If you want to make ceramics by hand choose a clay that you can bake in the oven or air dry unless you have access to a kiln.
How to make a ceramic hand.
If you re looking to try your hand at something a little harder than a basic pinch or coil pot then you might be ready to try a slab pot which is formed by joining flat slabs of clay together.
Figure sculpting is not an area of ceramics that i have explored much probably because it seems like such an overwhelming endeavor.
Slab pots tend to be a bit tougher to produce technically speaking than those created using other techniques.
The molds are super super easy to make and well worth the time.
If you re interested in exploring the world of making plaster molds for slip casting or handbuilding ceramic mold making techniques.
How to make a slump mold for ceramic hand building.
Below you can see a photo of myself centering some porcelain on the wheel.
Learning to make bowls helped me learn to be patient even when i messed up six attempts in a row or didn t even come close to getting the clay right.
Pull off a small piece of clay to work with and roll it into a ball then pinch pull and roll the clay to warm it up in your hands.
It also tauget me to be confident.
I learned to make ceramic bowls on a potter s wheel in school.
The slump mold is a great way to make bowls without using a pottery wheel or using the pinch pot method.
Tips for making plaster molds and slip casting clay is a great place to start.
Ceramic mold making is not as difficult as you might imagine.
It will help you make well formed pieces where the body wall has an even thickness.