Last school year, I tried ceramics for the first time. I was absolutely terrible at it! My piece was too heavy and it looked like a small child had made it. It was ugly, but it was so much fun to make, that I tried again. Each time I built someone, I got better, slowly but surely. Last semester, I took a ceramics class. I learned all about the different states of clay, and the different ways to build something. Thanks to my professor, I learned about the four main ways to build something out of clay.
1. Hand Building.
Hand building is the easiest way to start off. It's exactly what it sounds like. You take a glob of clay and build whatever you would like using your hands. It helps you to get a feel for the clay, and how it works. If you have any interest in learning ceramics, this is where you should begin.
2. Slab Building.
This is my personal favorite. It's really simple, but it can result in beautiful pieces. In order to slab build, you take some clay, and make sure you get all the air bubbles out. Then you have two different options that you can choose from. You can flatten it out yourself by using a rolling pin and two planks of wood or you can use a slab roller. In order to work a slab roller, you lay your clay on a long strip of cloth. The machine then has a piece of cloth connected to it, which you lay on top of the clay. Next, you turn a giant wheel and the slab roller rolls over the clay like a steam roller. It flattens out the clay, and makes it ready to use.
3. Coil Building.
Remember when you were a kid and you made snakes out of Playdoh? Well, people in ceramics still do that. We make "snakes" out of clay, and then we shape it into whatever form we like. In order for this to work, however, you want to make sure your coil is even, and the proper length. If your coil isn't long enough though, you can always just make some more.
4. Throwing on the Wheel.
Everyone always gets excited about this form. However, while it may be fun, it's NOT as easy as it looks. Like everything else, some people will pick it up immediately. For most people though, it takes time and patience. It's stressful when you build up a piece, and then it breaks right before you take it off of the wheel. If you've seen people who make it look graceful and easy, they've probably been doing it for a while. If you want to throw on the wheel, you need several balls of clay (usually softball-sized), a bucket of water, a wheel (obviously), a towel to dry your hands on, and several ceramics tools.
None of these tactics is foolproof. You will drop things, break things, have pieces that are slightly crooked, etc. However, you will also have pieces that are breathtaking. You will make things and hate them, but you will also make things and fall in love with them. In order to do ceramics, you need to have patience and know how to have fun. If you get the chance, you need to try ceramics at least once in your life, you won't regret it. Have fun and get a little dirty!
