Constellation
8 glazes / Coyote
Eight glazes built to do something interesting whether the kiln cools fast or slow.
Coyote say thickness, firing temperature and especially cooling speed all change these, which means they are never quite the same twice. That is the design rather than a fault.
Cone 5/6Bisque to Cone 042 studio favorites
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Constellation by the numbers
8glazes on our shelves
8at Black Level
2studio favorites
Friendly studio tip for this glaze family
These are the ones that will surprise you, and Coyote designed them that way.
Thickness, temperature and especially how fast the kiln cools all change what comes out. Coyote say outright that they are never the same twice, so two pots from one jar in two firings will not match.
If you want repeatable, this is the wrong shelf. If you want to open the kiln and find something you did not quite expect, this is exactly the right one.
Every Constellation glaze we have in house
Hover any tile to see a pot fired in it, or tap once on a phone.
Jump straight to one
Nothing by that name.
8 to choose from
Order
How the Constellation line works
Eight glazes, fired between witness cone 5 and witness cone 6.
Coyote call this the first line designed to shine in both regular and slow-cooled firings. Several develop crystals when the cooling is slow enough, which is where the name comes from.
Coats
Thickness matters, and so does the firing. Coyote name cooling speed as the biggest single influence on this line.
That means a Constellation glaze is a different pot out of a slow cool than out of a normal one, and both are intended.
Layering
These are built to carry a pot on their own. The variation comes from the firing rather than from what you put under them.
Food and safety
Coyote have their recipes reviewed by an independent toxicologist and none of them use lead. They ask that you test your own finished ware for food safety.
Clays that suit Constellation
The Constellations get their character from the firing more than from the clay.
Any body worksEverything from #16 Porcelain to Berlin Gray will carry them.
Light bodies#16 Porcelain, B-Mix and Half & Half read closest to Coyote's own tiles.
The real variableCoyote say cooling speed affects these more than anything else, so the kiln schedule matters more here than your clay choice does.
Worth knowingCoyote say crystals can form in the liquid glaze if it is stored below 65F.
From The Clay Hole University
More info about Constellation below, but first... Everything we teach about glazing, written down and taught properly. These are the glaze lessons, and they are a small corner of a library that runs from centering your first pot to selling your work.
GuideGlaze Brushing Techniques, Coat by Coat
GuideGlazing Big and Intricate Pottery Faster
GuideGetting the Most Out of the Mega Glaze Tool
GuideMaking, Logging and Dialing in Test Tiles
GuideGlaze Problems, Causes and Fixes
GuideGlazing on the Wheel for Even Coats and Clean Bands
GuideBubble Glaze with Dish Soap
GuideMixing Your Own Glazes: What It Actually Involves
GuideMaking a Glaze Catcher
GuideOxide and Carbonate Washes
GuideWhen to Use Celadon Glazes
GuideHow to Use Dipping Glazes
UnderglazeHow to Use Underglaze: Techniques, Rules and Firing
UnderglazeMishima: How to Inlay Slip and Underglaze into Carved Lines
UnderglazeWipe-Away Texture: Underglaze and Oxide Washes on Bisque
The Constellation test tile pot
Every glaze family on our shelves has its own test tile pot, and it is the fastest way to decide what to put on a piece. It is a fired pot wearing the whole family, one numbered tile per glaze, on a surface built to show you what that glaze actually does rather than just what color it is.
Look for Coyote Constellation written on the rim. Each glaze on this page carries its tile number, and the numbers run around the pot.
One trick worth knowing
Some glazes tell you loudly that they run. Others hide it. Look at how the brushed lines fired: crisp edges mean a stable glaze, and edges that went soft and fluid mean it moved, and it will move on your pot too.
About these images and what your pot will actually look like
We have done our best to represent every glaze here accurately, and you should still expect your pot to look different from what is on this screen.
Our glaze tile images are digitally created. They are built to show the character of a glaze, not to be a color match.
A screen is not a printout, a printout is not a test tile, and a test tile is not a finished pot. Each step in that chain shifts what a glaze looks like, sometimes a lot.
On top of that, the pottery itself changes the result: the clay body, how thick the glaze went on, whether it was brushed, dipped or sprayed, what was layered under or over it, where the piece sat in the kiln, how hot that spot ran, how fast it cooled, what was fired next to it, and how much texture the surface had. Two pots glazed from the same jar on the same day can come out different.
Treat every image here as a starting point, and treat a test tile fired on your own clay as the real answer.