Pottery Chess Set

So if you'd like to try something similar some time this is what it took to make this full chess set and bored for my hubby for Christmas.

First thins first, I did a tun of research on different sets and options I found lots of simple options on pinterst but I had to do something unique, I saw some animal and nerdy pieces but I decided to go with animals: Dogs VS Cats. I knew I could do mice with the cats but it took time to decide on rabbits for the Dogs pawns.

Then I had to work on size and workable shapes so I printed out a paper with chess pieces on it and cut out each piece, then marked out the size of each of the pieces and sketched out individual unique art for all 12 different pieces:

2 kings Lion and GrateDain

2 Queens Lioness and Husky

2 Bishops Russian blue and Greyhound

2 Knights Bowing cat and Hyena

2 Rooks Cat on pillows and Dog house

2 Pawns Mice and Rabbits

Next was to cut out the drawings and make them 3d in clay, I cut out each drawing and an extra in card-stock incase the clay was too wet and destroyed the original. I rolled out the clay to just over an inch thick and set each cut out on the clay and with a x-acto knife cut out the shapes(much lick a cookie cutter would).

1 fore each King and Queen

2 for each Bishop, Knight and Rook.

8 for each Pawn.  

Each time I cut a piece out I carefully shaped and sculpted it into a semblance of the animal I was trying for, really this was the most painstaking part of the whole process (it killed my hands). Then I set them all to dry and be bisque fired. Once that was done I started working on the chess board by rolling out a sheet of clay 1\2"thick and just over 14" squared trimmed it to size, marked each of the 8x8 grid with a ruler and set it to dry and bisque bake.... Full disclosure the fist bored I made was to thin and and brooke to pieces before it even dried so I went through this process twice. 

After supper stressing about it all making it though the kiln they all came out looking great the board was a bit warped but all together for clay it was a miracle that it all made it through.<p>

  From here it was just wax coat the bases of each piece and glazing them, for the board I painted the wax on the bottom (this keeps the glaze from attaching the pieces to the kiln)I did a coat of a light gray wight glaze on the top, then I panted on 3 coughs of glaze on each of the odd squares to make the checkered pattern with some dark greanblue, I also put some on the edges just to finish the look. Again it was time to sweat and pray that it all would make it through the next kiln.

  A week latter I went in to the lab and picked up the whole thing !It All Made It Through! after getting it home and setting it up some of the pieces rocked a little witch was fine cuss to finish the set I put eva crafting foam on the bottoms of everything now it looks grate and my hubby is crazy impressed!

Well I hope this inspires you or helps you get a better understanding for your next craft.