The best handmade tableware techniques
Pinching
Shape a piece of clay into a smooth ball about the size of your hand. As you hold the clay sphere, press your thumb into the center of the ball, about halfway down to the bottom. As you revolve the ball with one hand, press the walls out evenly with your thumb on the inside and your fingers on the outside.
Slab Construction
This method is when you roll the clay into sheets, you can form the sheets of clay using molds or you can let the clay stiffen a bit to create geometric forms. This is a popular method in contemporary ceramics.
Handbuilding
Handbuilding is the technique of molding a clay project without the use of a throwing wheel. Handbuilding can be done using three techniques: the pinch method, the coil method, or the slab method.
The most popular types of ceramic decoration
Combing
Combing is a technique that involves making parallel lines on the surface of a pot, either by dragging a tool through the clay itself or by wiping wet slip clear to reveal the clay surface beneath.
Overglazes and Underglazes
Glazes can be laid on top of each other to create even more effects. This is called overglazing. Some "overglazes" are simply other glazes that are applied on top of another unfired glaze that will mature at the same temperature. True overglazes may also be applied after the base glaze has already been fired.
Sgraffito with Underglaze
Sgraffito is a decorative technique in which an artist scratches through a layer of glaze to reveal the clay body beneath. To achieve this look, first apply a layer of underglaze to a wet or leather-hard vessel and let the glaze dry. Then, using a tool like a loop tool, carve through the glaze to the clay body below.
The most essential pottery tips
