by Ian Adair | May 26, 2026 | Pottery Techniques
How to Make a Mug on a Pottery Wheel: Step-by-Step Guide A pottery mug is the first functional form most wheel throwers tackle, and for good reason. It teaches centering, wall pulling, trimming, and handle attachment in one project. The catch: a mug has to feel right...
by Ian Adair | May 26, 2026 | Pottery Techniques
Slab pottery is a hand-building technique where flat sheets of clay, called slabs, are rolled out, cut to shape, and joined together to form vessels, tiles, and sculptural pieces. Unlike wheel throwing, it requires no spinning wheel, just rolled clay, a knife, and the...
by Ian Adair | May 26, 2026 | Pottery Techniques
How to Center Clay on a Pottery Wheel: A Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide Centering clay is the most frustrating part of learning to throw, and almost every beginner spends weeks convinced they’re the only one struggling with it. The good news: centering...
by Ian Adair | May 21, 2026 | Pottery Techniques
Coil Pottery: Step-by-Step Guide to Hand-Building Techniques Coil pottery is the oldest reliable way to build a pot from scratch, and it still produces some of the most striking ceramic work being made today. If you want to learn a technique that needs no wheel,...
by Ian Adair | May 15, 2026 | Pottery Techniques
How to Wedge Clay: Ram’s Head and Spiral Methods Explained How to Wedge Clay: Ram’s Head and Spiral Methods Explained To properly wedge clay, press a fist-sized lump against a sturdy surface using a rocking motion (ram’s head) or a rotating push...
by Ian Adair | May 13, 2026 | Pottery Techniques
Hand Building Pottery: A Complete Guide to All Three Techniques Hand building pottery is the practice of forming clay vessels without a wheel, using three core methods: pinch pots, coil building, and slab building. It’s the oldest pottery-making method on Earth,...
