Hot Ceramics & Pottery How-Tos
How To: Convert an old electric kiln into a propane gas kiln
You may love your old electric kiln like a child, but it's time to get in touch with the times and update that sucker! Watch this ceramics tutorial by potter Simon Leach to learn how to turn your old electric kiln into a snazzy new propane gas kiln.
How To: Glaze pottery inside and outside
Watch this ceramics tutorial video to learn how to use some more advanced glazing techniques to make the inside different than the outside. The detailed instructions in this helpful how-to video are best for intermediate to advanced potters who want to glaze both the inside and the outside of their pottery.
How To: Paddle clay
In this video, we learn how to paddle clay. Start off by placing the clay on the wheel and turning it on so it's moving quickly. You wan tot make sure you are using a lot of water and keeping the clay moist, as well as your hand. Make sure the bottom is even around on all sides, or it will turn out off center. Place your hands around the clay and cradle it until it makes a round and even shape. Continue to do this until you can put your hands on the side of the pot and work your clay on the i...
How To: Make a ceramic slab plate
In this video, we learn how to make a ceramic slab plate. First, roll out the ceramic. After this, place the clay on butcher or newspaper and smooth it out with a plastic card. Repeat this on the other side. Next, use a paper template to help cut your design or use a circular object. Cut slits to help remove the surrounding clay. Use the excess clay to build support pieces then curve the edges of the plate up and place the support pieces underneath. Use a piece of leather to smooth the edges....
How To: Make a teapot with clay
In this video series, let Lucy Fagella show you how to make handcrafted teapot. Lucy illustrates everything you need to know to create your own ceramic teapot.
How To: Throw a ceramic teapot on a pottery wheel
This simple teapot is thrown on a pottery wheel from the same piece of clay in under six minutes. See as the clay takes shape to make a teapot. Watch this video pottery making tutorial and learn how to quickly throw a simple ceramic teapot.
How To: Throw a tall cylinder on a pottery wheel
Watch this instructional ceramics video to throw a tall cylinder on a pottery wheel. Using one hand to act as a brace, it is necessary to keep to a careful process of slowly pulling the clay upwards with even pressure until the clay walls are about 1/4" thick. The tall cylinder can then take on a more unique shape.
How To: Decorate bisque pottery with red iron oxide
This is a video tutorial of decorating bisque with red iron oxide. Red iron oxide can be layered, fired, watered-down, and used in many ways to add a finish to a piece of bisque pottery. Bisqueware absorbs the color easily, so the two materials work well together. Pick up some new ideas for how to decorate bisque pottery with red iron oxide by watching this video ceramic design tutorial.
How To: Make a simple clay and ash glaze
This method of making glaze utilizes environmental supplies. That way there's no need to rely on a clay supply store, so it's great to save money or time if it's a distance to the nearest supplier. Watch this video pottery tutorial and learn how to make a simple ceramic glaze for firing out of clay remnants and wood ash. It's appropriate for use on raw glazing projects as well.
How To: Build a small downdraft kiln with Simon Leach
In this 2 part how-to video, Simon Leach, who normally shows you how to make pottery, instead shows you something else. In this tutorial, Leach shows you how to make and build a small propane downdraft kiln. Follow along with Simon Leach, and you too could be building your own kiln in your backyard.
How To: Make a bell out of clay
Simon Leach shows us how to make a bell out of clay.
How To: Fit a lamp base into pottery with Simon Leach
In this video by Simon Leach, we learn how to fit a lamp base into pottery with Simon Leach. First, you will take the lamp base that has all the wires inside of it. From here, you will wire the cables through the proper fittings for the light. Then, you need to put a hole in the bottom of the lamp base so you can string the light base through and then place the light bulb on top. When you are finished, the pottery can sit on top of the base and then you can add a light shade to finish up the ...
How To: Trim using chuck
Watch this ceramics tutorial video to learn how to trim your pottery using chuck. This technique and the tips on how to do it are best for intermediate potters with some experience. This instructional video will have you trimming you pottery using a chuck in no time.
How To: Throw a big pottery mixing bowl
First of all you have to put some clay over the potter wheel. Now add some water and then press hard with your fingers at the bottom. Now slowly release the pressure of your hands and bring your hands upwards while slowly releasing the pressure. This shall form an inverted cone shape. Now apply pressure with your thumbs at the top to depress in the top and then wash your hands with water. Now use your thumbs to make this hole bigger. Now put a little water in this hole and then use your finge...
How To: Throw a lamp base
You all the know the scene from Ghost? Where Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore are sitting and they are trying to make something using the machine? It's one of the most iconic scenes out there. Anyways, this video isn't about ghosts, or either of those actors, but rather that machine and what it can do. This tutorial will show you how to throw a lamp base easily. Enjoy!
How To: Make Clay Sculptures
In this ceramics video series, learn how to make terracotta clay sculptures from ceramics art expert Chitrotpola Mukherjee.
How To: Throw a wide bowl with Simon Leach
Watch this instructional ceramics video to learn how to throw a wide bowl with Simon Leach. As a preliminary step, one should throw a flat piece of clay onto the pad to assure easy lifting off of the bat. Centering is quite difficult with a larger piece of clay. Leach's visual guide allows one to view the delicate steps required to throw a wide ceramic bowl without letting it collapse.
How To: Throw quick ceramic plates
Watch this instructional ceramics video to learn how to throw a quick plate. Simply center your clay and create a wide disc before beginning the hole. Pull the lip of the plate out with a sponge. It is important to compress the rim. The most difficult step is to pay attention to the of the lip to widen the edge into a plate without breaking the clay or making it look like a bowl.
How To: Mix your own clay at home
This video tutorial shows how to mix your own clay body. Covered are the basic types of clay, fluxes, and fillers. When testing clay body mixtures, make 1000 gram batches dry, then add water to that. This way a percentage recipe can be taken and just by moving the decimal point can convert it to grams (25% = 25 grams or 250 grams, etc). Here is a clay-body recipe is as follows for those of who might care. Also, much of the mixture of a clay body is designed to match the glazes. It needs to me...
How To: Make a "hakeme" brush for slip decorating your pottery
In this video, Simon Leach steps away from his wheel for a few minutes to teach potters everywhere how to make a "hakeme" brush at home out of basic items. This brush can then be used to slip decorate your pottery and other ceramics.
How To: Make a plaster bat for drying out your wet clay
Simon Leach is an online pottery instruction legend, and in this three-part video, he instructs us in a procedure somewhat outside his normal area of expertise by creating a homemade plaster bat, which is basically a flat plaster block used for drying wet clay. For the hardcore at-home ceramics whiz this could be a very fun and rewarding project. Just make sure you are comfortable working with both plaster and clay!
How To: Join two pieces of leather-hard clay together
Check out this video to learn scoring techniques of joining two pieces of stiff leather-hard clay. Following are some steps you will see demonstrated
How To: Decorate a ceramic bowl
Susanne Engelhardt showcases her skills by decorating a bowl, in a trainyard! Review this video for some inspiring methods to paint ceramic bowls. This expressive style of painting ceramics allows for naturalistic imperfections.
How To: Use a potato peeler as a fluting tool
In this video, we learn how to use a potato peeler as a fluting tool. First, take your wet pot and then grab the potato peeler. Use broad strokes along the side of the pot and press down hard and you peel the clay off of the sides. You will need to go over the same spot a few times to be able to see, but once you go around the entire pot you will see the different shapes in the marks. Once you are finished going all the way around the pot, your hands will be tired but it will be fluted with t...
How To: Make a pottery clean up sink in a garage studio
Pottery is a messy craft, and will be even messier without a decent cleaning station. A makeshift studio can be converted from a small space in the garage with a few innovative ideas. Learn how to make a pottery clean up sink in a garage studio by watching this video tutorial.
How To: Make ceramic pottery start to finish
This comprehensive pottery sequence from Watchmojo.com will show you the basic steps of making pottery. You will be guided through the basic pottery making processes of wedging, prep, shaping, removing, firing, and glazing.
How To: Throw clay mortar and pestles on a pottery wheel
A mortar and pestle is a pair of tools that has been used since antiquity for grinding spices. This tutorial shows you how to turn some raw clay into a ceramic mortar and pestle on a pottery wheel. Make sure to glaze it using non-toxic glaze!
How To: Make a personal seal or signet out of smooth clay
Create your own personal seal from a piece of clay! This tutorial shows you the process, starting with a large piece of smooth clay, to cut your chosen sigil into the clay. Make sure you draw the sigil on in reverse. Now all you need is a letter and some sealing wax!
How To: Throw a pestle and mortar
Simon leach shows us how to throw a pestle and mortar, in this series of videos. Part 1 of 3 - How to Throw a pestle and mortar.
How To: Throw and carve a double walled pottery vase
This video illustrate how to throw and carve a double walled pottery vase. Here are the following steps.Step 1: First of all take a potters wheel.Step 2: Now take clay and put it on the wheel and rotate the wheel.Step 3: Make inner and outer partition and slowly shape the inner clay into long vessel shape.Step 4: Now take the outer clay and shape it into vessel, now join the neck of this vessel to the inner vessel and shape it into a vase.Step 5: After the pot has half dried cut the outer bou...
How To: Attach a handle to a pitcher
Watch this ceramics tutorial video to learn how to put a handle on your pitcher. This part of the process is easy enough for beginners, and the detailed instructions in this helpful how-to video will help potters of any level seamlessly attach handles to their pitchers.
How To: Throw a small ceramic mixing bowl on a pottery wheel
A perfect idea for a gift this holiday season! Throw a mixing bowl or ceramic serving dish on a pottery wheel. Make sure you use a non toxic glaze, with no lead in it, if you're using it to store or serve food!
How To: Throw a ceramic vase on a potter's wheel
Ceramic vases thrown on a potter's wheel are perfect beginner's projects. Learn how to throw a vase in this free ceramics video series.
How To: Reuse clay scrap
This video pottery making tutorial shows how to go about reusing trimmings and slop from the clay forming process. Once clay has been fired, it can't be made workable clay again, but slip and clay trimmings can. Learn how to reuse clay scarp by watching this instructional tutorial.
How To: Use porcelain slip and carving to decorate stoneware
A thrown, fired, and dried piece of stoneware can be dipped in porcelain and sponge dried to create a unique effect. The porcelain can then be carved for further design. Learn how to use porcelain slip to carve decoration into a piece of stoneware by watching this video ceramic design tutorial.
How To: Make an incense burner out of clay
Ilysa and Kira with Polymer Clay TV demonstrate how to make an incense burner out of clay. An incense burner is a great way to use up a lot of your scrap clay. You can also use molds, embellishments and pigments to create your incense burner. You can roll up your clay in a swirl to create the incense burner or use any other desired shape. You can also do pinch pot type shapes. To make an incense burner, you'll need a ball of scrap clay, a blade, and a rod. Use the rod to flatten pieces of a c...
How To: Decorate raw clay pottery with white slip
In this video pottery-making tutorial, Simon uses a white slip made from half china clay and half stoneware clay. Slip is an alternative to glaze for finishing a potted project. Simon also demonstrates an easy project to make a paint brush holder that will keep tools in place while using them. Watch this video demonstration to pick up a few ways to decorate a raw clay pottery piece with white slip.
How To: Trim pieces with small necks with a chuck
Watch this ceramics tutorial video to learn how to use a chuck to trim your small-necked pottery. The detailed instructions in this helpful how-to video are best for intermediate potters with some experience.
How To: Make ceramic beer steins
Ceramic beer steins are a creative and festive way to practice your pottery skills. Learn how to create your very own beer stein in this free ceramics video series.
How To: Decorate ceramics with a torch
Try using a blowtorch to dry the outer portion of a ceramic pot. While the clay is still on the pottery wheel, cut light marks into the outer wall of the pot. Dry the outermost layer of wet clay with a blowtorch. When you continue to stretch and form the wet clay on the wheel, witness an interesting cracking effect.
Next Page
Prev Page