Timing is everything- when hand-building with clay!
This week, lets talk about understanding your clay a little better, specifically understanding the right moisture and softness of clay for performing different steps while hand-building. This knowledge of course, develops gradually as you spend more time working with your clay. In fact one of the most fundamental skills is understanding when the clay is ready for texturing and when it can be molded.
Here are some of the things I do which help me in my practice:
- I prefer to add texture to the clay when it's freshly rolled out and still quite soft. Soft clay offers the advantage of creating deep, defined textures with ease as opposed to stiffened clay. If the clay has dried out too much, you'll need to add a lot more pressure to get the desired depth and evenness in texture. However, If the clay is too soft, it may stick to your texture tool. Here are a few tips to avoid this issue-
- Dust your clay slab and your texture tool with cornstarch to soak up the excess moisture before adding the texture.
- If you are using a rolling pin for texture, start rolling slight off the edge of the slab (leave a little bit of margin before you start pressing the pin in) to avoid the slab from sticking and rolling along with the pin.
- Next is understanding when to mold your clay to make different forms. This varies on the kind and size of piece you are making. For ex-
- If you are making a mug with a rounded belly, you'll need clay that's stiff enough to support it's shape while being soft enough to manipulate the walls for the rounded form without causing surface cracks. Texture your clay when its still soft, cut out your mug template and then let the clay set-up for a short while so its still soft but not overly so, before you start building with it.
- On the other hand, if you are shaping a tall pitcher, allowing the clay to stiffen up slightly makes it easier to handle and mold larger slabs. It's difficult to hold up large slabs of really soft clay as it tends to flop over without any support. In this case, the clay will need to set-up for a little bit longer so you can hold the walls with ease while trying to form the shape. An easy trick is to use some kind of support- glaze bottles, kiln posts or other tall pots work well for this job.
- For items like small pressed dishes, slightly stiffer clay is preferable. This is to make sure that when you press the slab in a sponge, the dish that forms holds its shape.
If you are new to pottery, I would suggest start by selecting one type of clay that you enjoy working with. Take the time to experiment and get comfortable with that particular clay body. As you gain experience and confidence and begin to see success with your chosen clay, you can gradually introduce other types of clay to your practice.
Knowing when to mold and when to let the clay rest is crucial in hand-building. In fact, timing is everything when creating with clay. This basic understanding can make the entire process of pottery make a lot smoother and much more enjoyable. As you understand your clay, you will be able to create with a lot more ease without your pieces breaking or cracking while building.
Ultimately, there's no substitute for investing time and effort into honing your craft. Practice is key to mastering any skill,
including pottery.
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