Getting your clay ready

Before you start shaping, it’s important to wedge your clay well to get rid of air bubbles. Think of it like kneading dough. It’s as simple as that! A well wedges piece of clay will prevent cracks and give you a clean base to work from.

Shaping your pottery

There are a few easy ways to build your piece by hand:

• Pinching: Make a ball of clay with your hands, poke your thumb into the center, and pinch the sides around to shape a pot.
• Coiling: Roll out long snakes of clay, stack them on top of each other, and blend them into eachother. Or leave one side coiled for a textured piece!
• Slab Building: Roll out the clay with a rolling pin and cut shapes (this is where the DIY club templates come in handy!). Join the edges by scratching (scoring) them and using slip or - if your clay is still very wet- a bit of water for the glue.

Drying until the leather hard stage

When your clay feels firm but still a bit soft, it’s perfect for adding handles or carving designs. To make sure your handles are well attached, always score (scratch) both sides of the piece that will be attached and use slip as the 'glue'.

You can easily make your own slip by adding water to pieces of bone-dry clay. Let it sit for a few minutes and stir with a brush. Your slip mixture will be ready!

Drying until one-dry stage

It's important to dry your finished pieces slowly and evenly. A simple but effective trick is to let your pieces dry under a sheet of plastic or plastic bag.

When the clay is completely dry it is ready to be fired. Bone dry clay is extremely fragile, so handle with care! If you need to transport your work to the kiln, make sure to package it carefully so accidents don't happen along the way.

Bisque firing

You'll need to fire your work in a kiln twice. The first firing (called bisque firing) makes the clay hard but still porous. This forms the perfect base for the glaze.

Glazing

After the bisque fire you can glaze your pieces. This will make them extra durable, and make them food safe (make sure the glaze you use is labelled food safe!).

Now you can add color and texture by brushing, dipping, or pouring glaze onto your bisque-fired piece.

The glazing process is a bit too long to explain in this section, therefor you can read a more detailed description here.

Glaze firing

The second (and last!) firing melts the glaze into a smooth finish, turning your piece into a sturdy, usable pot. The firing temperature here depends on the type of clay and glaze you used! Always check the packaging instructions of the glaze you're using.