Animal Bowls

For Christmas, I made my niece a set of animal bowls. I figured if they turned out well, I might try to do them again. I threw them on a wheel with warm brown clay, used foam stamps to imprint the faces right after I threw the bowls and built up a few areas like the eyes, and when they were leather hard I painted the faces with underglaze. They were bisque fired, and then I used a clear glaze to finish them. My brother and I have always had a monkey thing between us (don't ask), so naturally one had to be a monkey. I collect rhinoceroses, so one had to be a rhino. She has a Sophie the Giraffe that she liked for chewing, so I made one a giraffe, and the last one seemed like it need to be a lion to round out the crew. I think if I did them again, I would use white clay so that the colors would be a little more vibrant and kid-friendly. My teacher seemed to think brown wasn't a very good kid color, but I explained that she is an earthy kid. It seems to me that these might be popular for parents who have a hard time convincing their child to eat everything on their plate - you get to discover which bowl you are using if you eat to the bottom. If you are a parent, let me know what you think about that idea in the comments section. Thanks to my mom who took the pictures in her new light tent, and who will deliver the bowls to their new owner.