Beginning Hand Building Techniques and Projects

There are three main ways to form pottery without using a wheel. These are pinching, coiling, and slab building.

Pinching pottery is the oldest method of forming clay. It is amazingly direct and although it may seem to be limited, such intricate pieces such as Mayan clay whistles in the shapes of animals have been created using this technique.

• Pinch Pots 101
• Make a Pinch Pot, Step by Step

Coil building pottery is one of the most versatile methods of forming clay. Although potters call it coiling, the clay can actually be built up using any shape of clay additions including blocks and flattened sections.

• Building with Coils
• Make a Coil Pot Step by Step

Slabs of clay can also be used to make pottery. What is interesting with slab pottery is that it can change character depending on whether soft or leather-hard slabs are used.

• Slab Pots 101
• How to Make the Best Slabs
• Make a Slab Pot Step by Step

One of the other major things to know about is how to dry the pottery once it is made. Drying pots too fast or uneven drying can lead to cracking and warping.