Making my own cup of cheer

I thought of making a cup related to food and was inspired by a picture on the internet of a cup made in the shape of a pudding. I decided to make a strawberry-shaped cup - strawberry is my favourite fruit - to represent love. It has a red handle and a few leaves on it.

I started by squeezing the air out of the ceramic clay, then moulded it by pinching it into the shape of a cup. I smoothed off the edges and any dried cracks with water until it looked just like a strawberry. I added a handle by making a rectangular strip. I stuck it on to the side of the cup with water and extra clay - making sure that it would not fall off.

I made thin leaf shapes from the leftover clay and carefully stuck them on the top of my cup, with some leaves overlapping each other. Then I used a toothpick to draw little oval shapes like strawberry seeds. I left the clay to dry out for several days, after which time it is known as greenware. Then it was put in the kiln for the bisque firing, which makes it much stronger.

Then came my favourite part - the glazing. I chose red, leaf green and yellow glaze to do this. I carefully painted the body of the cup, and the handle, strawberry red. The leaves on the top of the cup were given a leaf green colour. After the red glaze had dried a bit, I painted yellow dots on the body of the cup, for the seeds. The last step was the glaze firing.

The finished strawberry cup looked great. It was shown to guests on the open day. I felt quite satisfied and proud of my work. I had created a lovely, unique cup for myself.

Art is a miracle.