5 Great Textures Using Wire - EASY TEXTURE TRICKS!

Hi everybody, this is Anne. Potters are always on the lookout for new and exciting textures to decorate their pottery. In this video, I'll explore and demonstrate unique ways to manipulate the one common item we have available around our house to create some really amazing textures. That item is the common wire. I went treasure hunting and found a few samples of wires, not only in the house, but also in the studio that I was already using. For these experiments, I'll use a regular potter's wire, a commercial wiggle wire, hand twisted 28 gauge wire, spiral notebook wire, a spring from a retractable pin, and braided wire. For this first project, I wired off a thick two-pound rectangular slab and rolled it just a little to flatten the top. I'm not concerned that it's a perfect rectangle, but I do need to keep the slab width shorter than the length of the stretched out wire and the depth of the slab quite thick. I needed to stick the clay to a stable surface. The non-porous work table was perfect for this. I used a rolling pin over the clay until it stuck tight. I removed the spring from a retractable pin and pulled it apart, then wrapped the ends around hooks and duct taped them down. Starting in the center of the slab, I began to pull the wire through. I rocked the wire from side to side, making sure the wire remained in the center of the block until I pulled it completely through. When I pulled it apart, I had two identical slabs. I could use these separately to create two hand-built projects, but I thought I'd do something a little different. I thinned out each slab by turning them upside down, putting rulers on either side, and running a potter's wire over top the rulers, cutting off the excess clay from the slab. I scored the backs of both slabs and coated one side with spoos, which is one-third each of dry clay, vinegar, and Karo syrup. I turned that one over and attached it to the other slab. I then used my fingers along the edges to manipulate the shape of the rectangle until I got it just the way I wanted it. I used my rolling pin as a mold to curl the slab over so that it was rounded. I had a bit of the clay to crack along the bottom. No worries, I just wet my finger and worked the clay down until the crack disappeared. I wanted to close off the edges, so I placed the excess clay slab along the edge and cut it down to fit, and then I attached them. I love how the form is free-flowing. I didn't fuss with making the edges perfect, although I made sure there was nothing sharp. Now the back of the dish also had texture on it. Now here's the finished piece. I can use it to hold crackers, olives, eggs, cookies, keys, or just use it for decorative purposes. I bet everyone in the house has this wire. I twisted it out of a spiral notebook. I stretched it apart and hand twisted it. How tight or loose you twist the wire will create unique textures. I rolled out a quarter inch slab and again rolled it to stick it to the table. I wiggled the wire underneath the slab, rocking it back and forth as I went. I held it as close to the table as I could. And here's what I came up with. It's a sharp lightning bolt design. I decided to cut a rectangular template from the slab. I wrapped it around a carpet tube and attached the joint. For the bottom, I rolled another slab and stuck that down to a banding wheel using my rubber rib. I centered the cylinder over the slab and cut around it. For more detailed instructions on how to hand build a mug like this, see the link above. I sealed the two together with my fingers. I decided to continue with the texture under the cylinder as well as the sides. I'll use this commercial wiggle wire to remove the mug. I slid the wire under the slab to get this cool appearance. Here's one I made previously where I attached a handle. Jim glazed this one with Amaco Celadon Weeping Plum. The Celadon broke over the textures to create this stunning look. I just love that. It looks like a candy coating. For the next project, I started the same way by rolling out a quarter inch slab. I found some thin 28 gauge wire in the garage and twisted the ends by hand and attached them to hooks. This wire can be found in any hardware store. After the clay was stuck down, I held the wire close to the table and wired the bottom of the slab, moving it back and forth and rocking it slowly. The thin wire and the tight twists created this cool look. I think I'll create a bowl with this. I placed a piece of plastic wrap over the top. I gently cut the clay out with the top of the plastic pitcher and removed the excess clay. I then sandwiched the clay between two sheets of the plastic. I opted to keep the texture towards the interior of the bowl. I placed this inside of a styrofoam half sphere where I used my fingers to press it down all the way to the bottom. I was careful not to dig my fingers in and ruin the texture. Isn't that pretty? I'll let that dry inside the sphere to keep the shape. Here's a mug that I created with the same texture where I attached a bottom and a handle. I got a little creative with the braided wire to create textured facets. I rolled out a 5 eighths inch slab and ribbed the surface. I then used a one inch dowel rod, placed it at an angle from corner to corner and pushed it into the slab to create a groove. I repeated this process to mark grooves across the whole slab. I made a special tool to achieve the texture. I drilled holes through this half inch dowel rod and inserted the braided wire. I wrapped the ends around the dowel and duct taped over them. I placed the one inch dowel into one of the grooves. I looped the tool over the end of the dowel. While applying pressure to the dowel with one hand, I rocked the tool back and forth while pulling it down the length of the groove with the other hand. I repeated this motion over the grooves next to it. Look at that texture. They're like flower petals. You can texture certain grooves or the entire slab and then use that to create your pots. Here's one that I textured and then curled it around a cylinder shape. The petal texture along with the dimensional form of the piece really creates a whole new dynamic. Those are just a few ways to use the wires that you can easily find around your house. There are many more that I know you can come up with. Thank you to the newest members of our Little Street Pottery Research Facility team. If you'd like to support our work and earn a title, click on the super thanks or the buy me a coffee link. It really helps us out if you subscribe and like our videos as well. See you next time in the studio. It looks like a candy coating. I just want to lick it.