Potter Nan Coffin Shares the Story of Her Career in Clay
The Ceramics Monthly Working Potters issue is out! I always love this issue because I enjoy hearing other potters talk about how they got to wherever they happen to be in their careers. In this excerpt...
View ArticleHow to Make Sophisticated Pottery Forms Using the Most Basic of Tools
The pinch pot is the most elemental of pottery forms requiring simply one's hands and a lump of clay. Because of this, it is often the first technique most of us learn when introduced to clay. But that...
View ArticlePut Your Best Foot Forward: Suze Lindsay Shares Two Techniques for Handbuilt...
Historically, I have been more of a thrower than a handbuilder. I love handbuilt pots, but haven't quite gotten there with my handbuilding. One thing I have struggled with is coming up with attractive...
View ArticlePottery Video of the Week: How to Make Three Cool Handbuilt Handles with...
Handles can be the bane of a potters existence - at least they are for me a lot of the time. So I am always happy when I learn new ways of approaching them. Today, in an excerpt from Gail Kendall's new...
View ArticleHow to Make Tessellations with Simple Bisque Stamps
Amy Meya was fascinated by tessellation -- the repeated use of a single shape without gaps or overlapping -- and wanted to figure out a way to incorporate tessellating patterns into her work. At first...
View ArticlePottery Video of the Week: How to Dress up a Wheel Thrown Bowl with Curves
The cereal bowl selection at my house consists mainly of all of my reject bowls from over the years. It's a motley crew of old, wonky pieces that make me want to reach for the nearest sledgehammer...
View ArticleThe Ombré Look: How to Create Smooth Color Blends with Colored Clay
The "Ombré" trend is pretty huge right now. Search the term on Pinterest and you'll find everything from ombré cakes to ombré hair color. In case you're unfamiliar with the term, it refers to color...
View ArticleHow to Make a Floating Stick Hydrometer for the Cost of a Milkshake
Getting glazes to come out the same from batch to batch is a lot easier if you are sure the glaze is mixed to the same consistency each time. Many potters just eyeball it (you know, "mix to the...
View ArticlePaying Attention to Details to Make a Comfortable Functional Handle
The handle on my Mike Jabbur coffee mug is one of my absolute favorites in my collection. The ear-shaped curve at the top of the handle is just perfect for my fingers to comfortably nestle into, and is...
View ArticleAdding Strength to Your Clay Work with Paperclay
Adding paper pulp and other fibers can make things you never thought possible with clay totally doable. Combining the fibers with clay reduce shrinkage in the drying stage and strengthen joints,...
View ArticleHow to Make a Cool Textured Handbuilt Tray from One Slab of Clay
Looking at the finished product of this project, it is obvious that it was slab built, but maybe not so obvious that it was made from just one slab. I would have guessed that the handles were added....
View ArticleA Super Simple Analogy to Help You Understand Glaze Structure
Ceramic glazes consist of three main components: glass formers, fluxes, and refractories. If you can remember those, and familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the common ceramic raw...
View ArticleHow to Correct Five Common Ceramic Glaze Defects
It is especially true in the ceramics world that one person’s fault is another person’s fancy – especially when it comes to glaze “defects.” Many ceramic artists deliberately create faults in their...
View ArticleCreative Kiln Loading: Maximizing Decorative Effects in Atmospheric Firings
Atmospheric firing is really exciting because you can continue to influence the surfaces of your pots all the way through the firing process. Plus there's always an element of surprise when the kiln is...
View ArticleHow to Throw a Plate With Some Moves
Wheel throwing plates can be one of the more challenging pottery techniques. It's contrary to what you might think since they're flat after all, but trying to center a large, wide mound of clay can be...
View ArticleTexture from Within: Mixing Coarse Materials into a Smooth Clay Body
Gillian Parke shares her technique for getting a very coarse surface texture from a clay body typically chosen for its creamy smooth consistency.
View ArticleHow to Make a Teapot With an Infuser for Loose Leaf Teas
Over the last year, potter Clay Cunningham has become quite the tea connoisseur at a tea shop in his town. So he started to think about making teapots for loose leaf tea, as it is served at the tea...
View ArticleVideo of the Week: Glaze Trailing Beautiful Surface Designs
As most any potter will tell you, glazing is probably the most challenging part of making pottery. It takes a lot of practice and experimentation to get it right (and it is easy to ruin a successful...
View ArticleHow to Make a Wheel Thrown and Slip Decorated Cup and Saucer
In today's post Lyla Goldstein takes us step by step through her cup and saucer making process, starting with throwing the pieces on the wheel and finishing with her colored slip and sgraffito...
View ArticleThe 30-Minute Teapot
Summer is the time that educators regroup and plan for the upcoming school year. So today, I thought I would share a cool project that would make a great lesson plan. In this post, Yoko Sekino Bove...
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