Feet...part 1.

Want to elevate your art to a new level?
Just get to the bottom of it.  Feet will perk up the profile and enable you to glaze the bottom fully.  Brush wax resist on the bottoms of the feet and glaze away.
Even small button sized feet are enough to keep the glaze off the kiln shelf and give your pot a new look.  (unless your glaze is a real "runner")
A round pot does real well with 3 feet , but square pots will usually need 4.  They can be as simple as  slightly flattened rolled balls of clay  to fancy press molded pieces.

If your thinking of adding feet go ahead and make them soon after your piece is finished and store them together so they will have a similar water content and can shrink together as they dry.   I usually make several more than I need in case one has a problem.   The most common cause of failure to adhere  is trying to  join fresh soft clay feet to leather hard clay.

Of course if you are adding those soft squishy feet you will do it as soon as your pot is finished.

To join score the foot and the attachment area  and use a bit of  really thick slip or a spray of vinegar for glue.   Press on the foot and zip it into place.  To zip,  wiggle the foot firmly against the pot in small back and forth movements,  you will notice that very quickly the foot will feel stuck.  Make sure everything is aligned properly and your piece sits level .
 Place pot upside down or on it's side if the feet aren't able to hold it up yet, and cover  to allow the moisture content to equalize between the various parts.

feet...part 2.
Now that we have our fancy feet attached and they have dried for a day or so we can make them easier to live with.

Scratchy feet will not be welcome to tables and counter tops so take care of them now.  Use the bowl of a tablespoon or a wooden rib to burnish the soles of your attached feet.  This will make a very smooth finish.  If you are using very coarse clay the grog will be exposed as the clay shrinks.
You can smooth them again with a  grinding stone after glaze firing .   In Japan the potters are found in the market by the sound of their grinding
stones smoothing the bottom of their new pots.

  If your item is very heavy you might want to make a cookie (of the same clay) that the pot will sit on through both the bisque and glaze firing.   This "cookie" will be shrinking at the same rate as your pot greatly reducing the stress on your feet.   Just roll out your clay about 3/8 inch thick and cut a piece large enough to fit under all feet.  This works great to catch those runny glazes too.

  If you're designing feet for a platter or shallow bowl consider incorporating holes or some other way to run a wire through so the piece can be hung on the wall as pottery art when it isn't being used on the table.

If you find this guide interesting or helpful please vote below and keep watching for new ideas.