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Top Three Reasons You Should Start Pottery With Hand Building

By : Kelly Elizabeth

Greeting friends, Thanks for being here!

Okay.. 1st off. Don't worry you aren't going to just build a bunch of hands in hand building. Common misconception. Debunked in 1st sentence. Boom.

We are actually BUILDING pottery with our HANDS. Tis' is the Hand Building Technique in Pottery.

Also, it's one of the oldest ways to make pottery.

Fun fact - the oldest known ceramic artifact was handbuilt around 28,000 BCE, The Venus of Dolní Věstonice. (more on that later.)

Let me tell you my top three reasons why hand building is the best place to start pottery as a beginner.

Abrazando Manos by Ivan Lopez . See more of his art here at ILCOLORS.COM

#1 SLOWING DOWN

Okay , soooooo first off there isn't this machine below your clay moving it at 200-300 rpm when throwing on a pottery wheel. Hand building is using your hands, fingers and basic tools. Most importantly your hands and you get to control the speed you move with the clay. In hand building you are not building on the potter’s wheel and you will be having a stagnant piece of clay in front of you allowing you to SLOW DOWN with the clay. You get to shape, mold and move it when you want at how fast you want it to move.

A perfect way to slow down without the pressure from an outside force. It's just you and the clay.

#2 MEETS YOU WHERE YOU ARE

Depending where you are in your life at this moment. You might need the extra confidence boost of hand building. You will walk away from a 5 week hand building course with 2-5 vessels as a beginner versus wheel throwing. You might just leave with 1-2 vessels because there is a learning curve. So , depending on your personality type; this method meets you where you are.

#3 SUSTAINABLE OPTION AKA CLIMATE CONSCIOUS OPTION

Over here at Artillery AG + Ceramics Pottery we are always trying to figure out ways to offer more climate conscious options meaning we are taking the care of our own body, the care of our planet and community in mind. How can we find a climate conscious clay practice? Here is where hand building comes in for us.

Handbuilding has many advantages in terms of energy efficiency, waste reduction, and material conservation. It's also a more adaptable technique, especially in contexts where resource conservation is a priority. Of course, the overall sustainability of ceramic work—whether handbuilt or wheel-thrown—depends on many factors, including the energy sources for firing the kiln, the type of clay used, and the artist's commitment to minimizing environmental impact.

BONUS #4

Hand building classes are easier to get into because everyone wants to wheel throw and we blame the movie, Ghost. Hello Hollywood or an independent movie maker give us a new version amplifying the sexyness of hand building please and thank you!

Mindful Ceramics Couples Edition with local musician & his partner , Manos Lindas . Check out their music here.

So, hope you have a little overview as to why I think hand building is the best place to start on your pottery journey.

*What more do you want to know about hand building? * Drop it in the comments and we will formulate some ideas for you.

Hope to see you all soon IRL.

Much love,

Kelly Elizabeth

Artillery AG + Ceramics Steward & Mindful Ceramics Instructor