VIDEO LIBRARY

Recordings of Live Classes on Zoom

Only Zoom meetings for classes three, four and five were recorded.
​Video highlights for class five will be available soon.

Highlights showing live demos of making a hollow sphere and paddling it into a sculpture.

Questions that could be answered without a demonstration can be found below under QUESTIONS.

QUESTIONS

​QUESTION:  How do I prepare leftover clay?
ANSWER: Leftover clay must be wedged before using it to make something. This will be covered in class 4.

QUESTION:  When do I paddle the joined pinch pots?
ANSWER: There are two times when you use the paddle:

• The first time is after the pots are joined and a coil has been added and blended over the seam BEFORE a hole has been made into the sphere. Just paddle lightly over the entire pot. The goal is to give the whole pot the same level of compression.
• The second time to paddle is when you are deforming the sphere into a new shape. There must be a small hole pierced into the pot before doing this step.

QUESTION: How long do I leave the pots in the molds?
ANSWER: When you turn the mold over and the pot falls out on it's own, it's ready to come out of the mold. This could be in as little as 5 minutes, but it is fine to leave it in for 10 minutes longer.

QUESTION: Do I join the two pots while they are still in the molds?
ANSWER: No, remove the pots from the mold before joining them together.

QUESTION: I have made the hollow sphere and there are a lot of little cracks in the surface. Is this ok?
ANSWER: Yes, superficial cracks don't matter right now, they will probably disappear after the paddling process to deform the sphere into the shape you want.

QUESTION: The coil I added is too big, what do I do?
ANSWER: Just trim away excess with the loop tool and use the ribs to smooth the surface.

QUESTION: Was the bird's head made with very soft clay when adding it to the harder clay of the body?
ANSWER: Yes, it's not a problem to attach soft clay to harder clay, if you dry the pot slowly
and the harder clay is not drier than leatherhard. 
Clay of different moisture levels will shrink at different rates and this can result in cracks if the clay is not dried slowly by being wrapped in plastic
at the beginning of the drying process.

QUESTION: When I start paddling to make my sculpture, does it matter where the seam is located?
ANSWER: No, but it is important that you don't place the hole in the seam line.

QUESTION: When do I put in the hole?
ANSWER: Make the hole when you are going to start to do the paddling to deform the sphere.
OR, if you are going to take a break after making the sphere, poke a hole in it before wrapping it in plastic. It is best to leave for no longer than a day before returning to paddle it.

QUESTION: I have made the sphere, when can I start deforming it by paddling?
ANSWER: It is best to let the sphere sit for at least 5 to 10 minutes before starting to do the deformation padding.

QUESTION:  Does it matter where I place the hole?
ANSWER: As long as the hole is not in the seam line, it can go anywhere else. 

QUESTION:  Can I make my form without any holes in it?
ANSWER: No! As the clay dries it will shrink and the air trapped inside the closed form won't have enough space causing enough pressure to break it. 

QUESTION:  How do I know what size to make the head and tail for my bird?
ANSWER: You can make some in different sizes and place them on the body to see what you like best before attaching them.

QUESTION:  I am making a bird. Should the tail be hollow?
ANSWER: No, unless it is very thick.

QUESTION:  I am making a cat. How do make the ears?
ANSWER: You can make the ears in the same way as I made the leaf for the pear. The clay is thick where it joins the pot so it is well attached and only thin at the edges so it appears thin.

QUESTION: Can I do speckling with the coloured slip?
ANSWER: Yes, but it makes a big mess, so make sure you cover the working area with newspaper. You might need to add some water to the slip if it is too thick. Use an old toothbrush, or a paint brush with very stiff bristles. Dip it in the slip and 
flick the bristles with your thumb to splatter the slip on your pot. Test it on newspaper first.
      Another technique that creates mottled colour is to apply the slip with a natural sea sponge.

QUESTION: How wide should the hole be at the bottom?
ANSWER:  I like to make it large enough that I can easily insert a finger inside it as that makes it easier to hold when applying glaze.

QUESTION: I made a pumpkin. Can I mix the yellow and read coloured slips to make orange?
ANSWER: Yes, to get the best orange combine 75% yellow with 25% red. The red has more tinting strength than the yellow.

QUESTION:  How do I wrap my joined pinch pots so I can work on them later?
ANSWER: After poking a hole through the clay wall with the pin tool, wrap the pot in two plastic bags. You don't need to wrap the pot first in newspaper. The clay has dried enough while in the bisque molds that it won't stick to the plastic. You need to work on it within the next couple days.

QUESTION: How long do I need to keep my pot wrapped in plastic?
ANSWER: Keep them wrapped up till you deliver them for firing because if they get bone dry they are more fragile and could get damaged in transit.

QUESTION: When I apply another layer of coloured slip, do I have to wait for the slip that 's already on the pot to dry first?
ANSWER: It depends on what you want the results to look like:

• if you want the colours to blend, then you can apply colours before the earlier one has dried. If you brush with too much pressure, the underlying slip will be lift up and expose the clay (white after firing)
• if you want the different colours to be distinct, then wait until the applied layer has dried to a dull sheen before adding the next layer.
  
  

QUESTION: Can I wrap the pot in plastic when the slip is still wet?
ANSWER: It is best to let the slip dry until it is no longer sticky before wrapping the pot in plastic.
However, if you don't have time to wait, you can place newspaper on the pot before wrapping it in plastic.  When you unwrap the pot, peel the newspaper back slowly. You may need to reapply slip if too much comes off on the newspaper, but the newspaper won't leave crease marks in the slip like plastic will.

QUESTION: What do I do if newspaper is stuck in the coloured  slip on my pot?
ANSWER: If you want to apply more slip, scrape off the newspaper first. If you are done adding slip, then you can leave the paper in place. It will just burn off when the pot is fired.

TIPS

PREVENTION:
When using coloured slip, place a bat or newspaper under the slip containers and your pot to avoid getting the slip on your vinyl work surface that can be hard to remove and can end up on your clay. 

LINE IT UP:
When attaching hollow parts together, make sure there are holes in each part that line up so that air can travel between the inside of both parts. A closed form that has trapped air can crack when it's drying or being fired.

JUST WAIT:
When you want to have a contrasting coloured slip in a depression you can apply the slip into that area first and wait till it has dried to a dull sheen before applying the slip to the surrounding area. That way the next layer of slip won't smudge or pickup any of the underlying colour.

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION:
After you have wrapped a pot, take care with choosing a place for it to be stored. Do not place your pots in sunlight or near a heat source for extended periods.

Highlights showing live demos of coiling a vase

Questions that could be answered without a demonstration can be found below under QUESTIONS.

DEFINITioNS

A puki is a mold for forming the base of a coiled pot. It prevents the base of the pot from deforming from the weight of the coils being added. The puki in your kit is a bisque mould that has a flat bottom that looks like a shallow bowl. 

QUESTIONS

QUESTION: The coloured slips I applied to my pot last week have dried and have barely any colour. Is that normal?
ANSWER: Yes, the colours of the coloured slip before they are fired is not an indicator of the colour after the glaze firing.  Just like clay lightens in colour as it dries, so does the slip since it is made with clay.

QUESTION: My pot is now dry, can I add some coloured slip to it?
ANSWER: ​That depends. If the pot feels dusty at all when you touch it with your finger, it is too dry to add more slip.

QUESTION: My pot is drier than leatherhard. Can I spritz it with water and then add slip?
ANSWER: No. Once the clay is drier than  leather hard the clay has shrunk. Slip applied to it will flake off as it dries and shrinks.

QUESTION: I am not at home and forgot to bring the bisque puki mold, what should I do?
ANSWER: You can use another small bowl and line the inside of it with plastic wrap or some stretchy fabric (like a t shirt). You will get a few wrinkles in the clay that you can smooth out later with your ribs.
 
QUESTION: How thick should the clay be in the puki bisque mold?
ANSWER: The base you form in the puki should have a wall that is at least 1.5 cm thick.

QUESTION: There are cracks on the edge of the base, should I add vinegar?
ANSWER: Yes, vinegar or water can be applied to the cracks, but only a little.

QUESTION: When should I remove the pot from the puki?
ANSWER: Wait until the clay has stiffened and can support the weight of the coils you have added. Otherwise, the bottom of the pot will slump.

QUESTION: Do I need to score and slip before adding coils?
ASNWER: No, our clay is wet and we are using lots of compression, so scoring and slipping is not needed. However, if you store your pot in plastic to work on later, you may need to score and slip the wall before adding the first coil.

QUESTION: The pot is getting wider and wider, not straight up! What do I do?
ANSWER #1: You can fix the problem with some minor surgery. Cut a V dart and pinch edges of the V to be thin, then overlap and pinch together. You may need to add 3 or more darts at  equal distances around the pot.
ANSWER #2: You can prevent the problem with how you place coils before joinging them: place a new coil so it  is a LITTLE bit towards the centre of the pot, not entirely on top of the wall.

QUESTION: The walls are getting too tall for me to reach inside the pot with my fingers. What do I do?
ANSWER: Use a tool that can reach where you fingers can't. This could be the throwing stick or the wooden spoon. 

QUESTION: I am worried that the pot will not hold water because there will be gaps between the coils.
ANSWER: Don't worry. As longs as the coils on the inside of the pot are completely blended and the pot is dried slowly, there will not be any gaps in the wall for water to leak through.

QUESTION: If there is a crack that you don't see when making the pot, what happens when the pots gets fired?
ANSWER: Often a crack in the pot gets bigger during the firing. If the crack is very small and is just on the surface, it may get filled with glaze.

QUESTION: Is it alright to add more coils
tomorrow, or in a few days, after the walls have stiffened?
ANSWER: Yes, as long as the pot is wrapped in plastic it won't dry out too much. You can add more coils as long as the pot is not dryer than leatherhard, but you may have to score and slip the wall before adding the first coil.

TIPS

CRACK PREVENTION: If you do lots of compression on your pots and dry them slowly, you won't have problems with cracks.

WALL THICKNESS:
After joining and blending the coil onto the pot, the wall should be about half the width of the coils.  

DIMPLES & BUMPS ARE OK:
Don't worry that the surface of the pot is dented and uneven. Once the clay has stiffened you can refine the surface to whatever you want it to be. The first step with coiling is to make the form, much like making a rough sketch, before using an eraser to refine the final drawing.

THIN SPOTS IN THE WALL:
Just patch thin areas with more clay, make sure to use compression and blend well.​

MAKE NOTES: Once the slips are applied, it can be difficult to tell which colour is which. Sometimes, I make a note while I am working on a pot, so I make sure to add the second coat in the correct colour.
  
COIL DIAMETER: In the video, I said to make the coils 1.5 cm, but bigger is fine too, like 2 cm. The important thing is to make all the coils the same diameter for the entire pot.

WRAPPING THE POT: Remove the pot from the puki before wrapping the pot in plastic.

WAITING FOR THE CLAY TO STIFFEN: 
While waiting for the walls to set up enough to add more coils, work on the outside of the pot... like blending the area where the base meets the first coil.

AFTER REMOVAL FROM THE PUKI: When blending the base of the pot to the first coil, crosshatch with the serrated rib first, then use the smooth metal rib. If you want a very smooth surface, then use the silicone rib.
   
WHEN TO DECORATE:
You don't have to decorate your pot when it was just made if you wrap it well in plastic, you can decorate it in within a few days.

RESOURCES

WOOD TOOLS:
The wooden apple that makes a great anvil or pounding tool for clay is available at W & W Liquidators at 808 Courtland Ave E just south of HWY 7.
 
SCULPTURE CLAY RECOMMENDATION:
if you want to make sculptures, I recommend 519s clay from PSH (Pottery Supply House), it is white and has a fine grog in it so it can is not floppy when it's wet and is more resistant to cracking. PSH has a location in Kitchener called S&S Pottery Supplies. It is located in the Globe Studios at 141 Whitney Place. Use the back parking lot and enter the doors at the far end of the lot. The hours are limited. Get info at PSH.ca. You can call or email first to make sure the items you want are in stock.