How to Design a Potters Mark for Beginners in 2025

If you’re looking to elevate your pottery, you’ll want to learn how to design a potter's mark. A pottery maker's mark is a design that identifies the artist or manufacturer of their artwork. This custom design is traditionally your initials or a logo placed on the bottom of your pottery. It helps you claim ownership of your work and should be personal to you and your creative style.

Potters and manufacturers have been placing maker's marks on their pottery and ceramics for centuries. Maker’s marks can also determine if certain pieces are valuable and many maker's marks have been recorded for future generations. 

In an article for Iowa State University, Jasmine Beul describes her project at the Brunnier Art Museum to catalog and preserve maker’s marks to capture artists’ legacies. You can easily study how other artists created their own pottery marks while learning how to design a potter's mark.

So, how do you imprint pottery? Whether you’re creating pottery gifts for your friends or selling your pieces to clients, we’ve created a guide to help you learn how to design a potter's mark for beginners.

Jump to Section

• How to Design Your Own Pottery Maker’s Mark
• How to Make a Pottery Signature Stamp
• How to Design a Potter's Mark FAQs

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How to Design Your Own Pottery Maker’s Mark

Learn How to Design a Potters Mark in Pottery Classes

Hands-on pottery classes are one of the best ways to learn pottery. Whether you’re exploring pottery for beginners or you’ve been making pottery for years, patient instructors will help you feel confident as you develop your skills. 

From learning how to make a pottery signature stamp to glazing pottery like a pro, pottery classes are an excellent way to learn the craft. Discover pottery classes in Columbus, pottery classes in Miami and pottery classes in Portland to get started today!

Determine Your Signature Style

Whether you want to make creative clay stamp designs or your pottery stamp initials, learning how to design a potter's mark is a great way to personalize your work. Each pottery maker's mark is unique and personal to the artist. 

It can be large or small, but it should be recognizable in your work. After you’ve determined your clay maker's mark, you’ll want to decide the best way to make potter’s stamps.

Identify Your Pottery Maker’s Mark

There are several ways you can create a pottery maker's mark. One of the easiest ways is to paint your initials on your clay after it dries. Paint your design on plaster or paper before you apply the paint to your piece. 

While this is one of the quickest ways to make your maker's mark, it’s even better to learn how to make a pottery signature stamp.

How to Make a Pottery Signature Stamp

Consider the Placement of the Clay Stamp Design

When first learning how to design a potter's mark, you’ll want to determine the placement of your potter's stamps. Many artists like to place their pottery stamp initials on the bottom of their work, but you can place the stamp anywhere there’s a flat surface. 

There are tons of maker’s mark ideas when determining how to make a pottery signature stamp and deciding the best place to place your stamp. You can explore other pottery making to see where other artists place their clay stamp designs.

Create Clay Stamp

The next step when learning how to design a potter's mark is to roll your clay into about a centimeter-thick diameter. Making sure your clay is close to this size will ensure your stamp is recognizable on your pottery. 

Use a rib tool to smooth the handle. Create a flat edge you can easily press on your design for your clay maker's mark.

Create Your Design

Next, create your design on a different material to press your clay stamp into. This is one of the easiest ways you can learn how to design a potter's mark.

Whether you press the edge of your stamp tool into paper with wet markers or a porcelain disk with your design etched out, this will help you trace your maker's mark while creating your stamp.

Carve Your Design on the Stamp

Use a pin tool or a potter's needle to carve around the design of your stamp. Make sure that the details of your design stay raised and flat while you carve the stamp. The part that presses into your work needs to be the highest part of the stamp. 

Be patient and work slowly. When learning how to design a potter's mark, this step requires you to be detail-oriented and can take some time.

Cut Away Extra Clay on the Stamp

Cut away and curve the edges, so they don’t press onto the clay with the stamp. You can use a variety of tools to create divots and round out the edges of your stamp so it will create a smooth, unique design on your artwork.

Test Your Design

If you think you’re done learning how to design a potter's mark, you’ll want to test your stamp before finalizing your piece. If you have soft clay on hand, you can test your design before finalizing it. 

Create a flat surface on your soft clay and press your stamp into the material. This step will help you visualize your design before you add it to your pieces. Don’t test the stamp too much or it will absorb the soft clay or water. Testing it more than once or twice is not recommended. 

Fire the Stamp

The last step when learning how to design a potter's mark is to fire the stamp. Bisque fire your custom pottery stamp to a hot temperature to ensure the clay gets hard enough to resist breaking or falling apart. Cone 6 or 8 in the bisque kiln would work best!

How to Design a Potter's Mark FAQs

What Materials Are Used to Create a Potter’s Mark?

You’ll want to ensure you have the right tools on hand when learning how to design a potter's mark. One of the best types of clay to use for your custom pottery stamp is porcelain clay. Porcelain is also strong and durable, so your stamps will last for a long time! 

You’ll also need a rib tool to shape the handle of your stamp. A potter's needle, or even a sewing needle, will help you create your design on the stamp. A small brush can come in handy to help keep your space clean and brush away the pottery crumbs while creating your stamp.

What Pottery Marks to Look For?

One of the best ways to discover pottery ideas and how to design a potter's mark is to observe how other artists imprint their pottery. Many manufacturers place their mark on the bottom of a piece to signify to customers and other sellers of their work. 

You can also find valuable pottery marks on antique and vintage pottery that can be worth a lot of money. Factors like age, quality, rarity and the manufacturer’s or potter’s reputation can determine the price of the piece.

Learning how to design a potter's mark through these artists or companies can be a great way to discover how to add a personalized touch to your own.

As you grow as an artist, it’s beneficial to learn how to design a potter's mark for your pottery. Having your initials or logo on your work creates ownership and allows you to personalize your art.

Whether you’re making pottery gifts or looking for the most unique maker’s mark ideas for your pieces, potter’s marks are personable to you and your creativity.

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