: Isculpt - Viewing Profile

I've seen clay sculptures with a pitted surface that I admire. I've read of things you can press into a clay surface to gain that look of antiquity, like rice or broken spaghetti. Can anyone suggest other materials that will burn out, but leave a more random, jagged appearance? I've read of people using dried clay bits, but would those fall out in the firing and leave pitted areas or would they simply stay in place? Jayne

I want to sketch some small symbols into a leather-hard sculpture, but I need to be able to remove them if I don't like the placement. I can't use a pencil because it leaves an impression in the roughened texture of the clay. Is there something else that can be used?

I just received this email from PotterBarter: a potter's studio and gallery (with living quarters) for sale in Puerto Rico where it is currently 86 degrees. No, I'm not helping them sell the place, but it's great eye candy, especially for any potter who's grown weary of winter! And the studio is the cleanest workspace I've ever seen. Heck, my kitchen has never been this clean! If you'd like a 5-minute escape to the tropics, click on the link and look at the slide show. As for me, I'm gonna go clean my studio now (and maybe my kitchen), and then I'm gonna turn up the thermostat.
Jayne

I recently pit fired a bisqued earthenware sculpture and was disappointed to find when the fire had died down that the sculpture had broken in 6 places. The folks at the clay store suggested I try raku clay. Is it just the addition of grog that makes the raku clay stronger, or is there more to it than that? I asked if the raku clay was easy to use for handbuilding and sculpting and was told that it is. That seems too good to be true: I mean, if it handles as well as earthenwares, why doesn't everyone just use it instead and ensure less cracking and breaking? Are there quirks and tricks to working with raku clay?

Is there some way to bookmark posts or create a file of posts here on Ceramic Arts Daily's forum? And a similar question -- I've posted a good bit on Trip Advisor in preparation for a ridiculously over-planned trip to Ireland, and on that site I can click on my user name and see all my posts listed chronologically. That would be really useful here, since the advice I've received on C.A.D. is priceless, but my memory is a sieve. Is there anything like that here on C.A.D.? (Glad we now know how to force those recalcitrant little emoticons to do our bidding - just click and drag!)
Jayne