What Is the Japanese Technique of Kintsugi?
There is something rather magical about the Japanese art form of Kintsugi and how it transforms something broken, or in the traditional sense imperfect, and makes it more beautiful and…
Guide to making pottery
How to Throw a Basic Cylindrical Pot
Wedge Your Clay The Spruce / Beth E Peterson Of all the steps you should do before sitting down to your wheel, wedging your clay is the most important one.…
Instructions for Building a Wedging Table for Pottery
Create a Diagram for Building Your Wedging Table Before building your wedging table, consider the following specifics as you plan: Establish depth and width: If you’ll use your wedging table…
How to Bisque or Biscuit Fire Pottery
Cool the Kiln After the kiln has reached temperature, make sure all heat sources are off. Close any openings and leave the kiln to cool at its own rate. Generally,…
How to Make Handles for Pottery
Pulled Handles Dry the pulled handle straps, allowing air to reach them on all sides. Note these pulled handle straps are hanging from the same bats as the pots they…
Mishima Technique and Tools
An Introduction to Mishima Mishima is a technique of inlaying slip, underglaze, or even contrasting clay into the main clay body of the pottery piece. This technique creates extremely fine,…
How to Make a Slab-Built Pottery Mug
Slab building allows you to make pottery, including mugs and pitchers, with clean lines. Working with slabs by hand also is generally easier to master than using a potter’s wheel.…
How to Center Clay on a Potter’s Wheel
Smack the Clay Onto the Bat The Spruce / Janet L. Giles After the clay has been prepared and is ready for throwing, the next step is to center it…
Overview of Japanese Pottery Technique Raku
Raku is a Japanese word that can be translated as enjoyment, happiness, or comfort. In 1580, the potter Chijiro is thought to be the first to produce this form of…
How to Load a Ceramics Kiln
No matter what kind of kiln you are loading, you do not want to load ware directly on the kiln’s floor. Doing so can damage the floor, especially in glaze…