Working with the processed clay that you have spent your blood, sweat, and tears making, is extremely satisfying. The only problem is: how do you start?
This is another area where I have been doing trial and error to find the techniques and tools that are the most successful. At some point, when I feel like I want to take this hobby a bit more seriously, I will start reading articles and watching YouTube tutorials to improve my technique. But for now, I am still in the experimental phase.
Some things that I have learned about trying to mold or sculpt clay are:
- Warm clay is much easier to manipulate than cold clay.
- It is surprisingly difficult to create something symmetrical or centered.
- You need to work the clay so there are no air pockets on the inside —air + fire = explosion.
- Most cracking of drying pottery seems to be from uneven drying.
- Making pottery by hand can be incredibly relaxing.
I also remember some of the techniques I learned in middle school art class: making pinch pots by gently squeezing the clay to shape a bowl, and rolling coils of clay and connecting them by scoring them and applying slip for adhesive.
To see some of the things I have made with mixed success, head on over to the gallery.