Want to learn the basics of making pottery?
In this beginner pottery tutorial you will learn the definitions of the stages and consistencies of clay and also tips & trick on how you can identify what stage your clay is at and what to use for handbuilding, throwing on the wheel etc.
The stages we will go through are:
- Clay powder
- Slip
- Plastic clay
- Leather clay
- Leather hard clay
- Bonedry clay
- Bisqueware
- and the final product Ceramics
You will learn what you can do with your clay at each stage and you will therefore learn what clay consistency to use for throwing, for handbuilding, for using the slab technique and how to identify when the clay is leather hard and therefore the ideal time to trim your pieces.
Furthermore you will also get introductions into:
- How to recycle clay scraps info workable clay ( this is called clay reclaim)
- How to handle greenware (so it doesn't break)
- How to identify when your clay is dry enough to be fired in the kiln ( to avoid it exploding while firing)
and much more pottery making beginner knowledge.
I also decided the video into chapters to make it easy for you to navigate and revisit chapters you are specially interested in...
Timecodes
0:00 Intro
1:43 What are the Stages of Clay?
2:43 How do you make Clay Slip?
3:28 What to use Slip for?
3:53 How to Recycle Clay Scraps Into Workable Clay?
4:25 What is Plastic Clay?
4:51 The Pinch Pot Technique
5:35 What can you use Leather Clay for?
6:23 What Clay Stage to use, when Handbuilding out of Slabs!
7:08 What is Leather Hard Clay?
7:55 What is Bone Dry Clay?
8:04 What is Greenware in Ceramics?
8:56 What to do when Clay is Bone Dry
9:29 When is the Clay Ready for the First Firing?
10:06 How to Identify the Stages of Clay?
11:24 What is Bisqueware?
12:22 When to Apply Underglaze?
12:42 What is Ceramics?
13:04 Sum Up
Thanks for watching!
I hope you will subscribe to my channel and will stay tuned for more beginner pottery tutorials on:
- Ceramic glazing tutorials
- Beginner pottery handbuilding tutorials
- Beginner throwing videos
- etc.
If you want to learn more or just want some inspiration then I encourage you to connect with me on Instagram:
keo.ceramics
Here I share all my glazes, materials and other information, so that you can test it out for yourself at home.
And always feel free to ask questions or comment below...
See you in the next video.
All the best
Trine
KEO ceramics