Pottery: Hand Building with Clay (2024)

FAQs

What is the best clay for hand building pottery? ›

Earthen- colored stoneware clays produce durable ware and most will react favorably to the manipulation of air, gas and smoke in reduction firing. These clays have good plasticity and will perform well in both wheel throwing and hand building methods.

The three methods of handbuilding are pinching, coiling and slab building. Once you have experience with these three methods, you can make just about any object out of clay. It helps to start with pinching, and build upon the technique with coiling, before moving onto to slab construction.

The most common handbuilding techniques are pinch pottery, coil building, and slab building. To make a pinch pot, one inserts a thumb into a ball of clay and continually pinches the the clay between the thumb and fingers while rotating to thin out and raise the height of the vessel.

Slab mats are the modern day (and IMO better) version of canvas, as they offer a much smoother surface on which to roll my slabs. They won't buckle in a slab roller, and the mat creates a barrier between your clay and your work surface to prevent sticking!

You'll start with a good amount of clay (3-4lbs.), pound it out in to a rectangle about 1-2 inches thick. Use the flat part of your forearm and hand to gently bang the clay outward towards the edges, slowly thinning it out. If the edges do get thin, pick the slab up and tap the edges on your table to condense the clay.

When you handbuild you create the shape of your pot with only your hands. When your wheel throwing, your hands get a lot of help from the wheel. The spinning motion actually does a lot of the work for you. Especially if you're working with a large amount of clay, that is a huge advantage.

Fresh clay often contains impurities and requires thorough wedging to prepare it for handbuilding. Commercially produced clay, while more consistent in quality, can still benefit from wedging to wake up the clay body and ensure it's at the desired consistency for your ceramics project.

Early pottery

Methods of forming: Hand-shaping was the earliest method used to form vessels. This included the combination of pinching and coiling.

Kuri Nuki is a traditional Japanese form of handbuilding. The word means 'carving out' and it involves shaping a solid block of clay, then carving out a vessel to create 'interior space'. It is a more sculptural approach to making and the interior of the piece is just as important as the exterior.

The other thing kiln wash prevents is our clay sticking to our kiln shelves. Some porcelains, due to their high silica content, become so fluxed (melted) during the firing that they have the potential to stick to an unprotected kiln shelf.

How to dry hand-built pottery? ›

When drying pottery, place a plastic cover over your pots. Uneven drying causes tension that can crack handles and rims. Dry pots upside down to even out the drying process. Wrap handles and rims with plastic to help equalize drying.

Pinch Pottery

Perhaps the simplest beginner hand built pottery idea, the pinch pot method involves pinching a single ball of clay into your desired shape. To make a pinch pot, press your thumb into the center of your clay ball, about halfway down to the bottom.

Yes, Work on a Glossy Surface

If you've ever tried to roll out polymer clay onto parchment paper, you know how frustrating it is when the clay sticks to the tools and the paper rolls up. The solution is to work on a smooth, glossy work surface, such as a sheet of tempered glass or a large glazed ceramic tile.

The first thing you learn in ceramics is "score and slip." To attach 2 wet pieces of clay, you score both sides with a needle tool or fork, apply water or slip, and mush them together.

Earthenware is a popular choice for beginner potters because earthenware clay is generally easier for potters to work with and is more forgiving.

Stoneware clay comes in a range of different colours from white, sand, brown and grey and it is very popular with those new to making pottery, both on and off the wheel.

Stoneware clay is a durable and versatile type of clay known for its high firing temperatures.

In general, artists new to clay should purchase a white or off-white stoneware like our super popular Sea Mix 5. Stoneware clay bodies are usually smooth and plastique enough for wheel throwing but still structurally strong enough for hand building. They are the most forgiving clays for beginners to work with.