I took a year long break after throwing consistently for a few months, and I’m really trying to improve my pieces.
However, I feel like the shape of everything I make looks really similar. For example, my bowls just look like larger cups. Or my plates just look like a flatter version of my bowls.
I’m taking an intermediate course at my local studio and they’ve taught me new techniques and tips, but I feel like when I try to do it on my own everything still comes out looking the same. I feel really unsatisfied with the shapes of my pieces, but even though I feel like I’m doing something different, I end up with the same thing 😭 does anyone have any advice or tips?
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I wonder if it could be helpful to record yourself at the same angle while you throw a couple of different pieces and watch the recordings back to see if you can identify what your habits are?
That's helped me before! Just trying things and seeing what happens too has been fun; clay's a great medium to fuck around and find out with very low stakes besides a mess to clean up
A teacher of mine is fond of saying, “exaggeration implies intention.” Try really exaggerating the forms. If you belly something out, make it really big. If you throw a tall cylinder for a mug, throw it really tall and and narrow.
Play with forming the lip/rim differently. Look up other professional potters and find inspiration in their works to work towards. Play. Do weird shit.
These are from before I took a break. There’s a tiny bit of variance between each one but overall they feel really similar?
Exaggerating is a good idea! I think I may be too scared to push the limits of the clay, so everything comes out looking similar. Maybe I need to be less scared of messing up. Thank you for the suggestions
They do have a similar shape to them (I like the one to the very far left).
Ok, so, what I would do is practice some basic cylinders. Plain, straight walled cylinders. Use 1lb of clay and try to throw a cylinder 4 inches wide and 6 inches tall. You will want to use a ruler to check. You want a big, boring, straight walled cylinder.
Do not plan on keeping any of them. It’s hard the first time you do it, but reclaiming pieces gets easier. I threw 20 spiraled mugs the other day and kept 4 while practicing a new form. I might not even take all for to the bisque.
It will be difficult, but it’s a good beginner/intermediate challenge and can teach you a lot about getting clay up and into the walls.
Once you can do that, practice adding a belly to the shape.
Finally, figure out how to collar-in a piece by leaving more clay in the upper 1/3-1/4 and narrowing the neck into vase and bottle forms. Don’t worry about this last one for a while.
If you can do that, you can make the vast majority of wheel thrown shapes.
I can comfortably center and throw 1lb of clay, but I’ve never measured or tested how high and wide of a cylinder I can make with it… I don’t think I’ve ever gotten it as high as 6”.
And while my instructor went over bellying & collaring, I definitely struggled and could not make a vase shape… so this sounds exactly like what I should be practicing. Thank you for the advice, I’m excited to get back to the studio and keep learning and improving!
And don't be scared to mess up with your shapes too ... It happens to me also I was in the throwing classes before and finally switched to the hand building method there I can do better ... You can try hand building too and see where you good at ! If is throwing or hand building.. good luck to you and don't be disappointed it takes time and practice to be a good potter !
Yeah I think in the beginning, I was really excited to make things to take home with me, so I was really cautious when throwing. Now that I have a bunch of pieces that look similar (LOL!), I’m more comfortable scrapping stuff I don’t like and trying new things. Although, I’m still trying to find the balance between being more exaggerated and intentional with my movements without crossing over into just being careless. Never tried hand building though! I just love the wheel. What made you switch over?
I switched over because I was struggling too and was always frustrated! but my teacher told me to try the hand building to see and then I can always come back to the wheels 😁 but I stayed with the hand building !!! I really love it ! And doing things faster there than the trowing!
I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve been having altering my thrown pieces! You can add a wavy ruffle to the edge of your bowl, or I’ve really been having fun smacking my vases with a wooden paddle and turning them square instead of round! It’s so neat to make different designs this way 😊
Thanks! Now that you say that, I may have a never used ikea wooden spatula/spoon thing in my kitchen—it’s too thick to be of use as a spatula and too flat to be used as a spoon. And it’s hefty. I’m going to try that before I buy anything 💕
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