How to Make a Stopperless Salt and Pepper Shaker on the Pottery Wheel
Most ceramic salt and pepper shakers require a stopper of some sort – usually cork. But there is a way to make them without stoppers. Just throw a double walled vessel, but instead of joining the inner and outer walls, form a funnel with the inner wall. In today’s post, potter Keith Phillips explains in detail the ins and outs of stopperless salt and pepper shakers.
Friday Video: How to Add Beauty While Enhancing Function on a Lid
Tom Turner considers every detail on his pots, even the underside of lids. Initially, He came up with the flange system he uses to act as a counterweight on teapot lids so they would stay put when pouring tea. But he considered every last detail and realized that these flanges could be enhanced with texture. Now he uses them on all of his lidded pots. In today’s post, an excerpt from his new DVD Tom Turner: Understanding Porcelain (now available in the Ceramic Arts Daily Bookstore), he shares his technique.
Wheel Throwing Video: How to Throw a Large Bowl on the Pottery Wheel
In today’s video, an excerpt from Stephen Jepson’s DVD How to Throw Large Pots, potter Bill Gossman shows us his method for making a large vase in two wheel-thrown sections. Bill has a couple of tricks up his sleeves that I hadn’t thought of previously, such as a great technique for centering large amounts of clay. So, check it out!
Another Facet of Faceting: Adding Pizzaz to Wheel-Thrown Pottery
In today’s post, an excerpt from the newly revised Five Great Pottery Wheel Throwing Techniques: Tips on Throwing Complex Pottery Forms Using Basic Throwing Skills, Hank demonstrated how he makes a faceted wheel thrown bowl on the pottery wheel.
How to Attach a Generous Thrown Knob to a Lid Without Compromising Structure
Sarah Jaeger’s soup tureens have generous, bulbous knobs resembling “onion domes” popular in Russian architecture. They are quite striking and look like they’d be easy to use as well. It can be problematic throwing a knob on a leatherhard lid, especially a large knob and especially with porcelain. There’s always the worry that the lid will give out under the pressure or that the knob will be so heavy it will slump in the kiln. But in today’s post, an excerpt from Throwing, Altering, & Glazing for Function and Beauty, Sarah demonstrates how she makes them and gives tips for avoiding catastrophe!
Wheel Throwing in Cross Section
When I was taking my first wheel throwing class, I remember staying in the studio late one night centering clay over and over again. Once I got centering mastered, I remember getting super frustrated because I kept throwing the clay off center when I tried to open it. Then, of course, there was the struggle to pull nice even tall walls. Sound familiar? Since these are not uncommon challenges, I thought I would post this helpful excerpt from Vince Pitelka’s Clay: A Studio Handbook (which is back in print!!). The cross section photos should be a helpful guide for beginners out there and those who teach them.
How to Throw a Jar with a Quilted Texture
Today (and this weekend) we are having a sale on one of our popular DVDs: Jake Allee’s Assembly Required: Building Complex Pottery Forms by Throwing, Altering, and Assembling. So to give you a taste of Jake’s processes, I thought I would share this clip from his Hex Jar project. The clip is a good one because not only does Jake explain the cool way he makes his quilted texture, but he also gives an excellent explanation of each step of the throwing process. If you struggle with throwing, this video is for you.
A Recipe, a Video, and a SALE!!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Here in the U.S., we celebrate Thanksgiving today. So I thought I would say thank you to all of you all over the world for your continued support and enthusiasm for Ceramic Arts Daily. Over the past couple of years, this little old website has grown more than we could have ever expected and we couldn’t have done it without you! And for some Thanksgiving fun, I thought I would send out a recipe that’s a little different than our usual recipes. I am also including a little bonus video for making a vessel to go with it. Have a great day!
Pottery Video of the Week: How to Make a One-Piece Square Jar with a Thrown and Dropped Lid
Mark Peters returns today with another great demo of a pot with some personality. In this clip, He shows us one of his techniques for making a square jar. Square jars are often made by throwing a cylinder with no bottom, squaring it off, and then adding a slab bottom.But in this demo the jar is made in one piece. Mark shares how he accentuates the interior volume and the corners and gives the pot some life. Then he makes a square variation of his thrown and dropped lid (see this post in the Ceramic Arts Daily archives for a more in-depth look at Mark’s thrown and dropped lid!). Happy Friday!
Bowl Making Turned Upside-Down
Throwing large bowls has been something that has dogged me for quite some time. There’s a certain size bowl that I just cannot seem to get past and while it’s ample, it is not necessarily what I would call large.
So I really like Martina Lantin’s bowl making process, which literally turns the typical bowl making technique on its head. In today’s post, Martina shares her upside-down bowl technique. Not only does this technique make larger bowls more achievable, but it opens the doors for adding gestural qualities as well. – Jennifer Harnetty, editor.
