Learning glaze mixing will make your pots more unique and more you

Potters are pretty cool in that we can take a lump of clay from the ground and mold it into any form we want. We can make dishes that get used every day, or we can make art that gets admired. Every curve, texture, pinch and shape of the clay comes from our own hands.

Wouldn't it be amazing to complete your pots with a glaze that has your chosen sheen, colour and fluidity? All because you know how to carefully mix a specific recipe and put together a combination of raw earthen materials.

I would love to teach you how to safely mix your own glazes from scratch so you can start to broaden the possibilities for completing your work.

This first step of learning how to mix and experiment with glazes will open up a whole world of exploration for you. It's a foundational skill that you can build an entire pottery career on. And it's super fun and science-y, which I love and hope you will too!

Learn the Essentials of Glaze Mixing

Not only will you learn the skill of mixing glazes from scratch by following a recipe, but you'll also get:

✔ Instructions for where to look on the internet for glaze recipes, plus I share a list of tried and true cone 6 recipes you can try.

✔ A list of all the supplies needed to safely and effectively mix and store your glazes, with video explanations of all tools.

✔ "Sue's Fully Stocked Glaze Lab" - a list of all the glaze ingredients and quantities I regularly keep stocked in my studio to give you an idea of what materials you should buy first.

✔ Glaze batching sheets that you can print, fill out and then check off each material as you add it to the bucket.

✔ My handy "Bucket Sizing Equation" so you'll know what size glaze batch fits in what size bucket.

✔ Instructions that you can download and print and keep in your studio and all presentation slides to download and refer back to.

✔ A Colour Run demo (the start of your glaze testing journey) - learn how to take a base glaze and test it with the colourants of your choice.

✔ Examples of glazes made with different colourants to help you decide which colourants to use.

Bonuses:

✔ An extensive Resource Library full of videos and info about many glaze topics not covered in the workshop. And all the videos are searchable!

✔ "What Do the Glaze Materials Do?" document - this is a very basic intro to the chemistry of glaze materials.

So if you're ready to start mixing your own unique glazes, I hope you'll join me in Glaze Mixing Essentials.

This is a self-study, independent course that you get lifetime access to when you sign up. Looking for more support on the journey? I've got you covered! Read on for info about joining The Glaze Lab membership.

Get Started Today!

This is an independent, self-study program. Registration includes lifetime access and you can start right now.

Preview the Course Intro Video

Get Extra Support in The Glaze Lab

Glaze Mixing Essentials is a completely independent, self-study program. You get lifetime access to the course videos and supporting handouts and worksheets and you're free to start the course whenever you like and take as long as you want going through it, with the option to go back and reference the course material at any point in the future.

For some of you, working independently might be your preferred way of learning. But for most of you, you're going to need support along the way. That's why I created The Glaze Lab membership. It's a private, students only community where you'll get the support you need and tons of extra resources. This membership is only offered to students of my online courses.

If you join The Glaze Lab, you'll be joining a community of glaze experimenters and enthusiasts (including myself) who love nerding out about glazes and helping each other troubleshoot the inevitable issues that come up.

Here's everything that's included when you join The Glaze Lab:

• A supportive community/discussion forum (not on Facebook) where you can ask questions, post photos, share links, and have conversations with myself and other Glaze Lab members on a daily basis.
• 2 monthly Zoom calls where we can all get together and discuss what you're working on and I can help you troubleshoot any studio challenges you're having, whether they be related to glazes, kilns, clay bodies, anything to do with ceramics.
• Access to past and future Zoom recordings that can be searched (yes, searchable videos!) so you can easily find conversations on specific topics.
• A member's area where you'll find a growing library of resources, masterclasses and workshops that will help you on your glaze journey.
• Collaborative learning opportunities like the Glaze Recipe of the Month - we all test the same glaze, compare our results and learn about glaze materials, firing schedules etc
• A monthly studio challenge - designed to help you fine tune your studio processes and deepen your glaze knowledge
• Off the cuff, behind the scenes videos of me sharing different aspects of my own studio practices

In the member's area, you'll have unlimited access to:

• Masterclass: What Do the Glaze Materials Do? - this workshop accompanies the handout that's included with GME where I explain what glazes are made of and how all the materials work together to melt in the kiln
• Masterclass: How to Troubleshoot Disappointing Glaze Results - learn all the factors that cause common glaze issues like running, crawling, crazing, pinholes etc, and how to solve for them
• Behind the Scenes: Clay Reclaiming - both dry block and wet clay bucket reclaim processes
• Behind the Scenes: "Stack & Slam" wire wedging method
• Coming soon - Behind the Scenes: Firing a new kiln for the first time
• Searchable Zoom recordings since July 2022

Click here to read more about The Glaze Lab.

After you register for Glaze Mixing Essentials, you'll have the option to join The Glaze Lab for $29 USD/month or $290 USD/year. You can cancel your Glaze Lab membership at any time and you'll never lose access to the Glaze Mixing Essentials program. You have lifetime access to that course!

Get Started Today!

This is an independent, self-study program. Registration includes lifetime access and you can start right now.

Glaze Mixing Essentials Outline

By the end of this workshop, you’ll know how to choose a suitable glaze recipe, scale it up to your desired batch size and mix it from scratch. You’ll also know how to take a base recipe and test it with different colourants.

Printable worksheets and instructions will be provided.

Here’s what the workshop will cover:

Choosing and reading a glaze recipe

• Learn the basics of how glaze recipes are written and what to look for when choosing a recipe
• Learn the difference between glaze temperatures and where you can look to find glaze recipes for your temperature
• A collection of cone 6 glazes is provided if you don’t have a recipe in mind that you want to make.
• Bonus lesson: “What Do the Glaze Materials Do?” This is a very basic introduction to glaze chemistry for those who are interested in understanding the function and purpose each material in the recipe serves in creating the final result.

Batching a recipe

• I’ll help you decide what batch size of glaze to make based on your container/bucket size or what you want to do with it.
• Learn how to “batch a recipe” by converting percentages to grams. I’ll teach you the simple math but also show a way you can avoid the math if you prefer.
• Learn how batching your recipes can help you with ordering materials.
• You’ll get a batching sheet that you can print and use in your studio.

Supplies, equipment and materials needed for safe glaze mixing

• There’s a full glaze mixing supply list (with pictures) of the tools and equipment you need to mix buckets of glaze for dipping as well as test sized glazes for experimenting.
• Supply list is also provided as a handout that you can print off
• “Sue’s Fully Stocked Glaze Lab” is the complete list of every glaze material I stock in my glaze mixing studio, categorized by their basic function in a glaze recipe. (Note: I live in Canada. Material availability varies around the world.)

Weighing materials, mixing and sieving

• Learn how to safely and accurately weigh out glaze materials.
• What order should materials be added to the bucket?
• How much water should you start with?
• How to sufficiently mix and sieve your glazes so they perform well.
• Glaze mixing instructions will be provided as a handout that you can print off

Glaze testing and experimenting

• Learn the basics of glaze testing and experimenting.
• How to make sure your glaze tests will scale accurately to a larger batch size.
• How to take any glaze recipe and convert it to a “base recipe” by removing colourants and opacifiers.
• Design a glaze testing experiment called a “Colour Run” that will give you multiple glaze colours using one base glaze.
• Colour Run instructions are provided as a handout that you can print off.
• I’ll provide lots of examples and photos to help you decide which colourants to try.

Here’s what the workshop won’t cover

While I would love to cover absolutely everything related to glazes, this workshop has a very specific focus which is to learn how to safely mix glazes from scratch and test a base glaze with colourants.

These topics won’t be covered in this workshop but I’ll share lots of resources for further learning.

• Glaze chemistry (glaze fit/crazing, changing glaze firing temperatures, material substitutions, glaze durability, altering base recipes – these topics are covered in The Art of Glaze Chemistry)
• Food safety and toxicity
• Kilns and firing schedules
• Glazing techniques
• Slips, oxide stains, underglazes
• Measuring specific gravity, flocculating, deflocculating (these topics are covered in Mastering Glaze Consistency)

Get Started Today!

This is an independent, self-study program. Registration includes lifetime access and you can start right now.

Frequently Asked Questions