Pottery

A mortar and pestle is an old but still highly useful set of kitchen implements used to grind fresh herbs, releasing their internal juices for maximum scent and flavor. While a mortar and pestle...

It is easy to go to the department store and purchase a set of candles, or a pre-made piece of pottery, but there can be true joy and a sense of accomplishment when you craft these everyday...

Hopi-Tewa pottery originated in the Southwest United States. These vessels were formed around round-bottomed gourds and polished with river stones. Then the pots were painted with intricate,...

The Mimbres tribe of the Southwest, specifically southwest New Mexico and southeast Arizona, created pottery using the coil technique. This technique needs no pottery wheel. Instead, the potter...

You have already thrown the bowl on the potters wheel. The bowl is dried to a leather hard stage. How do you trim a nice foot for it?

Here are some tips to follow when making a bowl on the pottery wheel, so that you can explore the fun, sometimes challenging and potentially profitable world of pottery making.

Try making coil pots using a round bowl (mold). Making the pot inside the bowl gives it an instant shape, helps the clay to keep its shape during construction and can aid in a more centered piece.

Clay tobacco pipes are an old tradition, going back hundreds of years. Clay pipes are simple to make, relatively inexpensive, and higher grade clays give a clean smoke without altering the taste...

Remove excess clay from salsa bowl before removing it from pottery wheel. Clean pottery wheel splash guard after separating bowl as demonstrated in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Keep clay pottery bowl clean to make it last longer. Find out suggestions for placement of small clay salsa bowls withing larger one in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Smooth out clay before ribbing the pottery bowl. Compress clay for a salsa bowl as demonstrated in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

When creating ribs for a clay pottery bowl, push rib tool all the way through the potter's wheel. Throw a clay salsa bowl using the tips in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Keep clay bowl centered during pottery throwing process. Learn how to center a large clay bowl in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

When throwing a clay bowl, decide width of bowl when there is still plenty of clay left to work with. Learn how to plunge a clay bowl in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Pull clay to edge of the bat when throwing a pottery bowl. Find out how to attach clay the pottery wheel bat in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Cut clay off the bat when compressing the bottom of a pottery bowl. Learn how to compress the bottom of a clay bowl in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Wet clay while shaping it into pottery bowl. Pinch clay to get the right bowl shape as demonstrated in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

When shaping a clay salsa bowl, pinch the rim into desired shape. Keep bowl rim wet when pinching it as demonstrated in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Trim clay pottery salsa bowl while still on the pottery wheel. Clean off the bottom of a bowl before trimming it as demonstrated in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Wedge clay for a salsa bowl before putting it on a pottery wheel. Begin a pottery project by preparing the clay as demonstrated in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Pottery tools include sponges, ribs and the needle tool. Get pottery tools ready for a clay bowl project by following the tips in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Push clay to center of the pottery wheel before throwing a salsa bowl. Find out how to prepare clay for a pottery wheel with the tips in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Before throwing a clay bowl, make sure to get all of the air out of the clay. Center clay on a pottery wheel with the free tips in this pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

When throwing a clay bowl, don't worry about perfection. Learn how to throw a small salsa bowl as demonstrated in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Leave clay salsa bowl on pottery wheel when trimming it. Trim a salsa pottery bowl by using the tips in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

When throwing a clay bowl, gather clay from the bottom and move to the top. Find out tips for throwing a clay salsa bowl in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.

Use a thumb plunge technique for a ceramic water bowl to bore a hole into the center of the clay. Learn the thumb plunge technique with tips from a master potter in this free ceramics video.

Establish a base for a ceramic water bowl by pulling the walls out to your desired width. Learn how to establish a bowl base with tips from a master potter in this free ceramics video.

Compressing clay for a ceramic water bowl will create a sturdy bottom that will not crack. Learn how to compress clay with tips from a master potter in this free ceramics video.

Trim a ceramic water bowl by removing excess clay with a potter's knife. Learn how to trim a water bowl with tips from a master potter in this free ceramics video.

Attach candlestick holders to a water bowl to create a unique ceramic piece incorporating water and fire. Learn how to attach ceramic pieces together with tips from a master potter in this free...

Touch up a water bowl and candlestick holder piece by cleaning up the edges with a potter's knife. Learn how to touch up a water bowl and candlestick combo with tips from a master potter in this...

Prepare your clay for a water bowl and candlestick holder by pounding out air bubbles. Learn how to prepare clay with tips from a master potter in this free ceramics video.

Wedging clay on the wheel for a water bowl and candlestick holder will remove inconsistencies in the clay. Learn how to wheel wedge with tips from a master potter in this free ceramics video.

Center and wedge clay for a water bowl at the same time using equal hand pressure. Learn how to wedge and center clay at the same time with tips from a master potter in this free ceramics video.

A potter can make holes for chopsticks in a clay noodle bowl by first measuring where they should be placed. See how to make holes for chopsticks in your ceramic noodle bowl in this free ceramics...

A potter can make notches for chopsticks in a clay noodle bowl by first measuring where they should be placed. See how to cut chopstick notches in a ceramic noodle bowl in this free ceramics video.

You can take clay from the hump when shaping a ceramic noodle bowl on the pottery wheel. See how to shape a noodle bowl on the pottery wheel when throwing off the hump in this free ceramics video.

Clay should be somewhat dry when removing a bowl from the hump. See how to remove a bowl from the hump when throwing on the pottery wheel in this free ceramics video.

Watch a ceramics artist throw a noodle bowl off the hump in this free video on pottery wheel ceramics.

Tapping the side of a clay pot lets you know how much clay you have left to trim. Watch how to trim a traditional Japanese tea bowl on a clay chuck in this free ceramics video.

Traditional Japanese tea bowls are not made with rigid lines. Learn about throwing a Japanese tea bowl on the potter's wheel in this free ceramics video.

It is important to leave a lot of clay on the bottom of a traditional Japanese tea bowl. Learn how to establish the hole and bottom of a traditional Japanese tea bowl in this free ceramics video.

An artist acknowledges the fluidity of clay when pulling a traditional Japanese tea bowl. Watch how to throw a traditional Japanese tea bowl on the wheel in this free ceramics video.

If the clay bowl is a little off center on the clay chuck that is OK. See how to center a tea bowl on a clay chuck in this free ceramics video.

Tapping the bottom of a clay pot lets you know how much clay is on your foot. See how to trim a traditional Japanese tea bowl on a clay chuck in this free ceramics video.

Plunging your thumb into the clay is the way to open clay on the wheel. Learn how to open clay for throwing a traditional Japanese Bowl in this free ceramics video.

Pulling a bowl on the wheel is an essential part of throwing on the wheel. Learn how to pull a Japanese bowl on the potter's wheel in this free ceramics video.

The potters knife is a great tool to use to trim off excess clay from the bottom of a pot. Learn how to remove a bowl from the hump in this free ceramics video.

Throwing off the hump is an efficient pottery method. Learn how to make a traditional Japanese bowl by throwing off the hump in this free ceramics video.