Pottery Top Tip: How to Use Silicone Moulds & Bisque Sprigs in your Making. Pottery Video/Tutorial

Hello everyone - Welcome to my CZcams Channel - The Pottery Corner, coming to you from my studio in Chichester, on the South Coast of England. In this Top Tip Tuesday video I demonstrate how to use handmade sprig moulds and silicone (mostly cake) moulds to embellish your own pottery items. With the use of cornstarch or talcum powder, the clay is easily released from the mould and this can be simply attached with no trimming required if the excess clay is removed at the preparation stage. This prevents the texture on the mould being pressed out when applied to your work and leaves a clean design with no fingerprints!
I hope you find this demonstration useful. My work is available to view on my website via www.thepotterycorner.co.uk together with details of the courses available at the studio. Do subscribe to my channel for further top tips and also to watch the kiln opening videos from The Pottery Corner. Look forward to seeing you again soon Sarah Amos

[@jacintasimpson1719]

Thank you a hundredfold. Your presentation is very clear and I as a beginner believe I can try making some of my own.

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching Jacinta. Definitely a worthwhile project to make your own unique sprigs. 😊

[@triciac1019]

What a beautiful studio you have! You are my kind of potter to use all those molds. I haven't used them a lot but have a lot purchased. I will have to make some also. Your work is just so beautiful!

[@thepotterycorner]

@triciac1019 thanks so much for watching. I'm very lucky to have invested a lot in the studio. Its a great creative space. 😍

[@Skarande-1]

So very handy and helpfull tutorial.
Thank you Sarah, I'm going to keep an eye out on silicon molds now even more.
👋 bye
Sheila 🌸

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching. Glad it was helpful

[@Skarande-1]

@@thepotterycorner you are welcome 🌸

[@LordGeoffrey]

Thank you so much! You've changed my life. I was about to throw out some silicone molds because I couldn't get them to release without ripping the legs off of my bees and the horns off of my unicorns. I'm about to go give it a try with the powder. Love from Arkansas!

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi Geoff- thanks for watching and commenting- I am really pleased you found useful- the powder works every time! Glad to have saved your moulds😁

[@thepotterycorner]

And have a look at the rest of my videos which I hope will give you more tips and tricks 🙏

[@LordGeoffrey]

@@thepotterycorner of course. I'm subscribed and liking.

[@donnabarker5614]

Thank u for the reply I was wondering how you get the clay into very small areas like bee legs and butterfly antennas? Thank you

[@LordGeoffrey]

@@donnabarker5614 I never worked it out, really. The best I managed to do was to stick it onto a small slab disc and then attach the disc to my work. Those molds just don't seem to work well with pottery clay

[@jokemp1225]

Thank you for this video . I have just discovered the use of silicon moulds. They add so much to a piece . Ive been using cornflour,but will give talc a try . Thank you for the tip of cleaning the clay away and slipping whilst in the mould . That will help me not spoil my little sprigs. I have learnt so much from your videos thankyou 😁

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi Jo and thanks for watching and commenting. Great to hear my tips are useful. Sometimes it's the simplest thing that can make a difference. Check out the other tutorials on the channel. 😁

[@TahtahmesDiary]

Ah CZcams. Days after I realize myself I can use cornstarch to release the clay from a stiff mold, I get a video like what I was looking for previously! I’m definitely going to try and make some oak and acorn molds, thanks for the idea 💜

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching. Glad you found it helpful. There's so much more to see on my back catalogue! Great to have you along 😀

[@annebradley6811]

WOW!!!! Great technique on using silicone molds. Love how you used the bead sprig onto your pods. Thanks from North Carolina.

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for your kind words Anne. 😁

[@flikkeringlightz7472]

I just looked up how to make silicone molds but was unsure how to use them in my ceramics class and now I know!
Thank you for the video! It has put a fire in my creative juices!

[@thepotterycorner]

Great- glad it was helpful 😊. Thanks for watching

[@marilynfigueroa9266]

Thank you! I needed this information...

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching 😀

[@mavisdavisify]

Thank you for sharing your processes. You’re instructions are easy to follow and your examples demonstrate your ideas perfectly. Thank you. I recently discovered your channel and I subscribed.

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for the kind words Annie. 🙏

[@jacquelinehyde7054]

Great tips for relearning clay from a silicone mould, I work with air dry clay because I don’t have access to a kiln but I found your technique works with airdry clay too. I brush the mould with an old make up brush to remove excess talc before pressing in the clay. Pressing it right into or onto where you want it by slipping and scoring is an amazing idea no finger prints or squashing of the design. Thank you so much for your tips

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for tuning in Jacqueline. Glad you found it helpful 😊

[@jessk2444]

So incredibly helpful!

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks so much Jess - glad it was so helpful. Sometimes its the little tips that make a difference!

[@BloodyMary420]

Omg thank you for this!

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching. Great to have you along 😀

[@freddiemoretti8456]

Good tips, thanks for sharing.

[@julielorusso4410]

Thank you. Great lesson

[@kathydigrazia7948]

Hi Sarah, thank you for another great educational video. Also want to say I'm glad you explained a bit about CZcams and ads. I didn't realize that skipping ads works against you. I will definitely keep those ads running in the future. Thanks again and have a great day.

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks so much Kathy - very kind 😊

[@dianemoore5985]

I will as well

[@denisechai8337]

Great video. I would love to see how you use the bisque molds because it is not clear to me how you would slip and score the back of an oak leaf and attach it to the edge of a bowl as opposed to a flat surface or how you got the string of pearls to come out of the bisque mold, especially to attach it to something round. Thank you!

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi Denise and thanks for watching. I use cornstarch (or baby talcuum powder) in the bisque sprigs to get them to release. It stops the clay sticking. The silicone moulds can be bent around a curved surface. Hope that helps. 😊

[@melrussell7830]

Brilliant Sarah, you have the gift, keep it up 🌻

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks Mel, just spreading my knowledge - such as it is - to help others. Hope you're well xx

[@micheledickey4066]

I have had such a great time learning so many things watching your videos. Thank you so much for them. I’m just wondering how you take the molded pieces out of the molds so you can apply them to things like your bowl? I absolutely love how you showed how to get them so clean before taking them out. Thanks.

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi Michele - I'm so glad you're finding the videos useful. Means a lot that you've taken the time to comment. 🙏

[@dianemoore5985]

Second time watching. Perfect way to add sprigs! Many thanks.

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching again Diane. Such a simple process. Easy as pie - glad to have helped 😀

[@dianemoore5985]

I bought a sheet of silicone texture yesterday, finally. I'm going to give your technique a try today! I appreciate you for sharing your skills🙂

[@Needle2Needle]

I loved this! I may try this technique for my handles! They're always the most challenging for me to free hand!

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi and thanks for watching. I'm so pleased it's been helpful 😊

[@Needle2Needle]

@@thepotterycorner you're very welcome!!! 💜

[@alisonjordan1152]

Thank you Iv always struggled with the extra bits now I don’t have to worry

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching Alison - glad this has helped you.

[@bz6175]

Thank you for the tipps. I also use the siliconmoulds but I use oil to get the clay out. Greetings from Berlin in Germany

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching. I find the talc easier to use but oil would work fine 🙂

[@mariaf.767]

Thank you for the numerous detailed and helpful tips! Silicone molds you can also make yourself from construction silicone mixed with starch. I have already tried this, it works very well, but should be done outdoors or in a well-ventilated room because of the smell.

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching Maria. Great to have you along. I've not tried making silicone moulds - thanks for the tips - may look into this as you could then make sprigs from your own found objects etc interesting!

[@mariaf.767]

@@thepotterycorner Yes, there are so many great things to mold, I have tested stamps, letters, small plastic animals and natural materials. I'm happy to link you to a very illustrative tutorial by German ceramist Petra Peters. You can watch the video with English subtitle.
czcams.com/video/LdePTeSdhLM/video.html

[@SuperVirginiaRose]

I have,over doing this for many years, with porcelain poured mould, and porcelain clay into silicone mould and sticking them on with porcelain slip, and glazing and firing top temp…. Would love to send you a picture of my latest one, hopefully going into CL Artisan Mkt place…am starting back onto making your delightful Hydrangea mop head tops again!

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks so much for commenting Virginia. Enjoy making more hydrangea heads!

[@65kaki]

Those were great tips, especially how to use the silicone molds. So easy, bit brilliant! Thank you very much! 🤩👍

[@thepotterycorner]

Thank - glad you found it helpful 😁

[@radhasreedhar4381]

This is so cool. I love your videos and you explanation is amazing. Thank you for all your videos and the time you take to explain things.

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks so much for watching Radha. Great to have you along 😀

[@luciegilchrist240]

Genius!!!!

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks Lucie it's often the simplest thing that makes a difference 😀. Thanks for watching

[@QueenBunRab]

What great tips! I would love to see how you put that cable handle (the one you scored and adhered to the slab) onto a mug without smushing it too much!

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching again Susan. I usually shape the cable handles when they come out of the mould and leave on a board to set up for a couple of hours before attaching. I don't have problems with distortion by doing it this way although you do have to be careful. Hope that helps 😊

[@rafaelubiles3]

Thank you for such detailed tutorial!

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks so much for watching 👀 😊

[@user-yk1hn2zx2b]

Fabulous video once again! I’m learning so much. You are so generous in sharing all of this. Thank you very very much!

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi again Jean. Your lovely words are much appreciated ❤️

[@juliechamberlain7982]

That is really great..I learned a new trick with the silicone!!

[@thepotterycorner]

Great - thanks for watching again. Works a treat and saves you smushing what you are attaching!😁

[@beatriceportinari9377]

He aprendido mucho con tus videos.
Muchas gracias por compartir tan generosamente tus conocimientos.
Muchos abrazos desde Colombia.

[@douniasheikhelard]

Love this video! Very creative and clever!

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks so much. Very kind 😊

[@dawnbrowne5285]

love your tips. So glad I found your channel. Thanks from Carlton Minnesota.

[@thepotterycorner]

Thank you so much- top tips coming out each Tuesday so stay tuned

[@barbarac4138]

Great tips! Thank you!

[@xythenjones4263]

Thank you so much! This was exactly what I was looking for!

[@thepotterycorner]

Great! Thanks for watching 🙂

[@julipolito7761]

Thank you!

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching 👀 🙂

[@julielongdon4284]

Thank you 😊

[@thepotterycorner]

Thank you so much for watching. Great to have you along 😀

[@christinecardenas1114]

Fabulous teacher! Thank you.

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching Christine. Check out the other tutorials on the channel for more tips 😀

[@Deedee-tt8pt]

Thanks, very helpful

[@thepotterycorner]

I'm glad you found it useful

[@mariesara]

Extremely useful, thank you very much!

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching Marie. Glad you found it helpful 😊

[@joyceconnolly666]

I always cleaned excess clay while still in the mold but never thought to slip & score while still in mold!!! ALWAYS learn so many useful tips from you Thank you! Do you have any tricks for joining sprigs invisibly when you need a longer rope or other?

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks Joyce. Great to hear from you. I find it quite tricky to keep finger prints off. I try really hard to get as much excess that I don't want on the piece off the sprig before attaching . Hope that helps 😄🙏

[@joyceconnolly666]

@@thepotterycorner I should have said joining a second rope created in the sprig to the first if the first is already on the piece. Hope I'm making myself clear!

[@thepotterycorner]

@@joyceconnolly666 - hmm I see what you mean- that's not easy if the mould has edges. If you use enough talc then the clay should (in theory) pop out of a clean mould and you could allow it to dry a little before attaching. If you scored the back before demoulding it shouldn't get too misshapen??

[@joyceconnolly666]

@@thepotterycorner Thanks so much for your response. You are an inspiration!

[@user-qj1zq9he1v]

Love it

[@sofiamesa6156]

Very useful thank you!! Can’t wait to make my own and try out some silicone molds

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching Sofia. Great to have you along 🙏

[@sharonpeek7728]

This was a great video. I especially like the string of pearl molds. When I use molds, I have a small animal plastic bowl- sits low so does not turn over. I put the baby powder in it and use a special face brush to dust it on. I will look for these for you and mail them if you can give me a mailing address.

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks so much for watching. I'm so pleased it was helpful. My address is on my website. Link in the description box! 😁

[@sharonpeek7728]

I found the 2 items today in 2 different stores. Will get them packed and in the mail. I hope you like them.

[@thepotterycorner]

@@sharonpeek7728 wow - that's so kind 😊

[@sannejohansen6213]

Brilliant work 👌👏👍🥰

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching and commenting - much appreciated😀

[@aloryaart-o.kenanyildirim7843]

Thanks

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching 👀 🙂

[@KellyAnn1997]

Awesome tips! Very helpful!

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching Kelly. Great to have you along 😀

[@pamelagilliland109]

fantastic thanks for sharing , love your show 👍🏻👍🏻

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching Pamela and for your kind words 🙏

[@vandapiefke2436]

Absolutely wonderful thank you

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching. Glad it was helpful 🙏

[@stephaniekluth5323]

So very useful thank you so very much

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching Stephanie- good to have you along 😀

[@reba68]

@thepotterycorner I love this tutorial and just tried it out myself. I do have a question though. I see as my clay is drying, there is a crack along the edge where I attached the molded piece to my mug . I scratched and slipped and both pieces were about the same softer leather hard stage. Do you have any suggestions to fix this? I'm afraid the pieces will come off during the bisque kiln

[@thepotterycorner]

Hiya and thanks for watching. If you use a dry clean paintbrush to brush away the slip spilling out from the sides of the join this will prevent it cracking. Hope that helps. Have a look at the How to Apply Handles video on my channel for more info😊

[@jenniferlee330]

Very informative ,thank you from Jennifer Downunder ✅

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching Jennifer. Great to have you along 😀

[@heatherstockdale5029]

brilliant tips ! thanks

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks Heather and thanks for watching 😀

[@denisenoble4010]

When using your home made moulds do you still need a releasing agent, talk of corn starch? Another informative vlog thanks

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi Denise. The bisque sprigs and moulds don't usually need a releasing agent as the bisque is porous. However if you were using multiple times then I use either baby talc (which smells heavenly 👼) or cornflour/corn starch (which doesn't!). Thanks for watching again and for your kind words 😁

[@denisenoble4010]

@@thepotterycorner thank you

[@rosemaried6272]

Danke fürs Sharig !

[@thepotterycorner]

Dance- for watching!😁

[@jenniferlee330]

Very clever, th@nk you

[@dennystewart3238]

Some very useful tips. But what if you're not applying the sprig to a slab? I generally don't embellish until I've built the piece.

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching Denny. If you're applying applique to a curved surface you just take the clay carefully out of the mould without slip. The talc is the most important component so it comes cleanly out of the mould. Hope that helps 😊

[@dennystewart3238]

Thank you so much. That helps a lot.

[@michelleosborne8951]

I saw someone comment on another channel that talc was a flux and you shouldn’t use it. But obviously you haven’t had a problem

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi Michelle and thanks for watching. No problems using talc. It's a great easy and cheap way to stop clay sticking. 😊

[@rebeccaparsons6479]

Silly question (I only picked up a lump of clay 2 weeks ago) but when you use the bisque sprigs do you do it in the same way as the silicone molds, add talc but how do you get the the pressed clay out? Thanks 😊

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi Rebecca. Thanks for watching and commenting. Because the bisque sprigs are porous (as made of fired clay), I don't usually need talc. However if the clay is really soft, then I would just dust the surface of the slab before printing. You could use cornflower as an alternative to talc. Does the same job. Hope that helps. Enjoy your clay journey- it'll be very rewarding. Lots to learn!😁

[@rebeccaparsons6479]

@@thepotterycorner thank you so much for your help. I’ve made my first couple of stamps tonight!

[@janettewilson5368]

May I ask where you purchased the purple knit silicone mild? Enjoying your top tip Tuesday videos! Thank you for sharing your skill and time. Cheers

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi Janette. Thanks for watching. The knit mould is a cake one - there are loads on Amazon if you type knit fondant mould into the search. Happy hunting. 😊

[@giocondasardidemata9438]

Many thanks! It Could be possible use liquid Clay in silicone molds? Greeting from México.

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi and thanks for watching. I'm not sure how you'd get liquid clay out of the mould. 🤔 I'm sure it would end up sticking in the mould. So good to have you along from Mexico!

[@Deedee-tt8pt]

Hi Sarah, loved the tips. Immediately bought the knitted silicone mould to make interesting handles. Are they strong enough even with all the texture?

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi Dawn - glad to hear the video was helpful. I have used the cable knit handles on quite a few mugs for sale in my online shop if you wanted to take a look. I've found them fine on my work. Great for knitters! Thanks for watching. More tips to come so stay tuned.

[@luismanueltrompiz1884]

hello i am Beatriz from Venezuela. i saw jure program of slips indente into the clay. i loved it. but you dont explain how to transfer it to the molde. excuse my english.

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks Beatriz- there is a video on how to use the plaster moulds have a look at the playlist. You are my first viewer to comment from Venezuela 🇻🇪! Amazing- thanks for watching 😀

[@donnabarker5614]

Hi I enjoyed your video. I didn’t know you could use clay I use slip. I was wondering if you have any advice for more detailed silicone molds like butterflies and bees?

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi Donna- thanks for watching. I still use the same technique for small things (I have a bee mould). I'm just extra careful with the attachment so that you get all the legs etc. Works really well using this technique. 😊

[@user-ts6pb3xr1l]

how do you compress the clay when using these types of molds to prevent cracking?

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi and thanks for watching. If the clay is cracking them it might be too hard to start with. I would try using softer clay and push this into the mould - it shouldn't crack. Hope that helps.

[@dianemoore5985]

I have a question about silicone molds. I have some soap molds which are too deep. Would you recommend trying to trim them shorter or do you have a better suggestion.

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi Diane. Great to hear from you. Hmmmm interesting 🤔- can you use less clay in the mould (having used talc or cornstarch) and then turn them out?? Seems a shame to alter the mould in case you want to make more soap! 😁

[@dianemoore5985]

@@thepotterycorner I will be working on it! Your acorn sprigs turned out great

[@funhousefibers]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@LullyIBlaskogarbyggd]

Hi are you teaching pottery and how much does the course cost and how many days is it?

[@thepotterycorner]

Hello Juliana. Please have a look at my website www.thepotterycorner.co.uk which details education courses. Thanks for watching 😁

[@cecilialofgren1396]

A question... what you call coloured slip, is it the same as engobe?

[@thepotterycorner]

Hi and thanks for watching. Yes, just high fire pigment added to sieved clay body slip. Hope that helps 🙏

[@freedomtrailamerica2981]

We need much btighter lighting please

[@thepotterycorner]

This was a very early video. Studio lighting now used! Thanks for watching 😊

[@neuzeteribeiro]

Obrigada por compartilhar🙏slip quer dizer barbotina ?

[@thepotterycorner]

Thanks for watching 😁