I recently attended a really fun mold making class at Georgies Ceramics and Clay in Eugene, Oregon. It was taught by Brett Bindford of Mudshark Studios, Portland, who is an expert in the field of ceramic mold making and slip casting.
It was a small class so we each got a lot of personal help making molds of the items we brought. And Brett was an awesome teacher both because he made the process easy to understand and because he’s so easy going and kind.
I chose a bottle that I love. It was a Kava bottle that my son brought home and was going to recycle. But I thought it would be perfect with a pour spout to use as an olive oil bottle.  Another person made a mold of cauliflower, which turned out super cool. All of our molds turned out great, actually. There’s always the chance that your item will get stuck in the mold because you didn’t see an undercut in your item, or because the plaster adheres to the material that your item is made out of.
As with any process, there a lot of steps and we’ll see if I remember them all when I go to make molds in my studio. I’ve been collecting the supplies I need to start mold making and now have everything, so I’ll report back with my progress. I’m very excited about experimenting will different shaped items.
I had to wait a while for my mold to dry but finally, I’ve been able to make a cast of my bottle (shown above). The really exciting part for me is glazing it and seeing the final result…I’m not quite there yet but will post a photo when I get a bottle done.
Off to uncover my studio (more on that later),
Shepherd's Grove Studio 