What Is Slab Building In Ceramics

Before potters began using pottery wheels simple tools were used to create clay pottery.

What is slab building in ceramics.

The three basic techniques of hand building are pinch coil and slab construction. Your own slab building pottery projects can work well for you if you have a construction need and want to save money while at it. Its one of the basic making methods used in pottery. If you have caught the slab pottery bug you ve come to the right place for inspiration.

The basics of hand building slab pottery how to make handles for pottery making a basic slab pot a quick guide to basic pottery tools how to throw a basic cylindrical pot pinch pots 101 how to build clay coil pots a guide to native american pottery guide to creating pottery with clay. Doing your own slabs could mean reduced labor hiring and expenses since you can also use readily available materials and still get results. Slab building techniques were used extensively by mesoamerican pre columbian potters with some beautiful results. Slabbing clay is a handbuilding pottery technique that has been around for centuries.

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. Slabbing clay is a technique the includes. Working on a textured fabric will leave imprints on the clay slab. With a slab of clay it is much easier to cut trace things.

Articles basic methods slab building slab building. Here is a quick guide to slab building. Use a pointed tool to trim the slab of clay to desired size. Birdie boone works with super thin slabs to make.

More on soft slab pottery. Most ancient cultures gravitated to the pottery wheel for. Hand built pottery tends to look more rustic and rough around the edges than pottery thrown on a wheel which is part of its charm. A slab of clay is a flat piece of clay rolled out.

Rub a wet finger over the edges to be joined and score with a tool. Making a pinch pot is the simplest way to begin working. The most common handbuilding techniques are pinch pottery coil building and slab building. Handbuilding is an ancient pottery making technique that involves creating forms without a pottery wheel using the hands fingers and simple tools.

You may make paper patterns to follow if a form that has a number of sides is desired. To get you started check out this article by daryl baird on using slump molds with soft slabs. Liz zlot summerfield is also an excellent resource for slab building techniques. How to slab clay.

Other than these potters though slab pots were only minor players in the hand building playing field of other ancient cultures across the globe. Place clay on the cloth between the strips of wood and roll out.