How to Make Your Own Pottery Maker's Mark

Here it is! Finally! At long last the video that shows how I carve my own, porcelain maker's marks for stamping my pottery. I hope it demonstrates it well, it was so difficult filming on this macro level. ALSO! Thanks so much for one million subscribers, what a surreal and insane number of people that is. (I'll have to think of a proper celebratory video—all ears if you've got any ideas!).

I used Audrey Blackman porcelain for these but you can use any, or a smooth, stoneware clay body/terracotta too.

Timestamps:
0:00 – Introduction
0:16 – The tools used
1:45 – A page of my old maker's mark ideas
2:10 – Preparing the porcelain
2:45 – Separating out the 'blanks'
3:50 – Piercing holes in the handles
4:49 – Grinding the tops flat
6:39 – Penciling in my backwards symbol
7:00 – The carving begins
8:27 – Carving away to create the border
9:30 – Testing the mark
10:14 – Showing the process again, with discussions about how/why
13:52 – All the maker's marks/stamps
14:26 – ONE MILLION SUBSCRIBERS THANK YOU

Thanks for watching, especially if you made it all the way to the end!
____

[floriangadsby]

Just leaving this comment here as I know there’ll be a few questions about it… I know that my ‘F’ stamp, if you take it as a Futhark rune, is actually an ‘A’. ᚨ is A, ansuz and ᚠ is F, fehu, so in many ways it is a bit strange that I use the wrong rune for my F, which obviously stands for Florian.

Years ago now when I first carved my ‘F’ stamp I didn’t really look at that Futhark alphabet for direct inspiration. I made a whole variety of marks and that was the one that stuck with me. I knew I wanted a simple ‘F’ and just sloped the arms of the character, that’s as deep as it goes and now I’m stuck with it and its incorrect relation to the rune character. That being said, I do have a middle name that begins with ‘A’ and I do have some Anglo-Saxon heritage. Gadsby, or Gaddesby, from the ancient Norse name Gaddr, being a town mentioned in the Domesday Book, formed by Anglo-Saxon tribes.

Anyhow, I hope that sheds some light on why I use this mark.

[GreenDayFanMT]

You have made an reMARKable impression on our understanding and image of the pottery craft.

[vzeimen]

In my family we are always trying to take big numbers and turn them into something my kids (and I) can understand more easily. Like 1 million seconds is 12 days, one million minutes is over 694 days, one million people standing shoulder to shoulder would make a line approximately 284 miles long! Congratulations on your one million subscribers, what an accomplishment! Sort of makes me wonder what a million hand thrown mugs would look like all in one place, lol.

[huntermessick]

I have been in ceramics classes for about a year now, but I finally bought my own wheel! I'm super excited to get started and use some of your advice in practice.

[suzannethompson]

Congratulations on one million subscribers! It’s comforting to deduce that there must be a million people on the planet I could talk pottery with! Thank you for this great video, and all your videos. 👏🏻❤️🙏🏻

[kevinskudalski]

The Great Gadsby does it again! Fantastic information delivered in an accessible format. Thank you for this.

[STAIND]

Florian, this has been a video I've longed to see for a very long time. And it has by far exceeded my expectations.
You are my favorite potter and I am so grateful for all of your hard work.

Jacob

[evalyncharalambous]

Thank you so much Florian. You are our Guru. My husband came to the potters wheel with absolutely no experience and for myself, only 3 or 4 attempts. Now we are making all sorts of lovely pots thanks to you. The highest regards, Evalyn ❤

[harpinsoul]

I wonder how many of us now go ahead and give it a try. I would love to see a compilation here of all those makers marks, inspired by your work and kind offering of knowledge and encouragement. Thank You!!!

[kathypowell]

Congratulations on 1 M! Wow! Your pottery is divine and video's are quite special so I am not surprised, really.

[CookbooksonRepeat]

1 million!! Congrats!! Love your channel.

[revathy]

Congratulations for 1 million subscribers 🎉🎉

[juanQuedo]

The long awaited Maker's mark video! 🙌

[janiceho]

Thank you for this detailed video! As a former jeweler turned beginner ceramicist, I appreciate this level of meticulousness for making something so personal and at this scale.

[joywildman]

Thanks so much Florian. I’ve been looking forward to watching this video.. as you said it was coming. The makers mark I’ve been using is a raised one.. therefore it pushes into the clay in reverse. I’m going to try a mark like this, where it is carved out, leaving a positive, raised imprint of my mark. Congratulations on reaching a million subscribers. It is rare to find someone so humble and willing to share their knowledge and skills as you do.. even in person, let alone online! You do though, in your humble, genuine way. It has meant a great deal to many of us, I’m sure... that’s why you have a million subscribers and will get many more. 😊

[louisequinby]

Ok, you've convinced me to make my own maker's marks! I think I will use underglaze to colour the handles orange or yellow. It is so easy to lose clay tools! It really helps to know to make them in various sizes, and to make more than one of each size. Thanks Florian!

[chickenpea]

I love how fastidious you are and how careful. Your videos are really clear and inspiring - thank you Florien.

[valeriemyers]

I just found you and enjoyed this demonstration so much. I shared it with some ceramics friends and plan to make one in my class next week.congrats on 1 million followers. Make that one million and one!

[phillipmeredith]

Thank you for making these videos. I am brand new to pottery and your explanations are precise, and your videos are very well made. You've helped me with opening and centering more than you can know. You do fantastic work! Please keep it up! Thank you!!

[tanhue]

super helpful! but also the videos are done in such high quality as well, professional all around.