eHow launches Android app: Get the best of eHow on the go.
Summary: The first step in creating any clay pottery project is centering your clay on your spinning wheel. Learn about clay forming tips that you will need from a pottery expert to create a soap pump in this free video clip.
Emily Owen was born and raised in Austin, Texas. Owen earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a bachelor's of Science from the University of Texas in Austin with a total of 180 hours...read more
Making pottery is the art of creating earthenware vessels from clay. The process involves shaping a vessel, by hand or with tools, and cooking it in a kiln. Mankind has been making pottery since the times we first learned about fire. Ancient civilizations used pottery for all sorts of things, from storing oil, wine, and other foodstuffs, to holding papyrus scrolls, the organs of dead god-kings, perfumes, and various religious offerings. Because pottery is durable and lasts long after its creator is gone, it has helped us to learn about entire groups of people that we might have otherwise never known; these hand-crafted objects tell stories, not only from their complex structural designs, but also the carefully wrought stories painted on their surfaces, a sort of iconography of a time and place in history.
In this free video clip series this clay expert will be addressing the art of pottery forming and molding the clay with your hands. She will include several examples of natural hand movements you can use to create life in your pieces as well as several creative ideas for new and interesting designs no one has thought of yet. This will make each piece you make special and unique. You will learn tricks for scoring edges of clay, attaching them and even how to apply handles to a pouring bowl. Take a look at these great videos and go play in the mud!
"So now I'm going to show you how to do a soap pump, which is just a little bit trickier than a salt cellar. Again, throw the clay down hard on the wheel of the center. Your left hand is not moving very much. Your right hand is pushing towards your left hand. Get that clay on the center. And then make the opening with your left index finger and pull out. Eventually you'll get the feel of how thick the bottom is, but it never hurts to check with your needle tool. That's a little bit too thick so I'm going to go a little further. And once you've got the bottom the right thickness, take your hard rib here and compress the bottom of that piece. And now we're ready to start pulling up the soap pump."
Copyright © 1999-2009 eHow, Inc. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the eHow Terms of Use † and Privacy Policy †. en-US Portions of this page are modifications based on work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License. † requires javascript
