Florian Gadsby

What kind of content does Florian Gadsby make?

Florian Gadsby shares his intricate pottery and ceramics journey on TikTok and Instagram. He meticulously documents every step, from initial design sketches to the final glazing, offering viewers a deep dive into techniques and the art of working with clay. His content is both educational and visually captivating, showcasing the beauty of the craft and the challenges involved in bringing ceramic pieces to life.

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What always interests me about these birds-eye videos, is how the hands connect throughout the process to build stability. There’s never a hand floating without any kind of support, whenever the blade touches the clay my hands are braced either together, or they’re pressed against the wheel’s tray, all in order to keep them as steady as possible.

I remember this being a somewhat conscious thought process at the start. I had to think and remind myself to make them connections, yet nowadays, after turning tens upon thousands of pots, it’s completely subconscious. In fact, I never really think about what my hands are doing, more so just the position of the blade itself, and my hands work to position it correctly behind the scenes, so to speak.

I shouldn’t be making more pots but I always have a handful in progress, you can blame YouTube and my other social media platforms for that, but it’s also always a pleasant way to end a day of solid glazing.

#pottery #bowl #birdseyeview #craft #ceramics

Every couple of weeks I have to go through this process, (during a making cycle at least), I sometimes wish I didn’t trim pots as much as I do, as that certainly creates far more work when it comes to reclaiming clay, yet in the grand scheme of things. I reckon I don’t do nearly as much reclaim as you’d think, mainly as I’m not producing thousands upon thousands of pots a year.

It’s not only trimmings that end up in this bucket though, it’s failed pots, cracked and chipped vessels, together with a vast majority of the scrapes that come off on my hands as I throw pots. Instead of letting it accumulate in the wheel-tray, as my reclaim bucket is kept directly to my left as I make, I can sling it immediately in there, which means when it comes to tidying up my wheel it’s a fairly easy task of just funnelling down the slip saturated water that gathers down the hose that connects the two.

I always thought that reclaiming clay was the norm, yet over the past decade, I’ve encountered a few makers who simply throw it away as the process of recycling it just eats into their available time to much. I don’t get chucking it out but I certainly get how this process can quickly take up hours that could be spent doing other tasks and like I’ve said two thousand times before by now, perhaps this will be the year I grace my studio with the power of a pug-mill.

#recycle #pottery #satisfying #craft #ceramics

Out of interest, when you folks are making slightly larger vessels, do you leave them out to dry until leather hard? Or do you cover them and let them dry out slowly? I’m trying to figure out the best way of doing it, or a better way at least, as in the past when I’ve rushed the process, I’ve found that these types of vessels tend to lean to one side, which makes trimming them a nightmare as there’s an inherent undulation in the walls that’s troublesome to work around.

I’ve been throwing shapes like these on a Monday and I keep them practically covered for 4-5 days until they’re the perfect state of leather hard from top to bottom, lip and base and the internal form too. It can be quite intensive in terms of how often they’re checked and moved around in order to get to this condition but I feel it’s worth it for the added reinsurance that there’s no warpage in them.

As for the rest of the process, well, here’s a pretty standard demonstration of how I trim my angular pots. I’ve got it down to a very clean routine at this point, trimming from top to bottom, narrowing the lower half that’s often left intentionally thicker during the throwing stage to stabilise the entire pot.

Oh, and please excuse the artefacts seen on the vessel during part of the trimming. These are caused by splashes of slip on the mirror in front of me, which the light then reflects onto the spinning clay.

#vase #handmade #oddlysatisfying #clay #ceramics

This idea of making according to certain guides is something I write about fairly often. I know that it doesn’t appeal to everybody, nor am I trying to say that it’s the ‘only’ way of defining a unique, personal style, but for me, it’s been a great tool to help create what I feel is a more cohesive body of work. The ‘rough’ rules as follows:

• No exterior curves
• All exterior forms to made up from straight planes

I say rough as they broken from time to time, yet as a maker, I enjoy working within these self-imposed boundaries as with these restraints, I’ve been able to push them further and further, whilst staying true to an aesthetic I thoroughly like crafting, and that’s likely the most important factor, do you enjoy the process and like the end product?

This means that if I’m making what’s traditionally a more curvaceous shape, I divide the exterior form into numerous segments, simplifying it almost, whilst paradoxically creating shapes that are trickier to throw due the sharpness’s in the angles.

I can’t say I’ll abide for these rules forever and if you really think about it, despite being strict, there are of course numerous curves in every pot I make. The interior forms are often curved, the rim and any other angular change, line or edge are curved too, as they’ve all been thrown on the wheel and therefore have some inherent roundness to them. Finally, the glaze that coats these severe shapes softens them, glaze melts and moves and accumulates on straight planes, adding subtle curves as a veneer over the clay-work.

#pottery #illustration #handmade #drawing #ceramics

Who is Florian Gadsby’s audience?

Florian Gadsby's audience is likely comprised of individuals with a strong interest in artisanal crafts, particularly ceramics and pottery. Their intent signals are evident in their engagement with detailed process videos and aesthetic glazing techniques. With a TikTok ER of 8.08% and Instagram ER of 3.73%, Florian significantly outperforms benchmark engagement rates on both platforms, indicating a highly dedicated and responsive community eager for high-quality, visually appealing content. This suggests a valuable audience for brands seeking to connect with creators in the home decor, craft supplies, or lifestyle sectors.

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