They make for a purr-fect lil friend in a plant pot, as a desk buddy or in your pocket as a travelling companion! They are also excellent as a chopstick holders or as a paintbrush rest!

Cat for scale reference :)

PROCESS:

The process of making a Pocket Pookie requires many steps, but I think its really rewarding!

I start with a ball of porcelain clay. I then sculpt it into a teeny tiny cat-shaped figurine. I smoothen it out, and then let it dry for 72 hours. It is important to let the clay dry properly so that it will not explode in the kiln due to excess moisture. It then goes into the kiln for its first firing at 1828 °F / 998 °C for 8-9 hours. Afterwards, I will paint the figurine with special underglaze paints (My favourite brand is Amaco Velvets). This is a meticulous step because I have to paint over the design 2-3 times to make sure the pigments are saturated enough. The colours are very pale and pastel at this stage. I let the underglaze paints dry for at least 24 hours before carefully brushing on my clear glaze coat-which gives it a shiny and vibrant effect. I then wait at least another 24 hours for the glaze to fully settle before placing it into the kiln for a second time-at an even hotter temperature of 2232 °F/ 1222 °C for 8 hours!

I have experimented with MANY types of clays and clay brands. The one that I use is Laguna's WC-437 frost porcelain clay. Even though it costs double the price of a stoneware clay, and is much harder to sculpt with (dries very quickly)-I think the results are well worth it!

About the artist:

Hello! My name is Diana. I am a ceramic artist residing in Montréal with a really BIG dream to make really tiny things-in porcelain clay! I have been making tiny clay animals for about a decade now (I started when I was 16). I began with polymer clay, but slowly worked my way up to doing ceramics for the past 5 years. I studied fine arts at the University of Waterloo, joined a potter’s guild in North Bay and was an instructor at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, where I taught people how to make these little cats!

This is the first time I’m really putting my art out there, and its quite scary-but I’m trying my best to pursue a passion that has been such a big part of my life!

Thanks for stopping by I hope my clay creations bring you as much joy as I get from making them ♡