Why Didn’t I Think of That? Pottery Tips, Tools, and Techniques from Readers
Clay people have some darn impressive ingenuity when it comes to
improving the efficiency of their processes. We get a lot of great
studio tips sent to us from readers, and every month Ceramics Monthly publishes some of them in their Tips and Tools section. Since I haven’t highlighted these tips on CAD in a while, I thought I
would share a few on this fine Monday morning.
Printmaking and Pottery: Using Linocuts to Make Clay Prints
One of the things I really like about clay is how easily it meshes with printmaking, another art form I really dig. In
today’s post, Annie Chrietzberg explains how potter Cynthia Guajardo mixes linocut printing with clay. It’s a fantastic method for creating repeatable customized texture on pottery.
Bonus Monday Pottery Video: Five Ways to Use Your Credit Card in the Pottery Studio
Nearly every potter has probably put an old credit card to use in the studio as a flexible throwing rib. But that’s not the only way to repurpose your old credit cards. In today’s bonus Monday video, potter Nan Rothwell, one of the honorable mentions in our recent D.I.Y. Tools video contest, shares some of other the credit card uses she has come up with in her pottery studio.
Plywood Press Molds: A Great Technique for Enlivening Your Pottery Forms
Potter Ann Ruel says that, although it was the mesmerizing spin of the potter’s wheel that originally drew her in to pottery, she soon felt she needed to break those circular boundaries. Today, we present a technique Ann uses for making interestingly shaped press molds out of plywood. These slump and hump molds can create endless new possibilities for new forms for your pottery.
The Right Angle for Approaching Geometric Ceramic Sculpture
Many years ago, while handbuilding a large form, ceramic artist
Marcia Selsor was struggling to support two slabs that she wanted to
join at right angles. So, she set out to build a custom tool to serve
this purpose: a right angle jig to support the form in progress. Today, Marcia shows us how to make and use her right angle jig, a simple tool she came up with to make building geometric sculpture easier.
Tips and Tools: Rolling Reclaim
Space is a valuable resource to most ceramic artists and that includes potters with a tiny space tucked in the basement, students with a single table and chair in a classroom, and community art centers like the one shown here. Reclaiming clay can take over these small spaces—but this tip to make your own movable reclaim table can help.
7 Useful Tips, Tools, and Techniques for the Ceramic Studio
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, potters and ceramic artists are some of the most resourceful people around. I am continually impressed by the myriad tools and studio shortcuts that members of our community come up with to make their lives more efficient. It’s been a while since I have shared… Read More »
DIY Project: How to Make Your Very Own Slab Roller
Recently, Dale Savoie sent me this video that he created in which he explains how he designed and constructed his own slab roller. It’s pretty impressive, so I thought I would share it with you!
DIY Clay Tools Video Contest Winner!
The votes are in and I’m pleased to announce that Craig Rhodes is the
grand prize winner of our DIY Clay Tools Video Contest! In today’s
post, Craig will tell us a bit more about himself and how he plans to
use his gift card. Plus we’ll share some images of his work, like the
beautiful bowl to the left. Congratulations to Craig, and to runners up Murry
Gans and Joe Dillett.
DIY Clay Tools Video Contest Finalists
Watch the three finalists in the DIY Clay Tools Video Contest: Joe Dillett, Murry Gans, and Craig Rhodes!
