It is conceivable that it is unimaginable to use all the mineral resources under Huanglong Mountain.
Therefore, in order to maintain the demand of the mainland market, we must look for other alternative mud mines, so the word "true" or "false" can only be vague sometimes.
In fact, authenticity is not important, what is important is whether the fired purple clay pot is good or not.
At this time, Chen Wenzhe already had some ideas in his mind.
In the future, as the mud used by factories increases, he will definitely have to talk to those mud factories, and at least give him some top-quality mud.
Chen Qinghu didn't understand this at this time, he just knew that just practice clay seriously.
After selecting the purple clay, or adding water to the prepared purple clay, you can start practicing the clay.
Practicing mud is a test of your kung fu. There is no trick. It just tests your seriousness and patience.
This thing is just like making noodles. There are no big particles in the purple sand mud, and the mud that comes out is very fine and soft to the touch, so it's almost the same.
After the clay training is over, start making clay strips.
There is no trick to this, and many students can do it. However, how to make the mud strips even and dense requires patience and seriousness. Only in the end can you see the real skill.
To make clay strips, you need to cut the clay strips according to various needs.
This requires some planning, but it is not difficult to make, because the cut clay strips still need to be adjusted and shaped again during processes such as the body tube.
So, what comes next is the difficulty. Many processes for making a teapot are actually very simple, but some details require real effort to master.
Especially when making the body tube, the clay strips need to be constantly adjusted according to the shape of the teapot being made, and there is also a vertical joining process.
Of course, there is also a horizontal connection process, which is to connect the bottom of the pot.
Only after the pot body is made, the handle and spout are attached, and finally the lid is made, and the teapot is completed.
The entire pot-making process would definitely take a lot of time if it were made by one person, but if more than a dozen people work together and divide the work, it will go very quickly.
And it is easy to form an assembly line operation. Here they are constantly kneading mud, and there are constantly making mud strips, and then someone cuts it, and then someone specializes in arranging the body tube, and someone specializes in carving the spout and making the pot handle.
If the production level is good, you can make a teapot very quickly by doing this.
Of course, we are still in the adjustment and adaptation stage, and there are no purple clay teapots with relatively complicated production processes. Otherwise, the speed will still be slow.
After all, this is a handicraft, not a mass-produced daily necessities.
Therefore, there is no need to pursue speed and output when making this kind of handmade pot.
As time went by, everyone's division of labor was quickly determined. Sixteen people and sixteen hands were able to make a teapot, which was really not slow.
Among them, Chen Xingchen has a harder time, because shaping is the most important thing, and whether the entire pot looks good or not is almost entirely controlled by his hands.
I have to say that he is quite capable to be favored by Professor Tao.
At the very least, by combining the advantages of all his classmates, and finally integrating them in Chen Xingchen's hands, he was somewhat confident that he could make this purple clay teapot reach its optimal level.
The professional level, to put it more informally, is the level of the young artists around the master.
Chen Xingchen has been studying porcelain making with Professor Tao for five or six years. He can't be said to be very good at shaping porcelain, but he is definitely not good at it.
In Chen Xingchen's opinion, the shaping of the teapot is not difficult as long as it is not made in some special format.
He can't reach a very high level now, but he still has no problem being beautiful.
Therefore, whether it is a squat horizontal pot or a round mango pot, he makes it perfectly.
Looking at the purple clay pots that kept appearing in front of him, Chen Wenzhe still felt very happy.
Except for the first one, which is a horizontal pot, the others are ribbed pots. Whether it is a mango pot, a pumpkin pot, or an apple pot, the craftsmanship is very simple.
It can be said that ribbed ware is one of the most representative and influential categories in purple sand modeling.
The creative concept mainly comes from the veins or textures of fruits or petals in nature.
After different craftsmanship, it shows the beauty of symmetry.
Its texture is clear, its lines are smooth, and it has rhythmic beauty.
"The upper and lower prints are correct, the body and cover are consistent, the segmentation is precise, the texture is clear, and the depth is smooth! Not bad, not bad, not to mention anything else, when it is fired, it should be able to be considered beautiful. This will reach the professional level."
Chen Wenzhe is very satisfied with the performance of these students.
He only spent the wages of a third-level worker to buy a fourth-level handicraft production line. Naturally, he was satisfied.
In this collaboration, sixteen more teapots were produced, and each one was different.
Looking at them one by one, some are like tree stumps, some are like bamboo knots, and some are almost like petals.
Various symmetrical or asymmetric ribbed vessels were displayed in front of Chen Wenzhe one by one.
When he saw the last item, Chen Wenzhe was stunned.
This one is the best made and can be considered unique.
If we really want to subdivide the levels, this one should reach level five, which is much better than the previous level four products.
If the previous ones could be sold for a few hundred yuan, then this one should be no problem selling for three to four thousand yuan!
The gap is so big. A craft that barely reaches level 4 will only cost four to five hundred yuan on the market, but a craft that reaches level five will immediately cost four to five thousand yuan.
"This is a good one!" What Chen Wenzhe is most indispensable for here is words of appreciation.
Chen Xingchen was a little proud. Isn't this one very good?
"Is this a Jiayi pot?"
To Chen Wenzhe's surprise, the person who recognized this type of pot this time was actually Chen Qinghu.
He comes from a wild background, so his professionalism is already so strong?
"Do you know this kind of teapot?" Chen Wenzhe asked unexpectedly.
Chen Xingchen said a little embarrassed at this time: "I am imitating the work of Master Chen Mingyuan!"
Chen Wenzhe nodded. There are a lot of articles in the world. It depends on whether you can copy them or not!
We all know the characteristics of ribbed pots, and there are only so many shapes. Many purple clay masters are good at making ribbed pots, and there are many outstanding works that have been handed down.
For example, Chen Mingyuan, Wang Yinchun, Shi Dabin, etc. all made a large number of ribbed vessels.
However, there are also many niche rib wares that, although not well known by many people, still shine in places you don’t know about.
For example, Chen Mingyuan's Jiayi Pot sold for a sky-high price of 10,800,000 yuan at the 2016 autumn art auction.
There must be a reason why it is so expensive, because this kind of teapot is very uniquely made.
The body of the semi-circular pot is divided into three edges and six petals, and the two lines of yin and yang are integrated into each other. When the body is half wet and half dry, the yin line is stamped with a thin bamboo stick, and the yang line is carved out of a fine pile of clay. The whole body has tendons and bones.
It looks like a fat star fruit cut in half.
Of course, Chen Xingchen's works are definitely not up to Chen Mingyuan's level. He just imitated them, and there is no spirit at all.
Even so, as long as it is produced in a satisfactory manner and cannot find any flaws, it is a qualified professional-level work.