Ceramic Slab Technique

Handbuilding is working with clay by hand using only simple tools not the pottery wheel.

Ceramic slab technique.

Below are the three most common forms of creating hand built pots. The most common handbuilding techniques are pinch pottery coil building and slab building. Liz zlot summerfield is also an excellent resource for slab building techniques. Birdie boone works with super thin slabs to make.

Today slab pots and slab building techniques are experiencing a renewed popularity. To make a pinch pot one inserts a thumb into a ball of clay and continually pinches the the clay between the thumb and fingers while rotating to thin. To get you started check out this article by daryl baird on using slump molds with soft slabs. Slabbing clay is a handbuilding pottery technique that has been around for centuries.

Before potters began using pottery wheels simple tools were used to create clay pottery. Slabbing clay is a technique the includes rolling out slabs of clay and then cutting out pieces and attaching them together to create pots cups and urns. Pinchpot coiling and slab techniques. Slab pots tend to be a bit tougher to produce technically speaking than those created using other techniques.

Modern potters and ceramic sculptors have embraced the slab creating works using both soft slabs and stiff leather hard slabs. Before potters had the wheel they were creating beautiful pots and clay forms using clay their hands and fingers and basic hand tools. Once the clay is leather hard cut out your pieces and join them by scoring and slipping. More on soft slab pottery.

If you have caught the slab pottery bug you ve come to the right place for inspiration. Jomon vessel 3000 2000 b c e on view at tokyo national museum tokyo japan. Use only dried and firm slabs of clay for this technique. The slabs of clay need to still be wet enough to produce strong seams yet also firm enough to be able to hold up their own weight when placed vertically.