Use traditional ceramics coil technique to create a well-designed vessel. Covers concepts of basic texture and design.

1. Coil Pottery
Techniques and samples

2. Egyptian Canopic Jars
Coil pottery technique used to create these jars that held
embalmed organs of the nobility for burial in tombs and pyramids.

3. Start with bottom of vase, a “snail” made of one or
two coils
Slip together. Start to make the sides with coil placed on top of the
base.

4. Vary the length of coils to create wider vase
Trim off excess length and blend edges of coils together

5. Slip between all coils or vase will fall apart when
dry
If you don’t want slip to ruin your design on outside, slip coils on the
inside of the pottery.

6. Blend and weld coils for a flat surface to
draw on
OR

7. Coils can also be left exposed to show off
technique

8. Careful planning can make for pleasing
variations

9. Coils mixed with cut-out clay shapes for
design

10. Coils can be braided to create basket
effects

11. Coil pot made of coiled coils…

12. Sea Creatures decorate coil vases

13. Elephant Sculpture made using coils

14. Modern pottery using coil technique
Design gives the look of a vase from a fantastic land, from another
time

15. Or possibly, another dimension…

16. Ancient Pueblo pottery with coils left
A stamp was pressed into the coils while still wet to give “rope”
texture

17. Ancient Greek vases using coil technique
Coils have been smoothed-over so design flows on flat surface

18. Mini-house, could be used to make
birdhouse

19. Coil Pottery Clay House
(We won’t be making these.)

20. When glazing, different colors can enhance
design

21. Black and white makes for striking graphic
design