I've been having fun making a few Santa Whistles. These are a taller and narrower form than I have made in the past.
I had not made any whistles in a while so it took me a few tries to get the whistle part going. I think of it as warming up.
I start by throwing cones off the hump. Once they have dried a bit I make the whistle in the base. I like to make the whistle before I start adding the Santa parts.
Once the whistle has set up a bit more I add the beard, hat etc. Now I wait until they are bone dry. Then I glaze them and do a once fire'
These are terra cotta Santas; I will also make some in tan, and white bodies. I have mixed success selling the brown and tan, but since to me Santa represent a spirit of giving, I believe that spirit come in many shapes, sizes, and colors.
I find the cone shape whether tall and narrow or short and plump can be made into many different things, from my plump little beach ladies to pufferfish.
As always, thanks for stopping by...............*s*
Is the whistle the little hole I see near the base? Is there another hole somewhere not showing, where the air makes the sound? I'd love to learn how you make these...hint hint!
ReplyDeleteHi Barb.....Thanks. Whistles aren’t hard, but they can be really fussy!
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing your technique.. I haven't tried whistles yet
ReplyDeleteHi Anna.....Whistles are tricksy things. It took me what seemed like forever to get the hang of the. I still have to make a bunch of duds if I haven't made any for a while.
DeleteChristmas is right around the corner, yikes! I tried to make a whistle once and quickly gave up... just couldn't make it work. You seem to have a gift for it.
ReplyDeleteHi Michele...I'm not sure if it's a gift or pure stubborness!
DeleteWhistles! Once or twice a year I make a batch of whistles, usually as demos for my handbuilding class. They are fiddly! The first few are really difficult and frustrating, until my hands remember, and then I can pinch them out quickly.
ReplyDeleteI got a book a few years ago (Musical Clay, I think it was called?) that showed how to pinch whistles.
I never thought to try throwing them.
Hi Lori....I always have to make few duds before I remember how to get them to whistle.
DeleteI learned to make them from a dear friend. I started figuring out how to form my basic forms because I didn't want to imitate her marvellous handbuilt ones.