This was the 4th and final attempt at making a mug for my husband. My problem, as usual, was starting with enough clay to make it tall enough and to compensate for firing shrinkage. So each cup I made, no matter how huge it looked on the wheel, turned out too small. I can't blame him; no one wants a piddly little cup of coffee unless of course it's an espresso. Anyway, the other problem was not making a suitable handle. Large knuckles calls for a large handle. Such complication for, what I thought, was a simple, quick project. That was my first mistake, I guess. Finally, I decided to make a huge cylinder to get the height and a tankard was born. I incorporated his initials using a stamp I made which he uses to sign his projects. The glaze gave it an old weathered look which is a good match to such a classic shape. And the hubbie likes it.
