Exploration of the handbuilding techniques used in ceramics, such as pinch, coil, and slab methods.
Clay types and properties: Understanding the different types of clay and how their properties impact handbuilding.
Basic handbuilding techniques: Pinch, coil, slab construction, and other basic building methods.
Tools and materials: Identifying and selecting the proper tools and materials for handbuilding.
Surface decoration techniques: Various methods to decorate and enhance the surface of your hand-built pots, such as carving, slips, glazes, and underglazes.
Kilns and firing: Understanding the different types of kilns, their operation, and the various firing processes.
Glaze chemistry: Fundamentals of glaze formulation and application, including glaze material knowledge, glaze chemistry, and glaze firing temperatures.
Health and safety: Proper handling of equipment and materials, including clay dust and glazes, to ensure a safe and healthy studio environment.
Esthetic considerations: Choosing an appropriate form, texture, and color scheme to enhance the overall aesthetic of your hand-built pieces.
Historical and cultural influences: Exploring the history of handbuilding and its cultural significance to gain a better understanding of classic forms and techniques worldwide.
Troubleshooting: Identifying potential issues during handbuilding, such as uneven walls, cracking, or warping, and determining possible solutions.
Pinching: Using fingers and hands to squeeze and shape clay, creating walls and shaping vessels.
Coiling: Rolling out long ropes of clay, then coiling them into increasingly wider circles to build walls.
Slab building: Rolling out flat slabs of clay to create walls and shapes before piecing them together to form vessels.
Press molding: Using a mold to shape and press the clay, creating consistent shapes and designs.
Sculpting: Forming clay into three-dimensional shapes through subtractive or additive processes, creating sculptures and figurines.
Mold making: Creating a plaster or silicone mold of an existing object, and then using it to create a clay replica.
Slip casting: Pouring liquid clay into a plaster mold to create a hollow form, such as mugs or vases.
Extruding: Using a clay extruder to press and shape clay through various dies to create consistent shapes, such as handles and rims.
Carving and incising: Cutting and carving designs, patterns or shapes into the surface of the clay using a knife or other tools.
Scoring and slipping: Scratching, cutting or otherwise roughening the surface of the clay to create texture, then using slip or clay slurry as an adhesive and joining pieces of clay together.
Burnishing: Polishing the surface of the clay with a smooth object, such as a stone or metal spoon, to create a shiny surface.
Graffiti: Creating a pattern or design by scratching through a layer of slip or paint, revealing the underlying clay.
Sgraffito: Scratching away a layer of colored slip or glaze to reveal the contrasting color or clay beneath.
Stamping: Impressions made by pressing tools, stamps, or found objects into the clay surface, creating textured designs or patterns.
Relief molding: Creating a raised design or pattern by pressing clay into a mold and removing the excess, similar to bas relief sculpture.
Hump molding: Shaping clay into a mound or hump and then pressing it into a plaster or bisque mold to form a dish or bowl.