ARE YOU MISSING THE THROWDOWN?

Are you missing The Great Pottery Throwdown? Has watching it given you the idea of trying it for yourself? Is it something you have always wanted to do but worried that it might be too much of a challenge? Well we believe here at The Ceramics Studio everyone should experience working with clay at least once in their lives as the benefits are amazing.

Clay is one of nature's amazing materials.Some of the earliest pottery has been found around 14000 BC. It’s a material which can give you so many creative possibilities - handbuilding, throwing and sculptural. You can make both decorative and functional ware ; what could be better than drinking a cup of tea out of your own mug you have made!

A great way of discovering clay and starting to develop your skills and creativity is by getting involved with a handbuilding project.

Working with clay making a handbuilt project is a wonderful way of discovering and understanding what clay can and cannot do! It helps you with your coordination and dexterity, how to hold and use tools. It nurtures your understanding of when and what state the clay should be in to get your desired and best results. It is also a very therapeutic process, helping you to relax, destress, and a great mindfulness activity.

Handbuilding is often a slower process than throwing which gives you time to develop your ideas, problem solve and gain confidence in your skills.

Techniques used for a handbuilding generally fall into three main groups-

Pinch pots are one of the oldest techniques used which involves literally pinching and controlling the clay to form the desired shape. This technique is used mainly for smaller sized vessels but can be incorporated into more complex builds for not only functional ware but sculptural as well.

The coiling technique is a slow methodical build involving joining sausage like coils of clay to form an extensive range of shapes and sizes.

Slab building involves working with sheets of clay, either soft slabs or leather hard. It offers multiple possibilities to build different forms and shapes, including sharp geometric forms .

These three techniques once mastered and having a good understanding of clay and its construction possibilities can open even more creative opportunities by combining techniques, making bigger and more complex builds.

Handbuilding your pottery opens up a whole host of decorative technique possibilities eg introducing textures, colour, glaze. This part of making can be just as creative as the making process. This is why we believe handbuilding with clay is so exciting, using one common material but creating endless individual projects.

Missing The Throw Down?