Get Started with Clay
From Beth Peterson, former About.com Guide
Starting any new hobby can be daunting as well as exciting, and pottery is no exception. We'll help you get started. Learn what clay is and how to create objects by hand building and throwing. Begin with the basics. You'll be making pots to be proud of before you know it!
Clay Basics
You have decided to explore creating with clay. Welcome to a wonderful media chock full of possibility, both as art and as craft. To begin, however, you do need some basic knowledge about clays and how to work with them.
Hand Building
Building up pottery forms by hand is the oldest form of working with clay. It continues to be the most versatile method of creating forms, allowing free rein to shape.
- Paddle & Anvil and Rib & Hand Techniques
- Slab Pots 101
- How to Make Clay Slabs
- Slumping and Draping Slabs
Throwing
When most people think of pottery, they think of throwing on the potter's wheel, or the pots made by this technique. Throwing is a skill that takes practice to master, but it is fun even at the beginning stages.