Handmade Ceramics: Antique Inspired Stamped Mugs


Stamped clay mugs

With my new artistic endeavor at Crafted Westside, for the first time, I have had the opportunity to really experiment with ceramics and find my aesthetic niche. I recently began adding stamped words and letters to my ceramics, with my “joe” mugs and teapots, and this technique has crossed over to incorporating stamps of objects into my work.

rubber stamped clay pattern

I have always enjoyed all things antique, vintage, and old. This is very apparent when you walk into my house and see the old, peeling furniture and other antique decor. I wanted this love to translate into my artwork, and when I found stamps with antique phones, watches, and cars, I knew it would be perfect.

To create these vintage-style mugs I make the base on the pottery wheel. I aim to throw medium height, with a slightly rounded shape. After trimming them and adding a handle, it’s time to add the stamped element. I roll out a thin piece of clay, press the stamp into it, and score and slip it to the side of the mug.

After the mugs are put together I set them out to dry to a bone-dry state. I then bisque fire them, then comes the glazing. I love the simplicity of white and dark brown against a pop of color. It is a color scheme that I have carried through all of my products at Crafted. To create this contrast look I use underglaze to emphasize the stamp and bright color on the interior. I then clear glaze the outside of the stamped mug.

Stamped mug bottom

I also add underglaze to my initials stamp on the bottom and my three-dot signature pattern. The mugs are put in the kiln, fired again, then they are complete and ready to add to the shelves.

I love the way these new stamped mugs look, I am already working on a small plate set to match. I find I am continuously on the lookout for other interesting stamps to add to my collection.

If you live in the Atlanta area and still haven’t checked out Crafted Westside, go take a look! The store is filled with amazing local and handmade products.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog and read my post! Help me spread the word about Look Between the Lines by commenting, subscribing, liking, tweeting, and sharing on your social networking site of choice. Check out more blog posts here. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and TikTok for weekly visual journal demos. Until next time!

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