Produced commonly by North Carolina potters, the signature qualities of a face jug are usually its bulging eyes and teeth made from broken pieces of white pottery or stoneware. Potters often add a large mustache and misshapen ears to top off the humorous look. The look of your face jug is up to your artistic interpretation.
The first step to producing a face jug is to turn the traditional pottery jug. Pottery is turned on a foot-operated pottery wheel and rapidly spins, allowing you to mold the shape of the jug with your hands. When you turn the jug, shape it like a wide vase but add a smaller round top like a milk jug. This shape mimics the tradition of the old moonshine jugs. When turning pottery, you should dip your hands in water to keep your hands and the jug moist. The jug must dry for a few hours before adding the facial features and handle.
To give the look of a jug, consider adding a handle to the top or side of your jug. Mold each piece of the face in sections and add each facial feature one by one to make the task more manageable and to give you some creative license in adapting the look of your face jug as you go. Most potters use at least 13 pieces of clay to create the face of the jug before adding any additional features such as a mustache or a beard. To complete your look, make sure you remember to add the eyes and jagged teeth.
Traditional potters use a wood firing process to preserve their face jug creations. The wood firing takes place in a specially designed oven called a "kiln." Wood firing is a tricky process that requires learned skill. If you are a beginner potter or do not have a kiln, consider contacting an experienced potter for assistance.
Potters have expanded on the idea of the face jug by creating decorative scenes in jugs rather than just faces. Follow the same process as above but instead of creating a face on your jug, consider modeling another scene out of pottery such as trees or a cabin. Your jug may need to be slightly indented on one side of the jug to create a place for the scene to sit. You could also paint or glaze your face jug before firing to add uniqueness.