Slab pottery ideas for beginners

If you're completely new to ceramics or just want to learn more about the wonderful world of clay, take a look at our beginners guide to pottery. Slab pottery is exactly what it sounds like — pottery made from a flat sheet of clay.

As an affiliate, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. We get commissions for purchases made through links on this website from Amazon and other third parties. Slab pottery is very versatile. Slabs can be used for anything from dainty ceramic earrings to huge garden planters. I hope you find these projects as inspiring as I do. Each project can be tackled in different ways. And I hope the ideas below are a good starting point in helping you decide which project you want to try first.

Slab pottery ideas for beginners

Check out pottery ideas for beginners if you are just starting as a potter. If you love creating things with your hands, then you must also love clay. Working with clay is a fun and relaxing pastime. If you are looking for motivation or ideas, you are in the right place. Here are the top slab pottery suggestions. A chopping board is probably the easiest place to start if you are learning slab pottery. You can, however, use interesting patterns and designs to personalize your board accordingly. The board designs can be simple. The illustration shows a simple board with embedded plant patterns. A simple vase design is a good way to learn how to craft angular objects. The design is relatively simple, even for beginners. It has few steps and settles relatively quicker than many slab pottery pieces. Beginners learn how to attach these pieces firmly. You can paint the vase and make it look attractive.

You can still trim off any excess at any point during your clays leather hard stage. So, when I make soap dishes, I try not to make them too bulky.

In fact, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology claim slab construction dates back to B. More sophisticated than making pinch pots but less technically demanding than thrown pottery, slab pottery allows for easier control of your tools and materials as you work. There are also unique designs and forms possible with slab pottery that no other pottery technique will allow. So, what makes it more manageable than other types of pottery making? And how does a beginner get started learning?

As an affiliate, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. We get commissions for purchases made through links on this website from Amazon and other third parties. Slab pottery is very versatile. Slabs can be used for anything from dainty ceramic earrings to huge garden planters. I hope you find these projects as inspiring as I do. Each project can be tackled in different ways. And I hope the ideas below are a good starting point in helping you decide which project you want to try first. Some of these slab pottery ideas can be made using air-dry clay. As the name suggests, air dry clay does not need to be fired in a kiln. However, you may want to make items that will hold water.

Slab pottery ideas for beginners

If you're completely new to ceramics or just want to learn more about the wonderful world of clay, take a look at our beginners guide to pottery. Slab pottery is exactly what it sounds like — pottery made from a flat sheet of clay. Unlike the other hand-building methods coil pottery and pinch pottery , you make your constructions using flat slabs of clay cut to specific shapes and sizes, which are then joined together. Sounds simple right? As a rule, slab building is the go-to technique for creating pottery that features geometric shapes or tight angles. The great thing about slab pottery is that subtle variations such as the size of slabs or drying time dramatically affect the potential outcome. For example, You can use large slabs to create a solid smooth wall of a geometric-shaped pot. Conversely, you can also take a solid slab and bend it to create waves and undulations, or fold it to create angles and corners — but you will need to do this when it is still pliable. The thickness of the slab plays an important role; too thin and it can flop or collapse, too thick and it might crack or be too heavy to support itself.

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The design is beautiful, and you can enhance it further by painting the final piece. This will ensure that the pieces fit together, and you can build a square or rectangular box that is evenly proportioned. It can help to use paper clay when you are modeling with fine clay slabs. The second thing is that at least one side of the birdhouse needs to be removable. There is certainly a learning curve when working on components of a teapot. This can function as a rim to stop your cake from sliding about on the stand. The image depicts a simple board with an embedded textured design. One of the challenges of making slab pottery is to prevent the clay from warping. Making the bowl helps potters learn how to make sides that hold up well. A slump mold is a concave shape that curves inwards, like the inside surface of a spoon. Just be mindful that pointed edges and corners are vulnerable to cracking when drying and being fired. However, I do wait until the clay is firm enough to pick up without bending and flopping too much.

Kristen Fern. Updated on: June 30, Slab building pottery is a type of handbuilding where walled pieces are formed together through slip and score.

However, there is no rule that says a clock face has to be circular. It is a unique design that requires many perfect joining pieces. Conversely, you can also take a solid slab and bend it to create waves and undulations, or fold it to create angles and corners — but you will need to do this when it is still pliable. Making a slab pottery tray is a little like making a platter. Even cutting dough to make cookies and create gingerbread houses is a form of slabbing. If you are using a kitchen bowl, cover the inside surface of the bowl with some saran wrap. Like each of these slab pottery ideas, a ring dish can be as simple or as detailed as you want it to be. I like a cake stand for a beginner because you can practice throwing two different pieces on the wheel and then attaching them at the end with the slip and score method. You can keep up to date with Matt at onemancrochet on Instagram. The image above is actually a set of bowls I threw many years ago and we use them almost every day! Ceramics is a great way to spruce up your garden.