Five wheel-throwing tips for beginner potters
I first sat down at a wheel in the studios of Seedleaf Designs here in Adelaide, where my wife and I attended two 6-week wheel-throwing courses run by the wonderful Christy Pinkney. We were joined by other beginners as well as some students returning for their second round of classes. One thing we all had in common? We sucked. Wheel-throwing is hard and it does not come naturally to many people (apart from that one lady who was making gorgeous massive bowls at her very first class, but we don’t speak of her). It’s comforting for me to read about how even the most skilled potters struggled with making cylinders and handles at the beginning of their journey. It’s nice to know you’re not the only one ending up with lots of ‘ring dishes’ (failed cylinders) and encouraging to know that with enough practice, anyone can master the pottery wheel.
With that in mind, this is the first in a pair of blog posts I have planned about tips for beginners on the wheel. These first five tips are all about the mindset. Pottery is a mind game as much as a skill you master with your hands. These five tips that I have picked up along the way have really helped me improve my throwing skills and I hope they help you too!
1. Don’t get attached
One of the wondrous things about clay is that as long as it hasn’t been fired, it can be recycled. This is fantastic for beginner potters as you can keep reusing the same clay over and over again! Now when you start making pottery on the wheel you will be SO proud of anything you create that the thought of destroying it is soul crushing. Well, that’s what it was like for me anyway. When I had put all that energy into throwing a piece I was determined to see it right through to the end, no matter how sh*t it was.
However, one of the BEST things to learn early on is to not get too attached to your pieces. There are two reasons for this. One is that you will inevitably lose pieces along the way, whether that be by knocking them when they’re wet, accidentally dropping them on the floor, or in a kiln disaster! If you are used to saying goodbye to pieces you have worked hard on early on then these losses won’t hurt quite as much.
The main reason though is that one of the best ways to learn and assess your progress is by cutting open your work and looking at your wall thickness and consistency. A great thing to do when you are starting out is to throw a bunch of cylinders, cut them all open and see how consistent your work is. I can’t overestimate how helpful this exercise was for me, and it leads me onto my second tip.
2. Repetition is key
Don’t know how to centre? Centre 20 lumps of clay, re-wedge them, and go again. Don’t know how to make a cylinder? Make 100 of them! Don’t know how to throw a bowl? Make 20, cut them open and see how you went!
Wheel throwing is a lot of muscle memory and trusting your intuition. It’s about learning how your body interacts with the clay, how much water you need, the best places to put your hands, and how much pressure to put into each pull. You can read about these things, watch videos and go to classes, but the best way to learn is to do it yourself, again and again and again. I promise, if you hate making handles then go make 50 of them, and you will have improved by number 50. You might not hate them any less, but you will be better at it than you were before!
3. Take a break
Pottery can be frustrating, and it is definitely hard on the body. Once of the best tips I got when I started throwing at home was from Christy, via email, late on a Saturday afternoon when I emailed her in desperation asking how on earth I was meant to get my pieces off the wheel head without a bat. She told me that sometimes it’s best to go inside, have a glass of wine, and try again tomorrow. Genius. Trying to throw when you are tired and frustrated is never going to end well, so take a break, relax, and head out to the studio with fresh eyes and hands tomorrow.
It’s also important to get up from the wheel, walk around and stretch your muscles regularly throughout a throwing session. I can get very hyper focused, so one way I make sure I do this is by only bringing five balls of clay to the wheel at a time. That way I have to get up after five throws to go and get more clay and I have a good stretch then. If I don’t do this I can end up hunched over the wheel for hours and I have trouble even getting my back straight again after doing that.
So for your physical health and your mind, don’t forget the importance of taking a break.
4. Seek out knowledge
There is SO much wonderful pottery knowledge out there! Immerse yourself in it in whichever way feels right for you. Read books, watch YouTube videos, and scroll Instagram for tips and inspiration. The best resource I have found for my learning style is YouTube videos. You can find some really specific tutorials and process videos on there which really helped me understand a lot of basics around wheel throwing.
However the best way to take in information about wheel throwing is by attending a class. If you are reading this blog post there is a good chance you have already done this, but if not, I would 100% recommend that anyone interested in wheel throwing attend at least one in person class. Personally I would attend a series of classes if that’s possible, before investing in all the equipment to start creating at home. Pottery is an expensive hobby and a few classes is a much cheaper way of finding out that you’re not as into it as you thought you would be! And if you find out you love it, then nothing can beat being in the presence of a skilled and experienced teacher who can give you in person demonstrations and watch you throw. This is the best way to get guidance on things like your position at the wheel and your centreing technique.
5. Don’t take yourself too seriously
Chances are if you’re reading this then you’re just starting out in the world of clay and therefore it’s unlikely that there is any outside pressure on you producing a perfect pot. There is great freedom in being at the stage where you are making just for yourself. Use this time to have fun on the wheel and try not to take the whole thing too seriously. You are being creative and that’s brilliant, so don’t forget to have fun with it! Are you getting bored trying to perfect your cylinder? Have a go at a bulbous vase instead! Frustrated that you can’t pull a tall enough vase? Experiment with throwing tiny forms off the hump! Wish you were good enough to make a teapot? Give it a go! If you fail, refer to tip 3 and try again tomorrow.
You will have failures and you will have disappointments, but remember you are not alone in that. You are a beginner after all! The possibilities are endless when it comes to clay so make sure you never stop having fun.
