Hand building workshop

Stephen gave a workshop on Sunday to demonstrate some of his hand building techniques. It was incredibly helpful, and I learned a lot. His handbuilding method is pretty fast and efficient, and seems to make a really strong build. Of course, he stressed slow and controlled drying, and not rushing the piece as it gets too large to support itself. Definitely a slower process than throwing, but not as tedious as slipping and scoring a lot of perfectly rolled coils!

Showing us some of his favorite tools.

He showed us a lot of his favorite tools, many of which are hand made. I love seeing new and creative pottery tools. One was a large trimming tool made from a sharpened metal band attached to a dowel. Another good one was a long stick with a semi-circle shape routed out the end, used for shaping nice, round ring foots.

Shaping tool, being used here  to make a texture design in a small slab.

One of his new press molds, part of a new process he's just trying out.

Showing us a more efficient coiling shape - tapering the top of each coil so you get a larger amount of clay surface connection when you smooth them into each other.

A base slab for a coil sculpture. The shape was made by tracing the green rib tool twice.

Starting the build.

Inner column in the base to support the balloon form.

Stephen showing how he sketches to plan his sculptures.

A press mold base for a second sculpture.

Coil building a balloon on the press mold base.

Talking about the proportion limitations for building a balanced piece.

Two small sculptures half finished by the end of the workshop.

I had planned to cover coil building in class this week, so I was able to intergrate some of his tips into my demo Monday night. I started two small sculptures of rocket ships as a demonstration. I forgot to take pics, but I'll be working on them some more tonight, so I'll share my progress.

Hope you enjoyed seeing these pics as much as I enjoyed the demo!

My first clay workshop!

My little sis in law, Lillie Joy, had her BFF in town staying with us for the week, and she threw her a sweet 16 party while she was here. She saw the slab built mug my Dad made at the studio while he was in town, and asked me if I'd be willing to teach the girls at the party how to make their own mugs. I've never done any teaching before, but I've always wanted to, so I jumped at the chance.

Rachel Bleil taught us how to make these mugs at BGCW, and I thought it was a perfect project for the teens. They took rolled out slabs and decorated them with texture from a pile of materials we put together, and then rolled them into cylinders and put bottoms and handles on them. Lillie and Abbie had fun looking around the house for things that would make a cool texture in the clay, and I also brought some stamps, doilies, and press molds from the studio. I'm going to bisque them and glaze them with pink and blue glaze, which were the colors chosen by the birthday girl.

Wish these mugs luck! I hope they turn out ok. In any case, the girls all had fun, and I got my first teaching experience. I'm thinking of suggesting some mini teen workshops like this at the studio, maybe next summer? Or maybe even this one, if we could pull it together soon.

I'll post pics of the finished projects!