Craftsmanship & Finish
The cleanliness of the work's last five percent: surface, edges, finishing — what separates the amateur from the maker.
The five levels
Each anchor describes what separates one level from the next — not a general description of quality. This is the text the evaluator itself reads.
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Level 1 Below Standard
Neglected finish: scratches, clumping, rough edges.
Example Clumped glaze and unsanded edges.
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Level 2 Approaching
Acceptable finish but with visible workmanship marks.
Example A smooth surface except for a rough patch.
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Level 3 At Standard
Clean, consistent finish across the whole piece.
Example A smooth, uniform ceramic surface.
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Level 4 Above Standard
A refined finish felt by hand before the eye; deliberate fine details.
Example A burnished leather edge with a warm touch.
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Level 5 Excellence
A flawless finish; every surface and edge at the highest care.
Example A piece whose finish looks machined for its perfection.
Where does your own work sit on these levels?
Submit one work to be read against this criterion alone: your position across the five levels, why you are not higher and why not lower, three literal quotes from your own work, and one exercise with its success check. Your first card is free.
Price: 7 SAR · Included in Pro & Artist Plus · First one free — Pricing details
Read my work by this criterionOther criteria in the same art
Executing product with precision and attention to detail
The five levels →Choosing materials appropriate to product and ensuring their quality
The five levels →Aesthetic choices making product beautiful and desirable
The five levels →The product performing its intended function efficiently and comfortably
The five levels →Offering a solution or design that sets the product apart from the market's repetition
The five levels →Tight joints and a piece that holds functionally: the joint bears load, the vessel doesn't leak, the structure doesn't loosen.
The five levels →Conformance of Islamic ornament / Sadu to its geometric rules: the grid, closing repetition, star symmetry.
The five levels →Centring the clay mass steadily on the axis before forming — the base of every balanced ceramic piece.
The five levels →