Modeling Clay
Clay is a medium that is extremely versatile and very forgiving — even your mistakes can be recycled in one form or another so there is little waste. In this article, we will go over the basic techniques for modeling clay.
Slabbing
With this technique, you make your items from sheets of clay, rather than sculpting it from rolled clay. The key here is to ensure that the slabs are uniform in shape and thickness. You can do this by getting yourself a clay harp — the “harp” has notches evenly spaced along each side and you simply cut the slab by drawing the wire over your clay brick horizontally. You then drop the wire a notch and cut the next slab and repeat until you have enough slabs.
The clay harp can be on the expensive side to you can consider making your own simplified version by using pieces of wood in different thicknesses. Lay the clay in between the thickest set of wood pieces and drag your wire along the wood to cut the first slab. Swap the wood for one that is a little thinner and continue in this manner until you have the slabs that you need.
To ensure that each slab is the right thickness for your needs, cut two strips of wood to that thickness and place on either side of the slab. Rest the rolling pin on either side of these strips and roll the clay out with confidence — the wooden strips will prevent you from making your slab too thin.
You can join slabs together if you like simply by melding the two edges. Press them into one another so that the stick together, turn over and repeat.
Once you have the requisite number of slabs, you can form your shapes, decorate them or texturize them as required.
Pinching
Pinching is one of the basic lessons you learn when first starting out. It involves you getting stuck into the clay and getting your hands dirty. By actually being able to manipulate the clay with your hands, you get a better feel for how to manipulate it.
When starting out, add grog to the clay so that it is stronger. This allows you to practice your technique and leaves less chance of the clay cracking when fired.
Do always make sure that your hands are as cool as possible when working with clay so that it does dry out faster.
This is not a technique for someone who has long nails — keep your nails neatly trimmed or don’t give this method a go at all.
Start out with prepared clay that has been rolled into a ball. It should fit snugly into the palm of your hand. Using the thumb of your other hand, press into the center of the ball until you can start to feel a bit of pressure on the palm of your hand. You want it no more than half an inch thick at the bottom — this will form the base.
Use your finger and thumb to pinch out the shape from the bottom of the ball. Rotate the clay after each little pinch and work your way in this manner until you have an established rhythm and the bowl shape starts to take shape. Continue until you have the shape that you require.
Always work upwards and outwards. If the pit becomes too floppy, use a hair dryer to dry the clay out a bit.
Making the Base
When you are satisfied with the size of the bowl, you can start working on making the base. Use your wooden spoon to gently smack the bottom of the bowl into a flat shape.
Smoothing it Off
When you are satisfied with the base, you can smooth off the outside and inside of the bowl using a kidney or metal scraper. If you like, draw a pattern on with a comb, knife, etc. or add little lumps or coils of clay to add interest before firing and glazing.
Coiling
This is one of the more traditional methods when it comes to working with clay and it is one of the simplest to learn. You would also be amazed at the kind of results that you can get, despite the simplicity of this method. This does require a little more patient, though — you roll out lengths of clay and then adhere them to form the shape that you want. You can then choose whether or not you want to further smooth out the end result.
Choosing the right clay here is extremely important when it comes to getting this technique right. You want a clay that is plastic enough not to crack when building up the coils. You also need to consider the end glazes that you are going to be applying and choose your clay color accordingly. Finally, consider how you are going to be firing the clay and choose a clay that will work well with that method.
Flat or Round Coils?
This depends on the project and the effect that you want to achieve. In both instances, you will roll the clay into a coil. When using round coils, you need to make sure that there is sufficient space for the coils to adhere to one another. Start with a diameter of around two inches and work with that. You can try smaller coils once you get the hang of the technique. Always roll the coils with the palms of your hands so that there are no finger marks on them.
When flattening a coil, you basically do the same thing, except that the diameter should be a little fatter. Flatten the coil as you go along, each time using the palm of your hand and not the fingers. It is best to put a silicone mat or piece of plastic on your work surface so that the clay does not stick to it. Every time you flatten a piece of the coil, lift the flattened end up so that it doesn’t stay stuck to the work surface.
If you would like something a little more interesting than just a plain coil, you can always decorate the coils before forming your pot. Press into a mold to get a more textured look or stamp the surface. Even just pressing in the eraser end of a pencil at regular intervals can go a long way to creating a more beautiful pattern.
Guiding Yourself
When it comes to assembling the coils, how do you know that you are going to achieve the right shape in the end? You can give yourself a bit of help in the form of a template. Sketch out the basic shape that you are aiming to make onto thick card and cut it out. Your pot should fit into the negative area of the shape formed in this way. When making your template, do make sure that the base of it will sit at perfect right angles to the work surface or your risk making a pot that looks a little wonky.
Building Your Pot
From there, all that is needed is to lay the coils. Lay the second coil on top of the first and blend the two by pressing gently downwards towards the first coil. Carry on adding the coils until you have the shape that you want.
Finish off by using a paddle or scraper to smooth out the sides and remove finger marks, if required and decorate as you please.
Mixing the Techniques
When you have gotten the hang of things, there is nothing stopping you from combining techniques so that can get better effects. For example, you could start the bowl off using the pinched technique and finish it up with coils, this time leaving the coil shapes in place as a design element.
Throwing
I have left this until last because it is one of the most difficult techniques. I do suggest considering going to at least one class so that you can be sure that your technique is right. The big advantage of throwing is that it goes quite a bit faster than any of the other techniques and, once you get it right, you will find that the results are generally uniformly good each time.
Again the clay you use will be the deciding factor in the successful outcome of the project. You do need a clay that has good plasticity. Again, you also need to consider what you are making and the firing method you are using before coming to the final decision.
Smooth clay is needed for items that have a more delicate nature; Medium clay is best suited to items of tableware, pots, and ovenware. Coarse clay is necessary for pots that need to withstand a lot of stress — like those for outside or those that undergo high heat techniques.
Start off with a smooth or medium clay when beginning as these are easier to throw.
Preparing the Clay
The consistency of the clay here is more important than with any other technique so be prepared to do more kneading and wedging here. It may be tempting to start off with a softer clay but this won’t hold up to the wheel as well so don’t try to take shortcuts. Using clay that is too hard is also problematic on the wheel because you have to use a lot more pressure in order to build the walls. Once you have prepared your clay, break it up into as many pieces necessary, roll each piece into a ball and wrap in plastic until you are ready to use it.
Preparing to Throw the Clay
Get all the tools and items that you are going to use together ahead of time and keep them where you can get to them easily. When throwing, you do not have time to hunt around for a scraper, etc.
Throwing the Clay
Wipe the wheel with a damp sponge so that it is slightly damp and so that there are no traces of clay left on it. Take your ball of clay and place it as close to the center as you can — the secret to the success of this technique is to get the clay properly centered. Start the wheel up and center the clay. This is done by applying pressure to the top with one hand and to the sides with the other. Do not take too long with this or you risk overworking your clay. You may need to add more water as you go along — your hand needs to glide over the clay easily.
You should wear some sort of protective apron and old clothes for this — it is messy. There are some people that worry about the clay dust but I honestly do not think that it is really that much of an issue. I have a couple of pairs of jeans and old t-shirts for wearing when I throw pottery and I usually try to remember to put on an apron as well.
Opening up the Clay
Now the fun really starts — you are going to start forming your item. Using your right thumb, keeping it flat, find the center of your clay and press down on it. Push down so that you start to see a donut shape forming. You must keep your thumb flat.
Make a Good Base
The base of your pot needs to be strong so be sure to compress the clay by running your thumb over the center and out to the outside edge three times. When complete, pull your thumb up against the wall and start to shape your pot.
Shaping your Pot
There are a lot of hand positions that you can adopt but here are the three most important ones:
Using your thumb and forefinger, gently pinch the clay and lift at the same time, a little at a time.
When the wall has started to form, place your right hand on the outside of the clay and continue pinching and raising the wall. What you want is a tapering effect so that the base is wider. After each lift, gently hold the rim between the fingers of your left hand and apply pressure with the fingers of your right hand. Carry on lifting, pinching and smoothing in this manner. If the rim becomes too uneven, slow the wheel right down and cut it off with a knife or potter’s wire.
Once you are satisfied that the pot is taking shape nicely, it is time to knuckle up. Wrap your forefinger around your thumb and form a fist with the same hand. Place the fingers of your other hand inside the pot, allowing the thumb to rest on the top of the fist that you made. Apply slight pressure and lift the pot as many times as necessary until you get the size that you want. When you have the height, relax the pressure and allow the top to come back to a round shape again. If you take away your hands too quickly, the form is likely to wobble.
Lifting Off the Wheel
Take off any excess clay at the base of the pot by holding a rib at a 45-degree angle to the pot. Then make a bevel at the base of the pot so that you can pass the wire through easily. Get rid of any clay bits lying on the wheel and pass the wire under the base of the pot. Make sure that your hands are dry and grasp the pot near the base gently. Start to lift away from you and place on a board as quickly as possible.
By Léonce Philibert, author of Working with Clay: An Introduction to Clay Molding and Sculpting