This document provides an overview of basic ceramics techniques for working with clay, including coil building, pinching, slab building, hand building, and wheel throwing. It describes each technique, explaining how to execute it. For example, it explains that coil building involves rolling strips of clay into worms and placing them over each other to form shapes, while pinching involves pressing clay between two fingers to form walls. The document encourages readers to explore clay and try different techniques to discover what they can create.

1. Discover the World of Clay through…
TECHNIQUES IN CERAMICS
George Canfield,

2. WHAT CAN YOU REALLY DO WITH CLAY?
Have you ever wondered how artists
sometimes create such magnificent pieces
with just a block of clay? Not only with talent,
anyone can master the skill of ceramics with
the right technique.
So what are you waiting for?
Discover the world of clay!

3. HOW TO USE YOUR CLAY
Coil Method
Pinching
Slab Building
Hand Building
Wheel Throwing

4. WHAT IS A COIL METHOD?
The coil method is one of the
oldest techniques in ceramics. To
begin, you will roll strips of clay into
a worm shape piece. This can be
any shape or size, depending on
how large the overall piece will be.
After making the coils, you place
them over one another and blend
them together. This will latch the
pieces as one. This can be
repeated until you decide when the
piece is large enough. This
technique is good for making pots
and different shapes.

5. PINCHING CLAY TOGETHER
Pinching clay is a simple
technique most beginners use. To
start, you take a ball of clay and
open a hole in the middle. Then, you
start pinching the sides to form the
shape you want. If you want a
square, you pinch consistently to get
four sides. If you want a circle, you
pinch circler around the clay ball.
When talking about “pinching,”
this means you press two fingers
together with the clay between
them. You can push the clay
outwards to increase the clays

6. PINCHING CLAY TOGETHER
When using the pinching technique, you can add more
clay as needed. To do this, you just take tiny pieces of clay
and pinch them onto the project’s top brim. Pinching is best
used for pots of any shape.

7. WHAT ARE SLABS OF CLAY?
Slabs are long, flat,
stretched pieces of clay. The
best way to get a slab is to use
a pin roller and consistently roll
it on a chunk of clay. Next, you
take the slab and lay it over a
surface that you want your clay
to form to. A good surface
could be a bowl or jar. You can
place the clay inside the object
or over its outside to get that
specific shape.

8. WHAT ARE SLABS OF CLAY?
When connecting slabs, you should use wet clay to
press them together. This will help the pieces stay
connected and not fall apart.

9. WE LOVE HAND BUILDING!
Hand building is the perfect technique for all ages. In
order to hand build, you just play with clay to get the desired
shape or object. Do you remember those days of Play-doh?
Nothing has changed with clay!
Also, using tools can help
perfect any details you want.

10. WE LOVE HAND BUILDING!

11. WHEEL THROWING WORKS!
A ball of clay is thrown in the middle of a potter’s wheel
as it spins. The clay is shaped by your hands while it moves
in a circular motion. When moving the clay up and down, in
and out to form the perfect shape- keeping the clay wet is
key. This is all done carefully with the hands and fingers.

12. WHAT’S YOUR IDEAS?
Techniques In Further Ideas for Projects and Extra Notes
Ceramics Write Them Below
Coil Method
Pinching
Slab Building
Hand Building
Wheel Throwing
New Technique of Your
Own:

13. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pictures Retrieved from Ceramic Art Daily
Ceramics Publication Company. "Ceramic Arts Daily." »
Ceramic Arts Daily - Featured Archives. American Ceramic
Society. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. <http://ceramicartsdaily.org/>.
"Glossary of Ceramics and Clay Terms." The Collector's
Guide. F & W Media. Web. 16 Sept. 2010.
<http://www.collectorsguide.com/fa/fa060.shtml>.
Hopper, Robin. Making Marks: Discovering the Ceramic
Surface. Iola, WI: KP, 2004. Print.