If you are new to making slab pottery, you may have heard the term ‘soft slab ceramics’ and wondered what it is. Soft slab ceramics involves constructing pottery out of slabs of clay that are still moist and pliable. Sometimes soft slabs are used straight after they have been freshly rolled. Other times they are…
If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably heard the term ‘clay slab’ being used and wondered exactly what it meant. So, what is a slab in ceramics? A clay slab is a portion of clay that has been flattened into a sheet. Clay slabs are most often made by using a rolling pin or a…
One of the best ways to make slab pottery look well-crafted is to start off using a nice evenly rolled slab of clay. There are a number of ways to make a clay slab. In this article, I will look at 4 of the easiest techniques, and go into exactly how to roll clay evenly. …
Slab built mugs can be lovely to look at and a pleasure to use. And yet, making a well-crafted slab mug is a simple process. The basic technique for making slab mugs is the simple cylinder mug. Once you know how to make a cylinder mug, you can build on this and make a whole…
Whilst you can freestyle it when making slab pottery, it often works out best when you use a template. And mugs are no exception to this. So, I’ve put together this guide which covers some of the best and easiest ways to make slab pottery mug templates. I will be covering how to make templates…
Clay is one of nature’s most incredible building blocks. You can make almost anything out of clay. It is very versatile and once you grasp a few key ceramic techniques, you can make almost anything. If you are learning how to work with clay, here are some of the most important ceramic techniques to try…
If you like hand building pottery, then learning how to make a double pinch pot is a game-changer. It’s a simple technique, but once you have mastered it, you can use it to make almost any pottery form. I use the double pinch pot to make teapots, vases, jugs, and pitchers. In this post, I…
Wedging clay is a very good idea if you are making pottery on a potter’s wheel. But is it do you have to wedge clay when you are hand building your pottery? I love hand building pottery and I don’t love wedging! So, it was one of the questions I wondered about when I began…
This is a step-by-step guide on how to make a teapot. Making a clay teapot is actually quite a simple process. But it’s extremely satisfying. There are few things as nice to make in pottery as a nicely shaped teapot. Plus, at the end of it, you get to enjoy a nice cup of tea…. …
The pinching technique can be used to make exquisite pottery and artwork. Here are 12 pinch pot artists, who demonstrate how refined and creative the pinching technique can be. The breadth and diversity of their work illustrates how versatile pinching clay as a method of hand building can be. The following pinch pot artists are…
Making a pinch pot mug is simple, and like anything the more you practice the easier it will become. Once you have mastered the pinching technique you can get creative and find your style. In this article, I will show you my two favorite ways to make a pinch pot mug. This is a…
Making pinch pottery is very tactile. As you pinch your pot you will feel the thickness of the clay between your fingers and thumb. But just how thick should a pinch pot be? Exactly how thick you want your pinch pot to be is a matter of personal choice and taste. However, there are a…