Pinch pots
Pinch pots
This is an ancient technique, very beginning of ceramics.
We are making a variety of pinch pots:
1. small with coil foot, very smooth interior and exterior with a handle (coil, or flattened and decorated, or pulled)
2. a little larger with organic texture or with geometric texture, add a special looking foot?
3. in the shape of an animal- sculptural.
Demo:
1. Make a small ball the size of a mandarin. Put your thumb in it straight down, not all the way. Use your thumb inside and a few fingers outside, as well as your other hand outside to stabilize and support. Work in a spiral, from bottom to top. Keep moving the pot in your hand.
Cracks will form and they should be welded right away. Compress, squeeze, then smooth over. Don't use water or piece will become too wet and collapse. Don't worry too much about rims being irregular. Try to smooth interior and exterior well. Make walls as even as possible with equal thickness everywhere.
Make a coil, rolling it in big movement. Get it about the thickness of the rim. Form it into a circle, place it on the bottom, mark where it will be with the needle tool. Remove, scratch/score the clay in that area in both directions, place together and pinch, smooth edges with back of needle tool or other tool. Let this now dry to a leather hard state for next class.
Roll another coil,a little thicker than the foot for the handle. You can decorate the surface if you wish. Make sure you score and use slip to attach it and have a large surface of the handle and the pinch pot come together.
2. Make a ball a little larger do the same process but the exterior will be textured, either while wet (for the organic texture) or once it is leather hard (for the geometric texture). Trim the bottom so that is stands flat and does not wobble.The shapes of these two pots can be organic for the organic one (looking like something that is living, irregular rim) and geometric in shape for the geometric pot, using a paddle or large carving tool to form angles.
3. Make an animal sculpture using pinch pot techniques. If you are adding pieces on to the animal, make sure you are scoring the clay when attaching the pieces (like putting the foot on pinch pot #1). Trim the bottom so it lays flat. The pinch part of the sculpture can be rightside up, upside down, on its side or a combination of two pots put together.
This is an ancient technique, very beginning of ceramics.
We are making a variety of pinch pots:
1. small with coil foot, very smooth interior and exterior with a handle (coil, or flattened and decorated, or pulled)
2. a little larger with organic texture or with geometric texture, add a special looking foot?
3. in the shape of an animal- sculptural.
Demo:
1. Make a small ball the size of a mandarin. Put your thumb in it straight down, not all the way. Use your thumb inside and a few fingers outside, as well as your other hand outside to stabilize and support. Work in a spiral, from bottom to top. Keep moving the pot in your hand.
Cracks will form and they should be welded right away. Compress, squeeze, then smooth over. Don't use water or piece will become too wet and collapse. Don't worry too much about rims being irregular. Try to smooth interior and exterior well. Make walls as even as possible with equal thickness everywhere.
Make a coil, rolling it in big movement. Get it about the thickness of the rim. Form it into a circle, place it on the bottom, mark where it will be with the needle tool. Remove, scratch/score the clay in that area in both directions, place together and pinch, smooth edges with back of needle tool or other tool. Let this now dry to a leather hard state for next class.
Roll another coil,a little thicker than the foot for the handle. You can decorate the surface if you wish. Make sure you score and use slip to attach it and have a large surface of the handle and the pinch pot come together.
2. Make a ball a little larger do the same process but the exterior will be textured, either while wet (for the organic texture) or once it is leather hard (for the geometric texture). Trim the bottom so that is stands flat and does not wobble.The shapes of these two pots can be organic for the organic one (looking like something that is living, irregular rim) and geometric in shape for the geometric pot, using a paddle or large carving tool to form angles.
3. Make an animal sculpture using pinch pot techniques. If you are adding pieces on to the animal, make sure you are scoring the clay when attaching the pieces (like putting the foot on pinch pot #1). Trim the bottom so it lays flat. The pinch part of the sculpture can be rightside up, upside down, on its side or a combination of two pots put together.
Rubric so you know what you will be graded on.
Required Components:
1. Did you create 3 pinch pots?
2. Are your pots stable when you sit them down or do they wobble?
Quality of Clay work– Do your pieces have consistent thickness? Are your rims smooth? Did you smooth out any score marks and get the inside smooth?
Quality of the Glaze - Is there consistent coverage using the glaze? Did you wipe off the bottom and 1/2” up the side?
Creativity – Did you carve interesting patterns on the outside (organic or geometric)? Did you make a creative animal? Are your three pieces unique and creative? Did you try out cool glaze combinations?
Video on how to make a pinch pot, by Christa Schmeder, CHS
Required Components:
1. Did you create 3 pinch pots?
2. Are your pots stable when you sit them down or do they wobble?
Quality of Clay work– Do your pieces have consistent thickness? Are your rims smooth? Did you smooth out any score marks and get the inside smooth?
Quality of the Glaze - Is there consistent coverage using the glaze? Did you wipe off the bottom and 1/2” up the side?
Creativity – Did you carve interesting patterns on the outside (organic or geometric)? Did you make a creative animal? Are your three pieces unique and creative? Did you try out cool glaze combinations?
Video on how to make a pinch pot, by Christa Schmeder, CHS
Video on how to finish a round, smooth pinch pot
Creating a handle: Instructional video
