Throwing and handbuilding are at the core of all studio ceramics techniques. Through skill and imagination, some of the most talented artists and craftsmen can take these basic techniques and produce extremely creative works of art. By learning their techniques, and a little practice, you’ll be able to create unique works of your own.
Throwing & Handbuilding: Forming Techniques is a collection of 24 carefully selected projects and techniques. Within each section of the book you’ll discover challenging, complex and unusual techniques, oftentimes extensively illustrated, by some of the foremost studio artists working today. By mastering new techniques and discovering inspirational works of contemporary masters, you’ll soon find yourself challenged to take new directions in your work.
Making Large Jars
Karen Terpstra came rather late to ceramics and her work focused on handbuilding. When she decided she needed larger surfaces to work on, she turned to using flat coils and began creating forms that defied gravity and would normally collapse if wheel thrown. One big advantage with her method is that you can change directions rather drastically by allowing the flat coils to become leather hard and you can also apply her technique to a variety of sculptural forms.
Throwing Large Platters
Ceramic platters are some of the most functionally useful forms you can make, and they provide wonderful surfaces for artistic expression and creativity. However, creating large platters presents many challenges in the throwing, finishing and firing stages that require a few different techniques than making bowls or cylinders. Sam Hoffman demonstrates every single step in the making of these magnificent forms, from centering large amounts of clay to trimming the piece to a perfect finish, in 42 step-by-step photos.
Throwing Tall Narrow Forms
Annie Robbins loves tall and narrow forms and tried hard to get something that rose above 18 to 20 inches above the wheelhead. Then a few years ago, she sprained her right wrist and thumb in a car accident and didn’t work for a while in order to give her hand a rest. Fearing the worst, she went to a hand specialist and broke into tears. He explained that hand injuries were sometimes worse for artists because we use our hands to express ourselves, and he encouraged her to “find a new way” and inspired her to challenge herself. Baffled, Annie set about to find a solution and here she reveals her secrets on how to make forms up to three feet high!
More techniques in the book |