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HANDBUILDING PROCESSES

Slab Tutorials: Parts 1-4

Pinch Pot Tutorial

WEDGING CLAY

  1. Place clay against the table top and press firmly away from you focusing the pressure on your palms

  2. Bring clay back toward you by bring the back edge up with your fingers

  3. Re-position your hands on the top of the clay

  4. Press firmly down and away from you

  5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 making sure the clay stays underneath your hands

  6. Press in a short burst and don't press clay all the way into the table

  7. Apply pressure to the outside of the clay to help it stay under your hands and compressed together

  8. The purpose is to get clay rotating in the same direction and to get rid of air bubbles

PINCH METHOD

  1. Wedge clay for 1-2 min

  2. Pat clay into a ball shape

  3. Create an opening with your thumb in the middle of the clay

  4. Pinch your hand together - thumb on the inside, fingers on the outside

    1. Keep fingers together as much as possible to keep walls consistant thickness

  5. Pull thumb along the inside, especially in the bottom corner, in sweeping motion to smooth clay & thin walls

  6. Continue smoothing until the pot is desired thickness and texture

  7. If the pot is smaller than you want, add clay using the coil method

COIL METHOD

  1. Wedge clay for 1-2 min

  2. Create base for coil additions by creating a pinch or slab form

  3. Create a coil by rolling clay either between hands, on on the table to form a thin round coil

    1. Think of when you created "snakes" out of play-doh as a kid; you want even, consistant coils

    2. The larger the coil you make, the fast ther pot "grows"  aka Don't make tiny, wimpy coils

  4. Score your base and the coil where the two will meet

    1. To score, scratch the clay to create lots of thin "cuts" to help the clay mesh together

  5. Add a bit of slip to the scored area

  6. Place the coil on the base and press the coil into the base to create a firm connection

  7. Using your thumb and fingers, sweep the clay from the coil to connect it to the base

    1. You should be using enough pressure that the clay moves, but not enough to gouge the pot

  8. Smooth the finger marks and pinch out any extra thickness from the coil so the walls are even

  9. Continue to add coils until your pot is the desired height and width

  10. If you want to pot to go in or out from the base, put the coils on the outside to inside edge to help guide the pot in the direction you want it to go

SLAB METHOD

  1. Wedge clay for 1-2 min

  2. Pound clay between hands and against the table to create a cube

  3. Flatten the cube on two sides so it resembles a really fat sandwich

  4. Throw out a slab by doing the following steps:

    1. Hold clay with fingers on top, thumbs on bottom

    2. Bend your knees so you are closer to the ground (if throwing on the canvas board)

    3. Swing your arms forward and back, NOT UP & DOWN

    4. Swing your arms between your legs or on the outside of your legs to create "follow thru" for the clay

    5. Release the clay right above the table - it should hit the farthest part first and "lay out" toward you

    6. The clay should start to lengthen

    7. Grab the back of the clay so that you throw both sides of the clay

    8. Flip the clay 90 degrees to throw a square slab instead of a long thin rectangle

  5. Once the slab is thrown, let it dry out to a wet leather-hard consistnecy

  6. Cut the slab into the shapes of your piece

  7. Score each edge that will be attached to another

  8. Apply slip to the edges you are attaching

  9. Press the two slab pieces firmly together to create a strong connection

  10. Add a small coil to the interior of the join and press the coil into the walls

    1. Make sure you support the walls as you smooth in the coil

  11. Attach all pieces together to create your desired form

  12. Make sure to allow the pieces to dry slowly since there slabs dry very quickly because they are so thin

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