Test tiles: spring
If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about slip decoration. I keep notes on every firing, even the disappointing ones. Clay remembers every mistake you make with it.
A few details
Most problems with stoneware turn out to be problems with time. Every firing is a little experiment, and some of them fail. Below are a few notes, roughly in the order I learned them. Test tiles are boring until one of them changes all of it. I keep a short list of things to try next; loading the kiln is near the top.
Second thoughts
Most of what I know about tableware came from getting it wrong first. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about firing schedules. I tested the matte version first. It did not last. Between wedging clay and loading the kiln, the second one taught me more.
I tested the earthy version first. It did not last. It is not glamorous, but it holds up. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer.
Looking back, the matte approach was the right call. Between throwing on the wheel and loading the kiln, the second one taught me more. There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. Good slip decoration is largely a series of little, unglamorous decisions. You can get remarkably far with a trimming tool and some patience.
Notes along the way
I tested the functional version first. It did not last. Looking back, the thrown approach was the right call. It is easy to overthink testing glazes. It is harder to just start. For a long time I treated stoneware as an afterthought.
It is easy to overthink wedging clay. It is harder to just start.
stonewareslip decoration