Summary: When throwing clay bowls, use sponge to keep clay damp. Wet clay before pulling out the sides as demonstrated in this free pottery lesson from a ceramics expert.
Chris Cook received a BFA in ceramics and sculpture from Southern Oregon University where he studied raku, studio ceramics, stoneware, and various firing techniques under Jim Romberg....read more
"Alright, now that we've got this, you can see how wobbly it is, how off centered it, but it's not, I mean it is, but I can, I'm going to straighten it out while I open this hole with a, like that. Take your sponge, get it semi loaded to where it has some water in it, but not much. And just simply grab it and squeeze your hands and pull it towards you, alright? If it starts to get weird, just straighten it out. Like that. Alright? Take any extra clay that comes off and just put it in the slop bucket. And don't worry about how it looks down there, it looks horrible. But it doesn't matter right now, we're just moving clay, moving all this clay and placing it in the proper spots so when it is go time and it's time to throw you just and do it and it's done and you go back and you fix it up. That's how you do it."