Five more practical wheel-throwing tips for beginner potters
The other day I was scrolling through my own Instagram page (we all do that sometimes, don;t we?) and came across an old video of myself throwing on the wheel and I could not believe how much my technique had improved. A lot of the reason for improvement comes from practice and repetition, but also from the many tips and tricks I have picked up along the way. I’ve compiled the top five tips that have helped me the most in taking me from beginner to… slightly less beginner!
Squeeze up when coning
My biggest ‘a-ha’ moment to do with centering came when I figured out you were meant to squeeze the clay to cone up. Coning up and down is the process of forcing the clay into a tall, skinny, and yes, phallic-looking shape, then back down into a domed disc, in order to homogenise the clay and centre it on the wheel. Coning up and down looks pretty self-explanatory but for the longest time I was trying to pull the clay up into the tall cone. Then I stumbled across a video that explained that you were meant to squeeze your hands together and force the clay upwards. I like to lock the tips of my fingers together, rest my thumbs on the top of the clay and squeeze the palms and heels of my hand together. This uses the centrifugal force of the wheel to move the clay into the desired shape. What a game changer. If you are struggling with the centering and coning process then have a look at your technique and if you aren’t squeezing then give it a go!
Keep your hands connected
This tip should be applied to every step on the wheel; and that is to always keep your hand connected. It will help you centre, pull even walls, and shape your piece evenly. By saying ‘keep your hands connected’, I mean to always have at least one finger from your inside hand touching your outside hand. Keeping your hands connected will help stabilise you and ensure you are putting even pressure on the clay from both sides as your hands will always be moving at the same time. At some point your piece may become too high and you won’t be able to connect your hands anymore, but try and make it a habit while you can.
Always pull inwards
When you are a beginner the first pull can make or break a pot. Now that I have some more experience under my belt I can save some bad pulls, but a good first pull will always put you in good stead! A mistake that I made so much when I was learning pottery was letting the clay flare outwards, leading to many, many flops. Due to factors such as science and physics, spinning clay will automatically want to move outwards. We don't want that, we want to create nice, straight cylinders that we can then shape however we want.
Because of the aforementioned science, if you don’t put enough pressure on the outside of the clay when pulling up, physics will take over and it will flare out. You will be forever fighting that clay, trying your darndest to keep collaring it in. To stop this from happening you need to always pull inwards, especially on the first pull. On my first pull I put about 80% of my strength into my right (outside) hand, and only 20% into my left (inside) hand. The left hand is really only acting as a support. This means I am applying enough pressure inwards to counteract the centrifugal force wanting to push the clay outwards and I end up with either a straight sided or slightly volcanic shape, which is just what you want. A volcanic shape keeps the piece strong and supported, allowing you to pull higher and higher.
Create a ridge at the base to make use of all your clay
Another thing I really struggled with when I started throwing was ending up with masses of clay at the bottom of my piece that I would need to trim off. There’s nothing really wrong with this except for the fact that you are not using all of that clay you spent so long centering and it will just end up in your reclaim. You will also find it hard to throw bigger pieces as a lot of your clay will just be stuck at the bottom of your piece, not being moved up to create higher walls.
In order to make sure you are using all of the clay, it helps to create a small ridge at the base of your piece using your finger before each pull. You can then place your finger below that ridge and it creates a nice little lug to hold onto to ensure you are moving that clay up the side of the cylinder. When I started doing this it totally changed my throwing technique. I ended up with taller, lighter pieces with more even walls. Another total game changer.
Small amounts of water, often
Something I think all potters struggle with is how much water to use during the throwing process (and how to deal with the subsequent mess!). Basically you want to keep the clay and your hands lubricated enough that there is no pull or torque between the two surfaces. If the clay is too dry and your hands catch on it, this will pull the clay off-centre. On the other hand, too much water can cause the clay to disintegrate between your fingers, as well as cause a massive mess that you will have to clean up afterwards.
The sweet spot that I have found is to use small amounts of water, often. You want to keep the clay wet but not drown it, and I do this by adding small amounts of water consistently and regularly, and also regularly mopping up stagnant water on the wheel head and inside the piece. No throwing handfuls of water at your piece and no squeezing an entire sponge out onto the wheel head! With enough practice it will soon become part of your throwing rhythm.
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I hope these tips help you fine tune your very own pottery practice and help you on the path to create some wonderful pots! Feel free to share any of your own game-changing throwing tips in the comments below!