I’ve been making some ceramic hearts lately. Here’s my process in brief.
I start by rolling the clay out flat with a rolling pin, then cut out the heart shape with a cookie cutter. I gently push out the inside to give the heart some dimension.
After I roughen up the edges and add a tiny bit of water to the roughed-up areas with a paintbrush (this helps the clay stick together,) I pinch the edges together and smooth them out. Then I add a pin-prick sized hole to the top. This hole allows me to blow air into the heart to puff it up while the clay is still damp. The hole’s also necessary while firing in the kiln – if air can’t escape while firing, the heart will blow up. When I’m satisfied with the shape, I push in a semi-circle piece of used kiln wire. (See this post for another way I’ve employed used kiln wire!)
Here’s what it looks like after firing.
I finish it off with acrylic paint and a ribbon. This one went to my daughter Elly for her birthday! I plan to have a few hearts available for sale at the Marquette-Atwood Neighborhood Art Walk here in Madison, Wisconsin on May 6th. You can learn more about the Art Walk and other spring events where I’ll have my work for sale by clicking the “Events” tab at the top of the page.
Rachel Imsland, Artist 