I started assembling this guy back in early April but I put him aside to work on a few other projects. I made sure he was wrapped up really well with lots of plastic. I like starting out with a larger, chunkier sculpture and then working subtractively to remove areas and layers. I feel like I’m less likely to end up with super thin walls or holes when I work this way.
This fish is larger than the fish I made earlier in the year. I essentially created the same form with some additional texture elements. This piece is made with a red clay body. Unfortunately while I was working on the piece, I had some cracking near the back of the top fin. I suspect this is probably from adding too much water as I was sculpting. I added some white vinegar to the cracked area, hoping the white vinegar could help prevent the crack from growing.
Since there was cracking while the piece was still greenware, I changed my plan for finishing and glazing. I was going to use underglazes and apply glossy clear on some small areas (eyes, maybe tops of fins). But I decided that all over glazing might help cover up and seal the cracking. Thankfully after the bisque fire, the crack did not grow and after glazing, it is barely visible. I glazed with Jade Celadon all over and added Seaweed brush-on glaze in a few areas. Thanks to this combo, some areas break blue! <3
