Ceramic Pottery
Ceramic Pottery has long since been entwined with mankind’s development and expression of his world. Ceramic pottery making and the ceramic pottery vessels created, played an integral part of mankind’s daily life in history. Eons later, discovered ceramic pottery from ancient civilizations opens a gateway to understanding the life and times of our long forgotten ancestors.
It is a true testament to human ingenuity that he can take simple sedimentary clay and from it form basic items for food preparation to beautiful works of art to vital heat shielding for space exploration.
There are three basic methods used when making ceramic pottery. First there is the ‘hand-building’ method with a number of techniques that can be used, the ‘thrown’ method which involes using a potter’s wheel and ’slip casting’ which is pouring a lquid clay solution in a mold. Which ceramic pottery making method or technique used is dependent on the what the finished item is to be.
Hand Built Ceramic Pottery Making.
By far the easiest to learn for the beginner is hand building and it literally means build something by hand. This is your basic play-dough method. You begin with a lump of clay and you knead it, roll it, pinch it. and sculpt it into your finished items.
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Pinch Pot Ceramic Pottery Making
With this method you start with a ball of clay and make an indent in the middle with your thumb. From there you pivot the ball of clay on your thumb and pinch as you work around the edge of the ball until the pot has obtained the size and wall thickness you desire. Pinch pots quite often are used a component pieces for larger clay sculptures.
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Coiling Ceramic Pottery Making
Coiling requires the clay to be hand rolled into long “snakes’ of the required thickness then coiled into the desired shpe by laying the coils on top of one another. The shape is then consolidated by applying pressure to the coils where they meet. This is an ancient techniue used before the introduction of the tredle potter’s wheel.
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Slab Ceramic Pottery Making
Slab work is much like rolling pastry. The clay is rolled out into slabs and then shapes are cat out and joined together. This is a great technique for creating geometric items and schulptures where details of clothing are required.
Thrown Ceramic Pottery Making.
This take a little longer to master and for best results should by learnt from a master potter. We have all seen the comedies where a person attempting to throw a pot end up chasing the the clay around the turntable or having clay fling off in all directions when they hit the power button. It makes good comedy but can be truly frustrating to the beginner if they don’t have the guidance of a learned ceramic pottery maker.
Slip Cast Ceramic Pottery Making.
Slip is a suspension of clay in water. It resembles thick muddy water and the colour will vary depending on the type of clay used. The slip is poured into plaster molds and left to dry before being removed for final touches, firing and glazing. This method of ceramic pottery making is commonly used for mass production.
