Ceramic owl

I discovered a cute little pottery place called As You Wish. They have a HUGE wall of assorted pottery pieces to pick from, then you paint it, and they fire it. Not only do they have a huge variety of ceramic pieces (plates, coffee mugs, piggy banks, different animals, the list goes on), but they have a wonderful paint selection in all colors. Matte paint, glossy, a pseudosparkle-type paint, and - my personal fav - puff paint!

I only took a pottery/ceramics class once. It was through the City of Troutdale back in, oh my, 2006 or 2007. Many moons ago! It was fun, and I always wanted to try it again. I also REALLY wanted to get out of the house and explore Phoenix a little bit, so this place was perfect. 

Once there, I was very much overwhelmed by all the pottery options.... Should I make a big serving plate (I don't have any and it would be fun to make my own)?, or perhaps a coffee mug to curl up with in the morning (because I don't have enough of those already)? I decided on this charming little owl.

Ceramic owl

When I saw that tiny face and big eyes, I fell in love! 

The girl working showed me all the point options and the best techniques. Light paint paint first, then darkest. I knew I wanted his (Her? I still haven't decided.) main color to be brown, so I had to make the rest of him as colorful as possible.  

Front view

I pictured bright glowing eyes. Every owl I've seen in the wild has had beautiful eyes. They are known for their great sight after all!

Next, it was time for his "feathers". Again, I needed colors that would pop against the deep brown. I chose a red-orange color for his body feathers and a medium purple for his wing feathers. His head begged to be a different color, and the girl as nice enough to explain to me how to "fade colors".

My sad attempt at "blending"

The idea was to paint one color, then while the first coat is still wet, paint the next color, and while that coat is still wet use the first color again, and so on. I understood the idea, I just had a little trouble putting it to use! Once the paint hits the pottery, it dries almost immediately. Next time, I'll work in smaller sections.

My finished attempt at blending. 

Finished before firing

The whole owl needed three coats of paint. The more layers of paint, the richer the color. 

They also have paint pens to use on your creation after painting is done and before it's fired. I decided to use black to make his eyes stand out a little more. I outlined his feet, the yellow and green in his eyes, then I colored in his pupils. I decided to add the black lines to define the green.... He was kinda creepy looking without it, personally.

Oh, I also had to give him eyebrows. My hand slipped while outlining his eye right eye - it's not like you can white-out the mistake! 

Finished rear view before firing

Inspection before firing. 

You can't inspect your work too many times...

DONE!

And here he is all finished!

I obviously missed a spot or two on him and my blending leaves something to be desired, but hey, it's only my second time. I think he's adorable! 

I can't wait to go back and paint other things! Not only do they have a massive in-house selection, but they have a catalog to order from.

My head is already filling with things to paint next!