- How to Make It: Throw a wide-bellied mug using smooth terracotta clay. Once leather-hard, trim the foot and attach a loop handle. Dip the upper two-thirds of the inverted dry greenware mug into a white terra sigillata or fluid white slip. Clean up any drips on the raw terracotta base. Fire the piece and apply a transparent interior glaze to ensure food safety while leaving the exterior lower half delightfully matte and porous.
- Tips: Terracotta is lower-firing, so verify your glaze maturation temperatures match a Cone 04 or Cone 02 earthenware schedule.
- Variations: Carve sgraffito patterns through the white slip layer before firing to reveal the red clay underneath.
5. Watercolor Wash Ombre Mug This dreamy mug mimics the soft, bleeding transitions of watercolor paintings through careful layering of cascading glaze colors.