. Push thumb into the center of the ball and start pinching, rotating your piece slightly each time you pinch to form walls all the way around.
4. Continue rotating and pitching until the walls are slightly thicker than a pencil and your piece is twice the size of the original ball.
5. Mold pot to sit open side down.
6. Smooth out any cracks with your fingers, adding a small amount of water if needed.
7. Create ridges of the cactus by pressing the side of your pencil firmly into your pot and rocking up and down until an impression is made.
8. Draw out a flower pattern on a piece of paper and cut it out to use as a stencil.
9. Flatten the remaining ¼ of your clay with your hand to be slightly thinner than your pencil, smooth out any cracks if needed.
10. Trace flower onto clay with pencil tip and cut out with a knife. Set scraps aside.
11. Roll a small ball out of your scrap clay for the flower center.
12. Score on the back and center of the flower by making small hatch marks with a pencil tip.
13. Add a small amount of water to the scored area with your finger and attach pieces by pressing down firmly.
14. Mold flower petals with your hands.
15. Attach the bottom of your flower to the top of your cactus with the same slip and scoring technique.
16. Add texture to the center of your flower and around your cactus by making small holes with the tip of your pencil.
17. Clean up your ridges and any imperfections by smoothing the clay with your finger or pencil eraser.
18. Repeat the above steps to make varying height sizes.
19. Allow to dry and fire to cone 04

Glazing:

1. Apply three coats of EL-142 Grass to the entire cactus body.
2. Using EL-148 Smoked Lilac and EL-149 Lavender Flower, paint the flower petals. Lavender Flower was used for the largest and smallest flower. Smoke Lilac was used for the middle flower.
3. Apply EL-213 Painted Desert to the center of the flower
4. Once dried fully fire to Cone 06.