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10 Handbuilding Projects for Absolute Beginners

Ready to take a Handbuilding Class with us at Dalston Clay? Here is a small sample of techniques that we teach:


  1. Pinch Pot Egg Holder


Pinching is one of the earliest techniques that humans have been using to create pottery - and for good reason! It is incredibly simple, and yet can produce beautiful and satisfying results all in the palm of your hand. Attach multiple pinch pots together and create a perfectly imperfect egg-holder addition to your refrigerator.





2. Coiled Vase


Start from the ground up or build on top of a pinch pot using coils - rings of clay that you smear together to add height and shape to your piece. The versatility of coilbuilding allows you to create wild shapes such as this vase with a hole right through the middle.








3. Slab-built Tealight Houses


Roll out thin sheets of clay, cut them to your desired shape, then attach them together using the score and slip technique.




4. Sgraffito Plate


Our handbuilding class icludes an introduction to surface decorating techniques. Create a basic shape using pinch slab or coil, apply a layer of slip (liquidy coloured clay) then carve into the slip to reveal the layer of raw clay underneath.





5. Drape Mold Berry Bowl


Roll out a slab, then drape it over one of our plaster molds to create a bowl shape. Dry it, then put some holes in for an excellent ceramic colander.







6. Ceramic Basket


Use coils on their own or over a plaster mold to create a woven or open basket for fruits, veggies, or trinkets.











7. Kurinuki Teabowl


Tea bowls are often handbuilt using a combination of pinching and kurinuki - a japanese technique that involves carving away at the clay to reveal a vessel.








8. Pressed Leaf Dish


Bring in a leaf of your favourite houseplant, some pine needles you found in the forest, or even flowers you've picked or a lovely doily from your grandmother's house. Anything can be used to create an impression in a clay slab. Then, simply lift up the corners of your slab and you have a wonderful serving dish or trinket tray.








9. Clay Jewellery


If functional ware doesn't appeal to you, how about trying your hand at creating some cool beads or pendants, then decorating them in the same session using our colourful slips? We have nichrome wire (which will not melt in the kiln) for you to use in your jewellery making, as well as kiln hangers for your pendants.









10. Handbuilt Teapot



Okay, maybe this one isn't for your first time, but it is still totally doable once you've got the hang of the basics. Combine pinching, coiling, and slab building, along with surface decorating techniques to put together this complex and satisfying form.

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