Pottery Wheel Planters with Faces

 

We have to admit, we've got a weakness for indoor plants. Most of the back wall of our house is lined with them, and we've collected, repotted, and propagated more than we can count. It's no surprise, then, that we enjoy making planters at the studio. Although mugs are our biggest jam, we definitely find time to make some unique planters as well!

How We Make Face Planters

We are currently filling an order for some planters, and Chad thought he'd give you an behind-the-scenes (or maybe we should say behind-the-wheel) look at how they're made.

Start with the Wheel

Chad first throws his planter form (about the size of an over-sized cereal bowl) on the pottery wheel, making sure to add a drainage hole. After trimming the side, he moves that portion away and next throws the drip plate. He keeps the plate on the shallow side so that it doesn't hide the face that he'll add to the planter.

Time for a Face

Chad next makes the eyes and teeth by hand, then makes the lips using an extruder. He trims the bottom of the planter, presses in a footer, and hand-signs the bottom. He next scores and slips the clay and adds the teeth, followed by the lips. Lastly, he adds the eyes and pupils.

Drying and Firing

Although it's not shown in the video, the next step is that we let the piece dry before putting it in the kiln for a bisque-firing. After that, we'll wax the eyes, teeth, and bottoms, and then glaze both the planter and the drip plate. After a final glaze firing, it's ready for a plant!

Plant Time!

Once they're holding a plant, these guys are pretty entertaining! We've made variety of sizes and shapes for different plants through the years, ranging from succulents to air plants to houseplants, and they've cracked us up so much that we had to share a few pictures!