All pieces are handmade in our Parisian studio.
Behind the workshop window, the team of ceramists brings the vases to life, animals and magical creatures.
Every night, the ceramic kiln purrs quietly, at a temperature of 1000 degrees.
The 3 key stages of ceramic manufacturing:
I. the shape
In the beginning, there's shaping. At Dodo Toucan, we have two centers in the workshop for working on the shape.
modeling
It all starts with a ball of earth.
Under the hands of our ceramists, the material stretches, takes shape, becomes an animal or a lucky charm. These shapes are smoothed, then the clay dries for 10 days. Each team member specializes in certain shapes: Ivana in lucky charms, Héloïse in deer, Sara in tigers and foxes!
...or casting?
For large pieces like our vases, we develop our range of molds, from a hand-modeled original or a 3D print, depending on the desired result.
Once the mold is made, we pour liquid clay into it every morning.
In the evening, we unmold and sometimes add details by hand, such as handles or ears. It's a slow technique because a mold only allows one or two castings per day!
2. the decor
After drying, the color comes into play. The pieces are painted with engobes, a mixture of earth and pigments, then wrapped for a first firing. Upon removal, the colors become more vibrant and the earth, which was initially gray, turns white.
The clay seems to drink in the colors, which appear faded. The ceramics are then fired for a first baking of 24 hours at nearly 1000 degrees. When they come out, the colors appear in all their brilliance, and the clay, initially gray, turns white.
3. enameling
After the first firing, we move on to the biscuit stage. The clay is white, but still matte and porous. The pieces are immersed in a bath of transparent enamel followed by a second firing.
At around 1000 degrees, the glaze vitrifies and gives the
ceramics a shiny appearance while revealing the intensity of the
colors: the process is complete.
Recycling and reuse of materials
Finally, for technical reasons, some of the clay cannot be recycled. We change it into chips that we fire to create clay balls. This way, they will live their best life in your flower pots and contribute to the well-being of your plants. You will find them at a free price in our workshop boutique.
Like many ceramists,
we take care to recycle
clay scraps in the workshop.
Carried out before firing, this process requires soaking the raw earth in water for several days, then kneading it to remove air bubbles.
We also use crushed dry earth waste to create our engobes, the ceramicists' paints, by mixing them with pigments and water.
