Customer Reviews

Making Marks: Discovering the Ceramic Surface

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an exciting book, it is not just about painting marks on surfaces. The list of options is quite comprehensive from liquid slips, clay colour modifications, carving, underglazes, slip-trailing, lustre-ware and of course impressions and incisions made by tools. Robin Hopper is a master of clay due to the years he has be absorbed by it. He has used good quality work by various potters to display the different forms of decoration.

Surface decoration is always something you need to think in advance about before making the piece. You need to be clear what you want to see in the end, these choices will affect how smooth you want the surface to be and of course the decoration needs to be a custom-fit aesthetically for each piece. Discourse about these matters is found throughout the book.

Glaze technology is discussed in this book, though not to the depth a total beginner would like - total knowledge could be gained in a technical course.

This is one of those books that you can keep using as your understanding grows depending on where you are. Always interesting and inspiring to read about other surace decoration forms gaining knowledge all the way.

This book would also be good as a guide in a set course, chapter by chapter you could do projects eg Chapt 1: Drawing, Chapt 2: Sign & Symbol, Chapt 3: Pattern & Space, Chapt 6: Marks of Slash, Scratch, Carve & Cut etc.

All in all, a wonderful storehouse of so many ideas to have at hand !

While I'm relatively new to the art and craft of pottery, I beginning to find my own voice in my work. This book is helping me to think about differnet ways to express myself in my work. While I will probably never go out and buy a sand blaster or work with lusters, I know I have the inital reference source I need should I decide to go that way.

Possibly one of the most valuable (but not necessarily exciting sections) is his intial discussion of drawing and line. I come from a background of hard science (chemistry) and know little of formal art or the principles of "line." He explains why this is important and how to start thinking about it.

Finally, the book is a visual orgy. My husband (non potter) and I frequently sit and flip through the book to look at the examples of the various works. It becomes intoxicating. We can sit and discuss what makes one peice have that "come hither" look while another, while technically excellent, has little or no appeal to us. It has become a spring board for me in terms of astectics.

While this book will not teach you how to sand blast or give you important clues about the proper layering of airbrushed glazes, it will help you think about all of the different types of marks you can make on clay and choose the ones that call to you.

Making Marks is an excellent reference book that both beginners and advanced potters can benefit from. It delves into all aspects of potting, and not only illustrates the results that can be achieved, it provides the "how to" for many of the processes. Any potter who has this book in their library will never run out of ideas for creating unique pieces.

This book is an exhaustive compendium of all different surface decoration techniques. The second paragraph of the "Book Description" in the "Editorial Reviews" for this book gives you a good idea of the range of topics in the many chapters. Each one of these topics is treated comprehensively, and also includes many color photo examples. It is a very thorough and well-done book.

Hi,
I am the author of this book. The first review in the list of five gives a glowing report and yet rates only one star! I feel that this is a mistake. All the other reviews give the book five stars. This might be detrimentally affecting sales. I feel sure that the reviewer did not intend the single star rating with the review that he or she has given.

Perhaps you can check this out. Thanks

I purchased this book as a gift and it was absolutely perfect for an up and coming potter who has the building techniques down but would like to move to the next stage of creative pottery design.

A wonderful resource for those with a working knowledge of pottery who are looking for ideas, information, and techniques. It skips over all of the basics and jumps right in - the information is well-organized, moving from the general (2-D art) to the specifics of 3-D art.

Robin Hopper's Making Marks: Discovering he Ceramic Suface is an important source for contemporary clay workers. The text and illustrations are clear, concise and fun to read and use as guides to taking action with one's clay. I suggest it for all potters in search of techniques to use when treating the surfaces of the work.

This is really the most extraordinary ceramics book that I have ever seen. I am so amazed at the quantity of ideas for surface treatment that I don't know where to begin and I can't wait to get started! An absolute MUST for anyone who needs ideas and a boost of enthusiasm, or for anyone who feels like they are getting bored or are just stuck in a ceramics rut. What a fun book!

Robin is a master craftsman who has written a book for a ceramic artist who wants to know all the possibilities of working in clay along with the technical details of how to make it happen. Beautifully illustrated!