The theme I chose was Portuguese-inspired. My great-grandmother is very proud of her Portuguese heritage, and it was recently her birthday, so I felt that this would be a meaninful gift for her. I took inspiration from traditional portuguese pottery painting.
It took me a few tries to make the platter. The first time I tried to make it, I tried to take it off the mold too early, and it didn't hold its shape because it was too wet. The second time, I left it uncovered for too long, and when I tried to sand the bottom to make it sit flat, it broke in half. For my final attempt I successfully let my 1/8 inch slab dry just enough. That was another tricky aspect of this platter. I didn't want it to be thick, I wanted it to be dainty, but this meant it was very delicate so I had to be careful. I used blue underglaze and white underglaze for the design I painted. After firing, I just used clear glaze and after it's final firing it was ready!
I am overall very happy with how this platter turned out. I think my grandmother will be very happy with it. I think if I were to do it again, I would include fewer dainty details and more solid details like the inspiration photos pictured at the top of the page. I also would have mixed the white underglaze with a tiny bit of yellow to make it less bright. I also could have sanded the bottom better to make it less wobbly. But other than that, I am satisfied with this project and I enjoyed learning more about my own heritage.