How to Make Pottery From Clay
Creating clay pottery is centuries old and some of the ancient techniques are still used today. Learning to hand-build with clay gives one an overall sense of how to make pottery and is a great starting point for novice potters who may later learn wheel-thrown pottery.
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Instructions
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Learn to make a pinch pot. You can use any clay you want with this method. Hold a ball of clay in one hand while using the thumb of the other hand to press into the clay. Rotate the clay in your hand as you continue to pinch and squeeze with your thumb. Add your fingers to the pinching process to thin out your pot.
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Practice the hand-building method of coiling. This forms ropes of clay with your hands. Use these ropes to create pottery on a turntable by first putting down a flattened pad of clay, and then circling the ropes on top of this pad.
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Join coils together to form the inside of a vessel. Use the fingers of one hand to support the outside while you smooth out the coils in a vertical direction. Do this a few coils at a time until your pottery attains the desired height.
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4
Master slab building. Press out a ball of clay with the heel of your hands and then smooth it with a rolling pin. If you have remaining lumps, pound them with the side of your fist and use a rolling pin again to smooth them.
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Use your hand-built slabs to create boxes and other useful forms. Allow the clay that has been shaped into slabs to firm until they are still slightly flexible. Use a knife to cut shapes to piece together. Reinforce at each joint of your structure with a fresh coil of clay to act as the "glue."
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Create interesting shapes from hand-built slabs by winding the rolled-out clay around molds. Remove the mold before the clay dries, as the clay will shrink some, and then removal of the mold will be impossible.
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Craft clay figures. Use lumps of clay held together by sticks when forming difficult shapes that have to be pieced together. Make sure that your work is supported until it firms enough to stand on its own.
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Tips & Warnings
Experiment with different types of clay to find which are best for the type of pottery you wish to create. Some clays are specific to earthenware, stoneware or porcelain.
