IAMT #3: Maker's Mark v1

multidisciplinary shenanigans

I’ve been taking pottery classes since May of this year, and although I’ve only fully completed four pieces at the moment, I had a deep (egomaniacal) desire to create a maker’s mark. A maker’s mark is a signature of sorts, stamping your work as authentically your own. Very important for professional potters. Did I mention that I’ve only made four pieces?

The design of my maker’s mark originates from a combination of my initials but, more crucially, a cat nose and mouth.

rough sketch of my maker’s mark. also the icon for this substack

Before creating my maker’s mark, I would use a potter’s needle to etch my signature to the bottom of a freshly trimmed pot. It’s an inconsistent process to say the least, especially since I have been using a tan speck clay body with a lot of grog(wikipedia: “a raw material usually made from crushed and ground potsherds… used in pottery and sculpture to add a gritty, rustic texture…”).

trimmed pot w/ hand etched maker’s mark

Honestly, I have little interest in 3D printing as its own, standalone hobby. But as a means to an end for another hobby? My local library has a 3D printer that’s free to use and has classes on how to operate it.

I made the design in inkscape, exported/converted to .STL, brought it into a CAD web app, tinkerCAD, and finished designing the stamp there. Printing at the library took no more than 30 minutes per stamp, and I left with 3 variations.

3d printed stamps

And I love how they came out. Opting for the pink filament has gotten the stamps a few comparisons to the breast cancer ribbon, which I find doubly neat. In application, they look consistent, which is all I can hope for. My ultimate goal with pottery has been to be able to throw near-identical, functional pieces, and creating my maker’s mark stamp has felt like a small win for the consistency.

maker's mark on freshly trimmed porcelain and tan speck respectively

Thanks for reading. More pottery updates to come

- chris