What This Actually Is
Pottery Examples Quick is a reference library and workflow tool built around ceramic forms, glaze combinations, and throwing techniques. It started as a personal frustration when I kept reinventing the same basic shapes and glaze recipes across different projects. Instead of flipping through three different books and a dozen Pinterest boards, I compiled everything into a single searchable system. The core idea is simple: when you know the exact dimensions of a bowl you want to throw, or the exact bisque temperature for a particular glaze, you don't waste half an hour guessing. The quick reference section is where most people land first. It contains over 400 documented clay bodies, glaze formulas, and formed pieces with actual measurements, firing schedules, and results from real kiln loads. Each entry includes photos of the finished piece alongside notes on what went wrong and what you'd do differently next time. That last part is what separates it from a standard glaze chart. A lot of published references only show the successes. This one shows the cracks, the crawling, the glaze running onto the kiln shelf, and the warping that happened because someone ignored the drying time. I use it mainly as a starting point before I fire anything. If I'm working with a new cobalt blue base, I look up every variation I've already tested with that same chemistry. Last year I was attempting a celadon on stoneware at cone 10 and kept getting pinholing that I couldn't figure out. I searched the glaze examples section for "celadon stoneware cone 10" and found three entries where the same issue had come up. The workaround was straightforward: add 5% alumina to the glaze and slow the cooldown from cone 10 down to 1180 degrees over twenty minutes instead of the standard fifteen. First test batch cured it completely. Took me about four minutes to find the answer instead of another two weeks of trial and error.
How to Use It Without Wasting Time
The interface is straightforward but not intuitive at first. You start by selecting your clay body type, then your target firing temperature, then the finish you're going for. The tool filters down to relevant glaze recipes and forming examples that match those constraints. Most people skip step one and jump straight to the glaze gallery, which works fine for casual browsing but causes problems when you're trying to match a specific result to a specific clay. Here's a practical thing to keep in mind: the example measurements assume standard wall thickness for the vessel size. If you're throwing something larger than a twelve-inch plate, the water content and drying time recommendations shift. I learned that the hard way when I tried using a small bowl reference for an eighteen-inch platter and ended up with a cracking disaster during the drying phase. The example showed twelve hours air dry plus twenty-four hours in a plastic bag. For the larger piece, you're looking at roughly double that, maybe more depending on humidity. The tool doesn't automatically scale these recommendations, so you have to adjust manually based on the piece dimensions.
Things the Reference Doesn't Cover Well
The glaze section is solid, but the forming examples lean heavily toward wheel-thrown work. If you're primarily hand-building or doing slab construction, the coverage is thinner. There are entries for some basic slab forms and coil vessels, but nothing comprehensive. The tool also assumes you're working with mid-range to high-fire ceramics. Low-fire earthenware and porcelain have sparse entries because those were less represented in the source material I started with. Another gap is the kiln monitoring side. You'll find firing schedules baked into individual glaze entries, but there's no standalone section on kiln calibration, thermocouple replacement timing, or voltage drops affecting your pyrometer readings. If your kiln has been acting inconsistent lately, this won't solve that problem for you. You need a separate reference for that, or just pay attention to your cones and log every firing with the actual temperatures reached.
Get the Full Details
Download and Access
The main reference library is available as a downloadable PDF pack organized by category, plus a web-based search version that updates with new entries quarterly. The download link points to the full 2024 compilation, which includes all entries through the most recent firings. The PDF is roughly eighty megabytes with high-resolution images, so make sure you have decent storage and a PDF reader that handles large files without lagging. For people who don't want to manage local files, the web version lets you search by recipe code, clay body name, or finished look. It's slower to load than the PDF but has the advantage of including the latest test results and corrections. I check it every time I add a new glaze variation to my personal log so I can cross-reference against existing data before committing to a full kiln load.
When This Tool Actually Helps
If you're throwing regularly and firing weekly, this cuts down your setup and experimentation time significantly. I'd estimate it saves me about forty minutes per project on average, mostly by removing the guesswork from glaze selection and drying schedules. If you're only firing once a month or occasionally, the value drops because you're less likely to build pattern recognition from repeated use. In that case, the basic glaze charts you find in most pottery magazines might serve you just as well. It also helps most when you're working toward consistency across multiple batches. If you've got an order for twenty mugs that all need to look the same, pulling up the example entry for that specific glaze and form combination and following its documented process will get you closer than experimenting from scratch each time. The examples are essentially documented repeatable processes, not just inspirational images. One thing I've found useful that isn't obvious: bookmark the failure log section. Most people ignore it because it looks depressing, but it's probably the most practical part of the whole thing. Seeing exactly which glaze combinations cracked, shivered, or blistered on the same clay body you're using right now saves you from repeating those mistakes.
