Hand Building

  • How to Make a Pinch Pot – 3 Ways to Make Pinch Pots

    How to Make a Pinch Pot – 3 Ways to Make Pinch Pots

    Pinch pots are one of the easiest and fastest ways of hand building pottery.  Once you have mastered the basic pinch pot technique you can use it to make a lot of clay projects.  So, I thought I’d write a step-by-step guide on how to make a pinch pot. In this article, I start off…

  • Pottery for Beginners – How to Start Making Pottery at Home

    Pottery for Beginners – How to Start Making Pottery at Home

    Pottery for beginners can be very exciting.  It can also feel a bit overwhelming.  It can seem like there is a lot to learn.  And like most hobbies, the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know.  But pottery is really just about making things out of mud!  All you really need to…

  • Famous Coil Pottery Artists – 18 Different Ways of Coiling

    Famous Coil Pottery Artists – 18 Different Ways of Coiling

    Coil pottery is a diverse technique that has been adapted to suit the styles of a wide range of ceramic artists.  This article takes a look at some famous coil pottery artists and their own individual way of hand-building pottery.  You will see that the methods used and the ceramics produced vary widely between each…

  • How to Make Smooth Coil Pots – With and Without a Template

    How to Make Smooth Coil Pots – With and Without a Template

    When making smooth coil pots, the coiling method is used to construct the pot.  However, the coils themselves are smoothed away, rather than left as part of the decorative design of the pot.  You can make smooth coil pots either with a template or without.  This article will give you a step-by-step guide for each…

  • Easy Coil Pots – 3 Ways to Make Simple Coil Pots

    Easy Coil Pots – 3 Ways to Make Simple Coil Pots

    This article is a step-by-step guide on how to make easy coil pots.  The basic coil pottery technique is versatile.  Once you have got the hang of coiling you use these skills to make all sorts of hand-built pottery.  However simple coil pots can in themselves look great, especially if they are well made.  So,…

  • How to Make Coil Pots – 5 Great Coil Pottery Techniques

    How to Make Coil Pots – 5 Great Coil Pottery Techniques

    Coil pottery is a great way to hand-build pots.  You can make lovely, strong pots with character and individuality using simple coiling methods.  This article is a step-by-step guide on how to make coil pots.  I will look at 5 different coil pottery techniques so you can experiment and decide which one you enjoy most. …

  • Best Clay for Handbuilding – Tips on Choosing Pottery Clay

    Best Clay for Handbuilding – Tips on Choosing Pottery Clay

    If you are making pottery without a wheel, you may be wondering about the best clay for handbuilding.  Pottery clay for handbuilding needs to have certain properties.  In this article, I will look at what those properties are and which clay you will find them in. The best clay for handbuilding is stoneware or earthenware…

  • How to Roll a Clay Coil – 12 Tips for Making Perfect Coils

    How to Roll a Clay Coil – 12 Tips for Making Perfect Coils

    The first step in making coil pottery is learning how to roll a clay coil.  This might sound simple, and of course, in some ways, it is.  But, it is also a bit of a skill.  When I started making coil pots, I was surprised by how tricky it can be to roll a clay…

  • How to Make Pottery at Home – A Beginners Guide

    How to Make Pottery at Home – A Beginners Guide

    When I started to make pottery from home, I really just made it up as I went along.  En route, I encountered a few practical issues that I had not anticipated.  So, I thought it would be helpful to write a simple guide on how to make pottery at home.  To help you avoid some…

  • How to Make Marbled Pottery – 4 Easy Ways to Marble Clay

    How to Make Marbled Pottery – 4 Easy Ways to Marble Clay

    The first time I saw marbled clay I was intrigued and I wanted to know how it was done.  It’s a beautiful way of blending colors on your pottery.  So, I wanted to write about the different ways you can make marbled pottery.  It’s really pretty simple.    You can marble pottery by coloring the clay…

  • What Can Kids Make With Clay? 18 Clay Ideas for Children

    What Can Kids Make With Clay? 18 Clay Ideas for Children

    You may have one of those crafty, artistic children who like to make things all the time.  Or perhaps you have a long school vacation stretching out in front of you.  Either way, if you have been wondering what can kids do with clay, you are in the right place.  Here are some great ideas…

  • 4 Ways to Make Pottery Without a Wheel – Hand Building Clay

    4 Ways to Make Pottery Without a Wheel – Hand Building Clay

    The Pottery Wheel is supported by its readers. If you click one of my links, I may earn a commission. I’m also a participant of the Amazon Affiliate Program and will make a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps me keep the website running. Thank you, I really appreciate your support! When you think of…