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Full of great pottery techniques, as well as ideas you can apply to any pottery project, these step-by-step wheel-throwing instructions will help you improve your pottery throwing skills from concept through completion. For a tool that really does one thing (spins in a circle), the number of techniques and results possible on the pottery wheel are just astounding. William Schran explains how to make, use, and effectively repeat large and complex forms on the pottery wheel using templates. Hank Mur- row provides a great technique for altering the form as well as the surface on your pottery. Dick Lehman demonstrates the counter-intuitive technique of making square pots on the pottery wheel. Once explained by this expert thrower, it will seem easy. Getting texture on your pots is always interesting, and Jake Allee shares one of his favorite techniques for starting that while the clay is wet on the wheel. And to wrap it all up, Deborah Schwartzkopf brings us dessert with an incredible variety of small dishes that all begin with the same basic throwing techniques.

Check out this excerpt from Five Great Pottery Wheel Throwing Techniques: Tips on Throwing Complex Pottery Forms Using Basic Throwing Skills:

Pottery Wheel Throwing Technique #1 – Using a Wheel Throwing Template

by Bill Schran

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To use a template, as in the wheel-throwing project for the set of cups, prepare several balls of clay weighing between ¾–1 lb. each. Throw a basic wide cylinder. Check the interior diameter, height and width of this basic form with calipers.

Tip: Make a template for the basic cylinder form as well as the finished piece. The first template, showing the right width and shape of the ideal starting cylinder, can help you get the right basic shape.

Once you have your cylinder ready, lubricate the interior of the pot, but do not lubricate the outside. Avoiding excess water results in a stronger form that can better withstand manipulation and alteration when using the template. Position the bottom of the template so that it’s just touching the bottom of the pot and rests on the wheel head. The template should contact the wheel but should not be pressed against it. Hold the template at approximately a 45° angle, abutting the rotating clay, such that the clay moves away from the edge of the template. The template should not be held at a 90° angle to the pot as this may lead to inadvertently shifting the template into the movement of the clay.

The fingers of the interior hand slowly move up, pushing the clay out to the curve of the template. As the pot widens, the hand must move up along the interior of the form more slowly so that it remains symmetrical. After reaching the top, the profile of the pot and template should be compared. If the pot does not match the template, move the fingers of the interior hand down from the top to the bottom, pushing out where necessary, to conform to the profile of the template. This is often necessary for shapes with wider diameters. Refine the rim with a sponge or chamois and the cup is complete.

To read the rest of this article and learn how to make your own wheel throwing templates, download your free copy of Five Great Pottery Wheel Throwing Techniques: Tips on Throwing Complex Pottery Forms Using Basic Throwing Skills…

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