Exploring Different Pottery Techniques: From Hand-Building to Wheel Throwing

Are you fully new to the world of pottery? Or are you wondering which class to take in our studio? Read further and learn about the basic techniques and their pros and cons.

1. Hand-Building

Hand-building is one of the oldest and most accessible pottery techniques, requiring minimal tools and equipment. As the name suggests, this method involves shaping the clay by hand.

Here are the key methods within hand-building:

• Pinching: This involves creating pottery by pinching the clay with your fingers to form shapes. Pinch pots are often the starting point for beginners.

• Coiling: With coiling, long "ropes" of clay are rolled out and stacked in a spiral or layered pattern to build the walls of the vessel. These coils are then smoothed to create seamless forms.

• Slab Construction: In slab building, flat pieces of clay are cut and assembled into shapes, similar to assembling pieces of fabric. It’s a great method for making geometric, angular forms like boxes or trays.

  
  

Pros: Easy to get started with minimal tools. Excellent for creating organic shapes.

Cons: Can be time-consuming for larger projects and requires practice to maintain uniformity in thickness.

2. Wheel Throwing

Wheel throwing is the iconic image most people associate with pottery. This technique uses a rotating pottery wheel to shape clay into cylindrical forms, such as bowls, cups, and vases.

Here's how it works:

• Centering: The first step is to center the clay on the wheel, ensuring it spins evenly. This step requires practice and strength.

• Pulling: Once the clay is centered, the potter pulls up the walls by applying pressure and drawing the clay upwards.

• Shaping: The potter then shapes the piece by adjusting the pressure on different parts of the clay, creating curves, indentations, and smooth surfaces.

  
  

Pros: Ideal for creating symmetrical, functional objects like mugs or bowls quickly.

Cons: Requires more time to learn, a pottery wheel, which can be costly and takes time to master.

3. Slip Casting

Slip casting is a technique where liquid clay, known as slip, is poured into a plaster mold. The plaster absorbs moisture from the clay, causing a thin layer of solid clay to form along the mold's interior. After a certain amount of time, the excess slip is poured out, leaving a hollow shape.

• Molding: The molds can be designed to create detailed, consistent shapes, ideal for mass production of uniform pottery pieces.

• Finishing: Once the slip has set and dried, the cast piece is removed from the mold and refined by trimming or smoothing.

  
  

Pros: Great for creating intricate and consistent designs, ideal for large production runs.

Cons: Less flexibility in terms of creative freedom and customization. Requires specific molds.

5. Throwing and Altering

This is a combination of wheel throwing and hand-building techniques. In this method, a piece is first thrown on the wheel and then altered, cut, or reshaped off the wheel. For instance, a thrown bowl might be pinched or sliced to add texture or asymmetry.

Pros: Adds more artistic flair and uniqueness to wheel-thrown pieces.

Cons: Requires mastery of both hand-building and wheel throwing.

Conclusion

Each pottery technique brings its own strengths and challenges, allowing potters to choose the method that best fits their style, project needs, and available tools. Whether you're hand-building with clay, shaping forms on the wheel, or using a mold to cast, the possibilities are endless.

Explore hand building and wheel throwing classes in our studio here.