Week 4 Readings

1. A toolkit: Read glaze and surface like a ceramic professional

What you will learn this week

By the end of Week 4, you will be able to:

• describe glaze surfaces using accurate vocabulary (gloss, matte, texture, defects)

• explain how firing and atmosphere can change colour and surface results

• connect “surface choices” to performance thinking (durability, safety, function)

Real-world lens (why this matters)

Glaze and firing decisions affect:

• how an object looks (colour depth, translucency, texture)

• how it performs (durability, staining, water resistance)

• what risks appear (crazing, pinholes, crawling, running)

The 90-second Surface Reading Checklist

Use this when you see any ceramic object (photo or real):

1. Gloss level: glossy / satin / matte

2. Colour response: uniform or varied? pooled in recesses? thinner on edges?

3. Texture: smooth / orange peel / crystalline / crackle

4. Defects: pinholes, crawling, blistering, running, crazing (tiny crack lines)

5. Clues at edges/foot: glaze stops? bare foot ring? kiln marks?

Tip: Start with describing. Interpretation comes second.