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New online glaze course: How Glazes Work

colour blend

Do you want to learn about glaze chemistry but don’t have the time to spend weeks on a course?

I have been working on a new online course on how to make your own glaze and what each material contributes. Learn how to add colouring oxides and combine different oxides in a colour blend. I’ve carefully constructed, edited and condensed quite a lot of content into a short glaze course. By the time you finish, you will have a good understanding of the principles of making a glaze and, knowing what each ingredient does, you will have some confidence when it comes to adjusting your glazes. You will also have gone through some key practical steps in making glazes and will have seen some ‘good practice’ which will ensure you get reliable, repeatable results.

What you will learn:

Glaze chemistry

1. The three main components of a glaze and what each material contributes to the glaze.

2. The difference between a glaze recipe and molecular formula and how it relates to glaze stability.

3. Glossy and matt glazes, adjusting glazes and correcting defects.

4. Adding colour, in the form of oxides and stains. Health and safety.

Practical session on how to make your own glaze and add colouring oxides.

Materials and preparation

You will need to make 15 test tiles, rectangular clay slabs around 6x4x0.5cm. You will need to fire the test tiles in a kiln. I prefer stoneware temperature 1250°C, cone 8, but you can use higher or lower firing temperatures and choose your own glaze base.

colour blend

Who is the course for?

Beginners and intermediate potters will find this course useful, especially if you want to learn how to make your own glazes and understand what each material contributes.

Who is teaching the course?

Linda Bloomfield trained as a materials scientist and worked at Imperial College in London before having children and becoming a potter. She has written six books on glazes and tableware and teaches workshops on understanding glazes. The online course covers the same content as her weekend workshop.

How long does the course take?

The theory video takes half an hour to watch and is divided into four sections.

The practical session takes half an hour to watch and around two hours to complete the glaze tests yourself.

How much does it cost?

Special introductory offer £60

Watch my free video to get a taste of the course.

https://lindabloomfield.co.uk/free-video-1-how-to-make-a-glaze/

Glaze colour tests
Colour tests by Katherine Message