FREQUENTly asked questions
WHERE DOES YOUR BUSINESS NAME COME FROM?
- Shannon is my middle name. I chose to use my first and middle name, rather than first and last, for two reasons. One, my last name's pronunciation isn't the most intuitive (Goode rhymes with "food," I always tell people). Shannon is much more straightforward. And two, if my last name ever changes, I wanted to be able to keep my business name the same to avoid confusion.
WHAT KIND OF MATERIALS DO YOU USE?
- I work almost entirely with porcelain, a very tight white clay with small particle size and a very smooth texture. Many people say it feels like working with cream cheese when wet! I love how clean porcelain looks, and how translucent it can be when fired. If you hold up one of my mugs to the light, You can see light shining through where the porcelain is thin!
- I mix my own black pigment from dry materials and Mason Stain. The colored pigments I use are a variety of commercial underglazes. I paint all my designs in the greenware stage, before pieces are ever fired. Once the pieces go into the kiln, the drawings are fused to the clay and won't come off in the dishwasher or get easily scratched.
- I use a variety of different glazes on all of my work. Most colored glazes I use are commercial, and all glazes used on functional ware is food and dinnerware safe. When I use opaque glazes, I put a layer of protective wax or latex over my designs so they remain visible when fired.
HOW CAN I BUY YOUR WORK?
- Due to demand, I generally sell my work either in-person at festivals, in the gallery at Southern Star Studios, or in batches of Etsy restocks. Before an online restock, I'll announce on social media the date and time of the drop, to try and give everyone looking to buy work a fair chance of getting a piece they want. Don't see anything listed on my Etsy? I'm likely either sold out, or am working an in-person sale. The best place to find out about new online restocks is through my Instagram, @sophieshannon.art!
- Every piece I make is unique in size, shape, and design, so once a piece sells, there likely will not be another exactly like it. Most of what is in my website gallery has already sold. If you're interested in purchasing work, please visit my Etsy page (accessible through the "for sale" tab at the top of the page).
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO MAKE A MUG?
- Throwing a mug doesn’t take a whole lot of time on its own, maybe between 10 and 15 minutes from start to finish. However, I have to wait for the clay to dry, make a handle and wait for that to dry, attach the handle, wait some more, draw out my design, hand-paint and carve the piece, bisque fire, glaze, and then glaze fire. So while it may not seem like a lot of work, the process for one mug takes place over days or even weeks! That's why a handmade mug by me costs more than a mass-produced, store-bought mug.
- Drawing on/carving into a mug usually takes around 30 to 45 minutes per mug. As I've become more comfortable with my creative process, I've seen that time speed up, but hand-decorated mugs take significantly longer than a simpler glaze combination.
HOW DO YOU PRICE YOUR WORK?
- As you can see from the question above, a ton of work goes into even the smallest pieces, particularly since I hand-paint every piece I make. I try to price them accordingly by factoring in the time it takes me to make each piece, the materials used, costs of firing, plus profit.
- Ultimately, the more complicated the piece, the higher the price. Things like handles, more than one drawing, an extremely detailed or complicated drawing, colored glaze, or a custom piece will all raise the price of an item.
DO YOU TAKE COMMISSIONS?
- I take commissions on an extremely limited basis, and the amount I may take fluctuates based on time of year, business of my schedule, whether or not I'm working a festival, etc. It never hurts to reach out to me through my email, I’m always happy to discuss options if you have something specific in mind, but I cannot guarantee that I will take every commission I'm asked to make. Thank you for your understanding!
Questions? Concerns? Please don't hesitate to contact me through email at sophieshannonart@gmail.com, or through Instagram at @sophieshannon.art