Types of Clay for Pottery

Series Summary

Scholars believe that the first pottery was made my hand and fired in bonfires which could reach temperatures of 900 degrees Celsius. Later, holes were dug in the ground to act as the first kilns. These early kilns utilized the earth around the hole as insulation to provide for better control of the firing process. Glazes and the potter's wheel were invented later, but essentially, the art of making pottery hasn't changed dramatically over the centuries, and the potter's best tools have been, and still are, his hands.

In this free video series, our expert David D. Gibson will talk about making pottery for beginners. He will talk about the different types of clay, understanding the potter's wheel, centering the clay, shaping & forming clay, brushes, and slip. He will also talk about craftsmanship, removing the pottery from the batt and the wheel, carving and drying the pottery, and he'll even talk a bit about kilns.

Video Transcript

"In this clip we're going to talk about different kinds of clay that are available to work on the wheel. I've brought several different kinds of clay out; each one has their own unique characteristics for ceramics. But here we have white stoneware, which is good for throwing. We have a T-1, which is sculpture clay, we have an earthenware, which is a low fire clay, we have a porcelain, which is a high fire clay, and again another darker throwing body. Coming back to the first body of clay here, this is formulated for the wheel. There's not a lot of grog or sand in the clay. It's very soft, very plastic. This clay is more sculptural, it's got a lot of grog in it. And earthenware here is a low fire clay. Porcelain, again, another high fire clay."