Slab Pots

Slab Pots 101
Handbuilding pottery using slabs of clay is an exciting way to create shapes that could never be produced using a potter's wheel or that would be difficult to achieve even with coiling.

Making Clay Slabs
Making the clay slabs is the first step in all slab-built pottery construction. This is an important foundation; mistakes made in the creation of slabs may destroy the piece in later stages of construction.

Slumping and Draping Slabs
Two popular ways to form objects using slabs are to use slump molds and hump molds. In slump molds, the clay is laid within the mold. In hump molds, the clay slab is draped across the mold.

Colorful Slab Pots
Colorful slab pots built by junior high school students from East Sac County, AR. Their pots were inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings. They demonstrate some of the possibilities in even just a simple box structure.

The ClayMat - Slab Rolling Tool
The ClayMat is for use in rolling slabs for pottery. Use it as the bottom mat when rolling by hand or with a slab roller. It not only immediately helps you see the size of your slab, but also leaves faint indentations that can be used for cutting tiles, strips, squares, rectangles, and more.