Upcycle old jars into fancy faux raku porcelain style vases!
Ok, who else is loving the Great Pottery Throw Down this lockdown? Alongside Netflix’s multitude of true crime documentaries and Channel 4’s Married At First Sight Australia, the Great Pottery Throw Down has been getting me through this slog of a lockdown. Pottery is such an art; I’m in total awe of the process, and this year they did an episode using a process called 'raku’, which I found just completely mesmerising. Based on a traditional Japanese process, raku pottery is made by removing it from the kiln whilst red hot and placing it into, or placing combustible materials onto, the hot porcelain. Some of the artists used horsehair which created these beautiful white pieces with intricate black hair-like patterns on it. Each piece is unique, and each entirely dependent on the process.
I’m no potter; I’ve never never tried pottery before, and given the level of skill and equipment needed to do this, I’m unlikely to ever make my own raku pottery. So, I got thinking about how to upcycle some old coffee jars into vases, and using some paint and colouring pencils, I was able to create this faux raku effect. They of course can’t compare to the real deal, and so if you have the means, you can find many beautiful real pieces over on Etsy. Otherwise, keep reading to find out how to create this effect…
Old Jar
Watercolour pencils
Acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Sealer/Varnish