Personal experience: I work in a pottery workshop. Workshop at the dacha

I recently completed a raku ceramics course, which became a full-fledged philosophy lesson for me. For a month and a half I built my relationship with the clay mass and tried to tame it, scratching my hands until they bled. In this post I will talk about attempts to master the technique of pottery, about what qualities can working with clay teach, and why do they always keep a first aid kit in a ceramic workshop?

First, let me put you in context. The classes took place in a ceramic workshop-shop near the Roman bridge in Verona. The workshop is run by Andrea. He has a gentle character, big hands and absolutely magnificent hair like Pierre Richard. I have long been convinced that such a curly mop of hair is a special distinctive sign of heaven. Perhaps that is why I unknowingly chose the owner of beautiful springy curls as my husband.
In the reflection of the display case, you can distinguish my companions on the journey into the world of pottery art: Andrea, Maria and Valentina. With this group we sculpted pots to the music of Led Zeppeling.

Maria is a highly qualified Sinologist (Sinologist) and works at the Italian Embassy in Beijing. She is currently undergoing treatment in Verona and decided to try pottery therapy. Maria is self-sufficient and highly intelligent, she knows how to quickly concentrate and listen to clay. She sculpted pots, one better than the other, and then signed them with hieroglyphs.

Valentina is a forty-year-old woman with teenage antics. She is tough and bristly, like a wild kitten. She has thin fingers, contrasting with her rough character. And her speech is stuffed with strong words. But Valentina had a wonderful artistic overalls, which had been preserved from her studies at the Brera Art Academy in Milan. It was for this battered overalls that I was ready to forgive her everything. It was a piece of living artistic history. He was simply magically splashed with multi-colored paint, and for some reason there was a huge hole on each buttock. When working on a potter's wheel, some kind of uniform is extremely necessary, since the clay mass squishes and splashes in all directions. I used an apron and rubber boots. Maria - shoe covers and a change of clothes. If you decide to take a pottery course, you will also need to cut your nails short.

Now I’ll move on to the stages of building relationships with clay. It was not possible to take a full series of photographs, since my hands were covered in clay almost all the time, and I took photographs in fits and starts.

First, it was necessary to thoroughly knead the clay mass, performing 60 circular kneading movements. Before transferring the clay lump to the potter's wheel, you should pat it thoroughly with your hands. Valentina kept joking that at the end of the working day it was very pleasant to spank something)). Then it was necessary to throw the workpiece onto the potter's wheel with a rather barbaric, strong, decisive slap. I even felt somehow uncomfortable in front of clay. But if you throw it lightly and inaccurately, the clay mass may jump off during the work.

Next, the most difficult and hectic stage of “alignment” began. I would call this stage “taming the clay.” The clay workpiece had to be pressed down and then pushed up. As you perform these manipulations, the clay will resist, push and “beat” in your hands. In addition, it will be quite scratchy on your hands, since the clay mass for raku consists of 25 percent small granules.

I read that in ancient times in Asia, potters were blindfolded with a blindfold to heighten their tactile senses and enable them to concentrate better. During the second lesson, I tried to close my eyes and concentrate properly. In just a minute I managed to center it! I immediately shared this discovery with my fellow students. And Maria told us that in China, blind massage therapists are considered the best. The hands of a blind person are naturally endowed with hypersensitivity. Such massage therapists work in black bandages and are capable of delivering indescribable pleasure. But after I talked about the “closed eyes” technique, it immediately stopped working... The ability to concentrate is still an obsession for me.

After centering, you can finally begin to manipulate the shape. First you need to squeeze out the bottom with your thumb, and then push the walls of the pot apart and work out the thickness. During this time, you must not lose concentration. One awkward move and everything can fall apart like a house of cards. It was precisely at the stage of working out the thickness of the walls that I ruined two pots.

While working the bottom from the outside, it was possible to have a little fun, reducing the level of concentration. The potter's wheel rotates and you cut out beautiful thin shavings of clay.

Finishing and decorating are my favorite stages. There is no longer any need to tame anything and fanatically follow the process. It was necessary to rub the product on all sides with a special rubber slice, sand the edges, cut off excess, and sweep away clay crumbs. For this purpose, the workshop had a whole set various instruments: stacks with metal tips, wooden sticks, brushes. These devices are incredibly easy to maneuver.

It was even possible to introduce decorative fantasy skills. Squeeze various ornaments out of plaster with stamps or add texture using pieces of wood.

The next stage is signing. For some reason I decided to subscribe full name. Perhaps to contrast his vanity signature with his awkward creations. Having seen my non-compact signature, a graphologist-psychologist would probably have declared a high degree of my egocentrism. Subsequently, I discovered that other students signed either with initials or with a symbol - a crescent or even a cross. By the way, about the signature. I recently had a real culture shock. I saw with my own eyes how a third-generation Italian notary signed. Can you imagine a sweeping, incredibly loaded signature occupying one quarter of an A4 sheet of paper? And with a huge number of loops, only not as sharp as Putin’s, but voluminous and rounded.

The final stage - glazing and firing - took place in a separate workshop. The photo shows the creations of students from the initial raku sculpting course. To do something like this on a pottery wheel you need to study for a long time.

The painting and firing workshop was located in the countryside near my home. It was a small fenced-off room in a stable. Therefore, we painted and fired while the horses neighed and snorted. During the time spent there, I almost learned to distinguish all the variety of their sound signals. The horses had such a sad and restless look that their heart sank.

Colors could be chosen from numerous samples that were laid out on the tables. Then you had to find a can with the desired paint and immerse your product in it for about three seconds.

Then Andrea sent the dried painted products into the kiln, where they were fired at a temperature of 900°.

When he took the hot items out of the oven, in the first seconds the color underwent amazing metamorphoses, transforming at the speed of light. Absolute magic.

To cool the vases, we doused them with cold water. As they cooled, they crackled and clicked iridescently, as if they were talking and indignant. In this photo you can still see traces of burning, which were then wiped off with a sponge.

And here are my creations. From right to left you can trace a slight evolution from the first to the last lesson. Due to the more or less allowable height, I decided to make the second glass with careless drips of green enamel. True, when you try to make them on purpose, it turns out anything but artistic. The yellow and purple bowl was supposed to be yellow and blue, because I wanted to dedicate it to my men who support the yellow and blue team Hellas Verona. This is the only product where color was important to me. But according to Murphy's law, out of fifty colors, someone mixed up the lids of purple and of blue color. Therefore, dedication to the men who let me go the course almost overnight did not take place.

In conclusion, I will tell you about what important lesson Philosophy gave me a course in pottery. Initially, I thought that I lacked physical strength. In the second lesson, after an hour of futile attempts to concentrate, I pressed so hard on the clay ball that I felt a sharp pain in my hands. Stopping the potter's wheel, I looked at my hands and saw drops of fresh blood seeping through the clay. The drops quickly swelled, and before I managed to come to my senses, blood was already flowing down my palms. They immediately brought me a package of adhesive plasters and gloves. It turns out that such incidents sometimes happen, so a first aid kit in a ceramic workshop is always at hand. But I especially hurt my hands. There were flat sores on almost all the fingers, on the folds of the phalanges and even on the palms. I barely made it home by car. And then for another two days I could not maneuver my hands at all, and the wounds finally healed only after two weeks. In order to alleviate the pain at least a little in the first days, I had to keep my hands all the time in a half-bent static position, exactly like on a potter’s wheel, as if as a reminder. But now I know what it’s like when your husband washes your hair)). Interesting experience.

I think my mistake was that I tried to tame it. Technically. You can't suppress. It’s not always you who will dictate the rules in life. Pottery teaches patience and the ability to listen. Teaches a lesson in mutual respect and finding common language with the outside world. It’s not for nothing that I wounded my hands so badly that they bled.

Maria Kolosovskaya, 26 years old, Moscow

“I am a creative person, I graduated from the Moscow Architectural Institute, I always wanted to create something beautiful. About four years ago I came across a photograph of Lucy Rea, a London ceramicist. I was fascinated by her image and the work she did. When I realized that clay and glazes have a wide range of possibilities, it literally captivated me. The exhibition at the Pushkin Museum dedicated to Japanese raku ceramics struck me with its aesthetics and resonated with me.

At first there was no goal, I just liked to touch the clay and watch how the glazes interacted with each other. Now I work in the raku technique, but I haven’t assigned a specific direction to myself, I like a lot of techniques, I like combining them with each other - I love experiments.

The ceramics course in Stroganovka with the artist Anna Kapyrina taught me freedom in my relationship with clay and glazes. I also studied at art school in Italy, took separate courses at Stroganovka and, of course, studied on my own.

Ceramic education is expensive, and so are the materials. Especially when you haven’t decided on your direction yet, you want to try everything: different types of clay, different glazes. Two weeks in an Italian school cost a thousand dollars, training in Stroganovka for two months - 40 thousand rubles. One lesson in private workshops used to cost from 800 to 2,700 rubles for three hours; a kilogram of clay averages from 40 to 1000 rubles; prices for glazes can vary greatly. One pottery wheel cost me 75 thousand rubles, the other - 35 thousand. The kiln was built by a master for 120 thousand rubles. Now you can rent a workplace and a stove in a workshop, this is very convenient for those who know what they want, have an idea of the material and are not afraid to search on their own.

I had difficulties organizing my workshop. It was very important for me to find a pleasant space, and a lot of time was spent finding the space and arranging it so that I would enjoy being in it and it would be pleasant and comfortable to work. My partner made all the furniture himself: shelves of the right size, professional tables. This took a lot of money and time.

The most exciting thing about ceramics is the magic of the process. I like that the end result cannot be predicted, like any interaction of the elements with a person. Clay requires a special approach; it cannot be reined in, it is very willful, and you need to negotiate with it. Working with materials teaches humility, patience, and gives you the opportunity to get to know yourself better. It also teaches you not to be attached to the result: it happens that you put all your soul and a lot of time into a product, and after firing it either comes out of the kiln broken, or the result is not at all what was expected, or it simply falls out of your hands not yet completed and breaks into pieces. . Although in some cases cracks on my products turn out to be very appropriate, they add life to the object, give a certain charm, sometimes I am not against them.

I would advise those who are interested in ceramics to be free, not to be afraid to do something technologically incorrect, to experiment. If at first it doesn’t work out, come up with something of your own, be inspired by other masters, now you can easily find them on Instagram. If possible, go abroad, they can provide quality experience. Each country charges with its own flavor and offers different techniques. Create conditions for yourself to be inspired by this process, and then everything will work out and be a joy.”

Olya Bystrova, 31 years old, St. Petersburg

“I work remotely and travel a lot. I'm new to ceramics. Six months ago in Berlin I took a short course in ceramics, where I was taught basic hand-sculpting techniques and working with glaze. As a child, like many, I sculpted, and I remember very warm and good feelings from it.

My goal initially was to try and get into ceramics as an adult. I’m great at making things, but I still haven’t gotten around to the studio and classes. And so I decided that it was time, I had to do it.

Classes at brsg cost about 200 euros. It turned out to be the first ceramic objects I made from start to finish, it was a super pleasant experience. After that, I had the opportunity to live in Bali for two months. There I went to the Gaya studio. A group pottery wheel lesson cost 400 thousand rupees (about 1800 rubles). I took a subscription for 10 visits for 1,500,000 rupees (6,800 rubles), which included unlimited clay and studio tools. Firing of products had to be paid separately. So far it's the most spacious studio I've ever been in, the light is amazing and I felt really good there.

I am now in the process of researching techniques; for me, all of this is a mental practice, during which I see many of my internal blocks, learn to manage emotions, let go of my brain and logic, and act intuitively, going beyond my usual boundaries. There were many discoveries that I began to apply in different aspects of my life - in general, for me it turned out to be some kind of important tactile activity, through which I understand some abstract concepts like concentration, stability, letting go of control and the like.

The difficulty at the moment has become not to follow standard obvious techniques and try to do something unexpected and unplanned. It’s also difficult for me to do simple things; I immediately want to start doing something “special.” But in fact, it turned out to be a thrill to stay in the format of a very simple cup for a while and try to make different variations, fire them, glaze them and then drink coffee from them. This way I was able to feel how small, barely noticeable tactility works, like the character of the chamfer on the edge of the cup. This is one example.

Next I’m interested in experimenting with firing. As an experienced ceramicist whose work I admire told me, you have to know how to cook clay to make it delicious.

I would advise those wishing to try to choose a time and try, this is an important step. Take a couple of lessons - hand modeling, potter's wheel, then buy a subscription and try to practice without a teacher, it's an interesting independent experience. The main thing is don’t be afraid, it’s available to everyone.”

Masha Egorova, 26 years old, Moscow

“I’ve been making ceramics for about three years, but I first thought about it as a teenager, when I decided to make myself a set. I soon rejected this thought as something unrealistic. And when I was 22 years old, I simply decided to take a course on ceramics - and that’s how I ended up taking a class in the Terletsky Forest Park with my first teacher.

This coincided with studying at. Therefore, I was no longer interested in ceramics solely as a craft. Intuitively I wanted this to be somehow connected with contemporary art.

I came to practice in a circle, but after the second lesson I realized that I wanted to work more, so I switched to hand modeling, rolled out layers of clay, and glued large pieces.

I didn’t study much and immediately started doing things at home myself. Later, I went to fire my objects in a workshop in the center of Moscow, where I met a good master who gave me a couple of lessons on glazes and their chemical compounds. Now they often write to me that they would like to come to me to sculpt/paint, so I have thoughts about opening my own studio, but this is a separate conversation. I have an idea that needs to be worked on so as not to become another classical workshop, of which there are a lot in Moscow now (thank you!).

Last year I bought a small electric kiln. It cost about 100 thousand rubles, this was my contribution from the tax refund for the purchase of the apartment. I’m not trying to calculate how much I spend on materials yet, I’m just trying to spend the money I receive for selling my vases only in business. The purchase of a kiln was necessary due to the difficulty of transporting unfired products. The fact is that most of the time I work as a designer, so, unfortunately, I cannot spend time in a separate workshop. I always work at home on a furnished loggia. Without a stove at hand there were endless boxes, newspapers, broken pieces, stress and disappointment.

I was very pleased when I started receiving responses to my work. I almost immediately made a website, and people started writing to me or people in the company said: “Oh, I know you, you make ceramic sculptures!” In general, when there is a backlash, it inspires something new.

Ceramics and modern Art They always resonate with me one way or another. Now my sculptures often interact with fashion photography. For the first time, they took sculptures from me to shoot jewelry for the Afisha magazine, then Blueprint, and recently there was a story with Sicky. I probably like this non-obvious solution for the interaction of ceramics and other visual cultures. I would like to develop this.

I have always made objects that are not particularly utilitarian, so it was difficult to find understanding in classical workshop schools. Now I want to develop towards a more conceptual approach to ceramics, to follow not only an intuitive path, but also to think through the history of my sculpture before starting work on it. I want to try to work with other mediums (music, poetry, science fiction, fashion) - I don’t know yet in what form: as part of the ceramic object itself or simply as inspiration through other spheres.

Nowadays ceramics is a fashionable craft. I have many friends who recently started doing ceramics, but after six months they gave up. There is so much already out there, the internet is overflowing with beautiful ceramics. I’m not very knowledgeable about ceramics as tableware, but it seems to me that the main thing here is observation and thoughtfulness in the question of why you are doing it. The latter is something I’m working on myself now. Without observation, there are two ways - lack of taste and secondary. I perceive contemporary design and art as sciences that study the context, the audience, and imply a certain research. This is also why a certain artistic sensitivity seems to me the most important.”

Anna Russova, 43 years old, Moscow

"I contemporary artist, I make sculptures and objects. I took up ceramics about 10 years ago. For a long time I was in search of a material that, on the one hand, would be easy to work with, but on the other hand, it would be durable enough and withstand, for example, being outdoors.

Before ceramics, I worked with packaging materials, wood, paper, foam plastic, made mosaics, cast sculptures from epoxy resin - in general, with everything you can work with at home, without a workshop.

One day, my relatives gave me a ceramic kiln, very old and with such intricate instructions for use that none of my relatives could figure it out. I hung around this kiln and went for advice to Verkhnyaya Maslovka, to a shop for ceramicists. Previously, such a well-known stern man worked there, I asked him if he sold any books on how to properly fire clay. He looked at me through his glasses and said: “Would you like to study ceramics, girl?” Well, I went. I truly felt like a ceramist when I bought my own kiln, but I never got around to using that one.

Ceramics is such a multifaceted thing, such a variety of techniques, that it is simply unrealistic to be an expert in everything. I immediately focused my training on hand sculpting; all these plaster forms and casting were not my thing at all. And as soon as I understood how to make a sculpture from ceramics, I switched to this material.

I sculpt my objects from ordinary white clay, paint them with engobes, cover them with transparent glaze - everything is quite simple. I also teach ceramics to children, and this is a special pleasure.

If we go deeper into the past, I came across ceramics right after school, while I was preparing for an art university. I was looking for a place to work part-time and got a job in an office where they made Gzhel ceramics. There they taught me how to paint with cobalt and at the same time introduced me to the full cycle of ceramic production. Then there was a crafts center on Verkhnyaya Maslovka, then another course with Alexander Poverin, a famous Russian potter. Now I work in the KOM clay workshop, where I continue to learn from my more experienced colleagues.

On the one hand, ceramics are a fairly inexpensive thing, especially when compared with the same painters: clay is everywhere, you can make paints yourself or do without them at all (the same story with glazes), you can fire the whole thing in a fire. On the other hand, if you want to work with special glazes, high temperature clay masses, then you need a good expensive kiln. I saved money for my stove for two years. A pottery wheel and other equipment for ceramic workshops are also not the cheapest. True, in order to get started, you don’t need anything at all: when you go to study, all the materials will be provided to you; firing of work, as a rule, is also included in the training. Today in Moscow, studying costs an average of about 20 thousand rubles.

It is impossible to learn all the ceramic intricacies: apart from the colossal historical traditions, huge amount There are also modern technologies from different schools and directions. It's such a sea of information that it's easy to drown in it. For me, the most difficult thing is to accept: I’ve studied so much, but I still know and can do so little. And there is also this unpredictability of the result. You can do the same type of work every day, the same clay, the same decor - and still don’t know one hundred percent what will happen after firing. Everything you did before you put the work in the kiln is your skill, and what happens in the kiln is magic. It is not for nothing that Japanese and Chinese ceramists consider the kiln to be a sacred place and read prayers during firing.

But no matter how hard your day is, you just need to take the clay in your hands - and that’s it, you relax. Maybe God really created man from clay: it feels like such a familiar material. And the flexibility of clay in work incredibly captivates me. Sometimes it seems that I am not just sculpting a thing, but creating something alive. It turns out that it’s so nice to “be God”: you have endless possibilities, there is practically nothing that cannot be molded from clay!

Now my task is to make objects that will combine ceramics and, for example, wood or fabric. And another new hobby and great love - street art. I don’t know how it is in other places, but in Moscow it’s difficult for an artist to agree on exhibitions, but here you don’t have to negotiate with anyone, the whole city is yours, what’s more, the whole world! For me this is a very promising direction, I think it will gradually migrate to land art. Well, another mini-task is to master the pottery wheel.

For those who are interested in ceramics, I would not recommend taking master classes in the spirit of “how to make a plate in two hours.” Take a thorough course at a serious educational institution - this will become your base.”

Victoria Afanasyeva, 31 years old, Indonesia, Bali island, Bukit

“In 2013, after graduating from the Stroganov Academy, I moved to the island of Bali. I am an interior designer by profession, so I could work remotely. In my free time, I was looking for material that would be pleasant to work with my hands. I tried wood and stones. But with them I missed geometry, which I love very much: a tree, for example, is alive, there are no straight lines in it.

I was very interested in the topic of clay modeling and pottery. I began to immerse myself in the study of this topic: what is made of ceramics, what is the firing process and processing. This is how my own project, Ceramic bу Ava, was born to create ceramic jewelry.

I experimented with special Stoneware clay. This material amazed me with its versatility; you could do anything with it. But it wasn't strong enough. And then I spent about six months in Madrid, where I accidentally came across a small porcelain shop. I bought three large briquettes of 10 kg each, brought them to Bali, tried them and realized that porcelain was exactly what I had been looking for for so long.

I began to put into practice all the knowledge that I acquired at the academy. She was independently engaged in jewelry design, modeling, production, printing, website creation, and packaging. From the very beginning I wanted to do everything efficiently and beautifully.

At first I made jewelry with large porcelain elements. I was very impressed by the massive rings. But the problem is that such rings, firstly, are not for every day, and secondly, they are difficult to combine with anything. As a result, I completely revised the concept of my jewelry. I chose simple and laconic models that you will want to wear in any situation. This is how the jewelry collections turned out geometric shapes with small porcelain inlays that match different styles clothes.

For three years after moving, learning the skill went harmoniously in my free time and did not require a lot of money. After 2016, when I completely switched to my project, this required some investments. The most expensive part is the in-house production of jewelry: 3D models, master models, rubber bands for making samples, and the work of a silversmith who finishes each piece. It took about 600 thousand rubles to produce the first batch.

The main tools I use are a wooden board and sharp knives, which I use to cut porcelain inserts for jewelry. They say that every chef has his own knife, which is perfectly sharpened and fits exactly in his hand. The process of making models for the workpiece occurs through the use of a 3D printer, then I use the resulting models to cast a plaster mold. It looks like a mold for a chocolate bar, but instead of squares it has geometric patterns. After that I pour porcelain into the mold. And then I give the resulting inserts, along with the sketches, to silversmiths who complete the work on the jewelry.

Clay is an amazing natural material, warm, gentle and pliable, which can turn into anything, from a seemingly primitive children's toy to an amazing vase or elegant candlestick. Working with clay has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, relaxes, relieves stress. So clay modeling is not only an interesting creative activity that can turn into a favorite hobby. This is also a way to release accumulated negative energy, relieve tension, relax, and get a lot of positive emotions.

Of course, at home it is difficult to compete with modern ceramic production, with its latest technologies, sophisticated equipment, and new finishing materials. But it is possible to create products that are simple in technology. Any of them will retain the warmth of your hands, a part of your soul, and will be a real work of art in its own way. After all, there is no other plate or vase exactly like it anywhere else in the world...

Workshop at the dacha

Working with clay is quite a messy thing. In the sense that then you will have to wash everything and everyone. And if you can sculpt figures at home, in a city apartment, then creating your first masterpieces on a pottery wheel in an apartment is not very convenient. Do you have a strong desire to come into contact with amazing natural materials and try to master (even if clumsily, if only as entertainment) one of the oldest crafts - pottery? Best place You can’t find anything better than a dacha for this. This is where it is much easier to organize your workspace and place everything you need. It is at the dacha or in the village that work at the pottery wheel will be more organic, fitting into surrounding landscape, as a touch to the origins, to folk history and culture.

Currently, there are entire specialized stores at the service of beginners and “advanced” ceramists, where you can purchase everything you need, from pottery wheels and different types clay and ending with a kiln for firing finished products. Don't worry, we won't need the oven just yet. This thing is expensive and not at all necessary at first. To begin with, it makes sense to learn how to make the simplest shapes on a pottery wheel and dry them correctly. And you can burn your creations, for example, in schools children's creativity or ceramic workshops where there is appropriate equipment. Or at first, leave it without firing at all. If the pottery craft “hooks” you seriously, if you feel that it is yours, then you can already think about the kiln. By the way, in the village you can make a wood-burning kiln yourself by turning to a master for help or using special literature.

Required Tools

It is clear that the potter's wheel is the main device that we cannot do without. About 7 thousand years have passed since some unknown genius invented and created the first pottery wheel. Since then, the principle of operation of this device has not changed at all. A potter's wheel is a small disk made of a smooth material (wood, plastic, stone, metal, etc.) with an axis rigidly attached to the bottom. A gear is attached to the opposite end of the axle, thanks to which the disk can rotate. The first pottery wheels were manual. Then the legs appeared. They are more convenient because they allow the master to free both hands for work. Most modern pottery wheels are electric. They are quite convenient and facilitate the physical work of the potter. Although some masters claim that a real pottery wheel is still a foot one. Only on it you can smoothly and flexibly regulate the rotation speed, which is very important for sculpting.

Now there is an opportunity to purchase an industrial potter's wheel. As a rule, such circles are quite convenient to use. But there are DIY enthusiasts who make such circles on their own.

For more or less serious creativity, the battery-powered children's pottery wheels that have appeared on sale will not suit you. They belong to the category of toys; with some experience, you can make only very tiny products with them (for example, doll saucers). The battery power is not enough for more.

We will also need stacks for our work - special wooden or plastic tools for removing excess material and more carefully working out the details. In addition, you will need a wire with handles at the ends for cutting the product from the potter's wheel, for cutting clay and other work. Instead of wire, the thinnest guitar string will do. Its length should be approximately equal to the width of the shoulders.

Song of Clay

Clays can be very different in origin, mineral composition, and the content of various impurities. Industrial classification divides them into kaolins, clays, crackers (refractory clays) and shale clays (poorly soaked in water). There is such a thing as “fat” (plastic) and “lean” (dry) clay. For pottery work, the clay must be quite “oily”. Otherwise, it will not mold well and crack during firing. Moreover, the thinner and more elegant the product, the more fatty clay is used for it. The color of the clay also varies. It can be red, brown, green, blue, white, gray and even chocolate or dirty black. The color of clay is given by the oxides of various metals: aluminum, iron, titanium. If their total number does not exceed 1%, the product will be white. If the oxide content is more than 1%, the finished product will turn red, even if the raw clay was green or blue.

Perhaps the best way out for beginning potters is to buy ready-made clay in specialized stores or ceramics factories. Most often, pottery clay is sold in powder form. It is already cleared of impurities and has all the necessary additives. It just needs to be prepared correctly. It is better to learn more about how to do this from the consultants in the store.

Before starting work, even with clay that is completely ready for use, it is necessary to perform one more very important operation - “breaking”. Roll out a roll of clay on a wooden board and tear it into two parts in a motion similar to wringing out laundry. Then forcefully throw the pieces onto the table, fold them, roll them and tear them apart again. The procedure must be repeated 20-25 times. This is done in order to remove air bubbles from the clay and achieve a uniform consistency. The remaining air will greatly interfere with working on the pottery wheel and can tear the finished product during firing. Instead of tearing the lump of clay with your hands, you can cut it using wire. By the way, many masters consider this method more correct. After this, we proceed to the so-called spiral kneading. It's done like this. The prepared piece of clay is placed on the table, with both palms placed on top. The main load should fall on the lower parts of the palms. Press your palms onto the clay, as if pushing it away from you, while simultaneously turning your palms slightly counterclockwise. If everything is done correctly, you will hear light pops of bursting air bubbles. Then release the clay and slightly turn the entire lump clockwise, returning it to its original place. The operation is repeated 30-40 times. Try to avoid folds, as unnecessary air can hide in them.

Finally our clay is ready. Let's start sculpting. Be prepared for the fact that at first nothing will work out for you. This is fine. If possible, watch a craftsman work on a potter's wheel or, better yet, take a few pottery lessons. Nowadays, more and more similar creative courses and master classes are appearing. If this is not possible, you will have to master the skill through trial and error. An intelligent self-instruction book with a step-by-step description of the work and picture diagrams will be very useful for this. It should be noted that the main way to master pottery is repeated repetition. Try to ensure that your hands perform mechanical work almost automatically. Look at your work as a student exercise. And don't despair. As you know, it is not the gods who burn the pots. In pottery there are no strict rules regarding how to make dishes, and skill comes with experience.

So let's try it. Cut a piece of clay with a wire, give it a rounded shape and place it in the center of the machine, lightly pressing it to the surface. If the clay is off-center, straighten it with your hands and then run the potter's wheel. The clay must be placed exactly in the center, otherwise it will spin unevenly and eventually jump off the wheel. Perhaps this is the most difficult thing for beginners - to learn how to lay out clay strictly in the center. The centered piece appears almost motionless; the clay should not bend or move. The correct placement of the potter's hands is very important. The elbows should be pressed to the body, and the bent hands with the wrists slightly closer should be held on a rotating piece of clay. You need to try to relax your hands as much as possible; movements should be soft and smooth, without sudden jerks.

The movements you make with your hands depend on the shape you want to achieve. Let's say we decided to make a jug. Having pressed down the clay, make a bun or a small dome out of it, smoothed on the sides. Now squeeze the clay with both hands and, lifting them, transform the dome into a cone, and then back into a dome. With your right thumb, mark the center at the top of the dome and begin to gradually press your finger vertically into it. The remaining fingers are located outside the dome. Squeeze some water out of the sponge into the hole formed. To move the clay to the sides, lower the fingers of your left hand inward to the bottom of the recess, and place the fingers of your right hand on the outer wall. Press down on the surface of the product with your left hand. Hands should be constantly moistened with water. Extend the cylinder to the desired final height. Touch the bottom of the product with the end of the middle finger of your left hand, and press the bent index finger and thumb of your right hand to the outside. To stretch the walls, move your hands from the bottom to the top. Try to keep the walls the same thickness. The main task at this stage is to obtain a smooth, hollow inside cylinder with a bottom. Then we begin to transform it into a vase, jug or other intended product. There are certain rules for this:

if you press on the inside of the cylinder, its walls will stretch with the expansion of the shape. Hands should be both inside and outside the cylinder, one against the other, together determining the wall thickness and the amount of pressure;
to stretch the neck of the jug, you need to grab its top from the outside with both hands and squeeze it to the desired size;
if the jug is supposed to have a narrow neck, be careful not to accidentally expand it too much;
it is convenient to remove the water that collects at the bottom of the product with a sponge placed on a wire;
try turning out a thin edge of the product, using your fingers to round it to the outside and wrap it up. This way you will get a decorative detail characteristic of pottery;
If you need to make a spout, grasp the edge of the jug with two fingers of your left hand and press between them with the index finger of your right.

The larger the ceramic product you want, the more difficult it is to make. Therefore, it is better to start with small saucers and plates. To do this, you need to place a clay disk of small height in the center of the potter's wheel, corresponding to the size of the future plate. The bottom should be done most carefully, because for flat products it is the most vulnerable point. The clay here needs to be pressed harder. Then use your thumb and forefinger to lift the clay away from the outer edge to form a rounded rim. After this, we begin to smooth out the side of the plate, slightly squeezing the clay and at the same time stretching it to the sides. Do not thin the walls of the product too much, otherwise they will crack and “swell” during firing.

Drying and decorating

When the product is ready and you are satisfied with it, cut it from the circle with a special wire with two handles. Pull the wire under the bottom of the product twice, then slide it off the circle and transfer it to a stand moistened with water. Now comes the next important stage - drying. The main task is to ensure that the clay dries evenly, otherwise it will crack. Therefore, avoid drafts and direct sunlight. Wipe the product with a damp sponge or wet hands, removing any irregularities, then cover with a damp cloth and place to dry in a closed box (preferably galvanized).

After about a day, when the product has dried a little, it is removed from the box, carefully cleaned with fine sandpaper and finishing work begins. For example, the surface of a jug or vase can be “smoothed”. To do this, rub it with some smooth object. At the same time, the top layer of clay becomes denser and begins to shine. After firing, such dishes shine even more. Texture finishing can also be done on soft clay. Stamps are cut out of wood or rubber. By pressing them into wet clay in a certain sequence, you can get a unique pattern or ornament. Interesting prints are obtained by pressing coarse burlap onto clay. You can also apply a pattern or design by scratching. It is performed with an awl, knife or other sharp object.

In addition, a very popular type of finishing of pottery is engobes painting. Engobes are specially prepared liquid clays. This type of painting is carried out on a wet, dry, or even fired product. The decorative composition is applied with a brush, spray, or the product is immersed in a container with a solution. After such painting, the products are fired at a temperature of 700-800°C.

More high degree finishing is glazing. Glaze is a thin glassy coating that is formed when silicate compounds are fused onto the surface of a clay product; it can also be purchased at specialty stores or ceramics factories. They protect ceramics from contamination and make it more durable. Glazes can be very different: transparent, colored, colorless. Enamel is a type of glaze. It is opaque and is used as a base for ceramic paint. The enamel is applied by pouring, dried, and then the ceramics are painted with special paints. When the paints are completely dry, the product is fired.

Special electric furnaces are usually used for firing. If you have access to such equipment, firing is carried out as follows. After drying and decorating, the product is placed in the oven for 1.5-3 hours for additional drying at a temperature of 150°C. First, the temperature in the oven is raised slowly until all the moisture has evaporated. Then every 30-40 minutes the temperature is raised by 50°C and brought to 400°C. When the product begins to turn red, the temperature is increased more sharply - by 100°C every hour and brought to 800-900°C. This heat is maintained for an hour and the oven is turned off. During the first hours, cooling should proceed slowly until the temperature drops to 450-400°C. When the temperature drops to 200°C, the oven can be opened. The product is removed only when it has cooled to room temperature. The entire cooling process usually takes 10-12 hours. Now, if necessary, the product is painted with glazes, and then the entire firing process is repeated again so that the glaze melts.

Clay consumption

It is very useful to know how much clay you need to take to make a particular product of a certain size. As a rule, beginners take too much clay, and this is one of the reasons for possible failures. To make a tea saucer with a bottom diameter of 13 cm, we will need approximately 800 g of clay; for a dinner plate with a bottom diameter of 23 cm, the weight of clay will increase to 1400 g. For a mug with a height of 9 cm or a jug with a volume of 0.2 liters, only 350 g of clay will be required. A half-liter jug will be made from 500 g of clay, and a teapot from 1000 g. Add a spout (250 g) and a lid (250 g) to the kettle. It is recommended to keep a kind of diary where you will write down information on each of your products: how much clay was required for the product and parts (lids, spouts, handles), some features of the technology, etc. Here you can sketch interesting products seen in museums or at exhibitions, make sketches of your own vases and jugs, which currently exist only in your imagination. Such records will help improve your skills, avoid making gross mistakes, and save on long years a lot of useful information that would otherwise certainly be forgotten.

It is clear that it is very difficult to learn how to use a pottery wheel by reading just one short article. You will need a lot of time, hard work and a good mentor or smart tutorial. And who knows, maybe your wonderful works will not only decorate your home, but will also take their rightful place at ceramics exhibitions.

Victoria Beloborodova

I would never have thought that pottery could be so interesting and exciting. But it turned out that this is exactly the case. And I was convinced of this personally when I attended a pottery class, where I made a vase with my own hands.

The lesson took place in a cozy studio with a crazy view of the Gulf of Finland from the 14th floor. There I was met by a girl, Angelica, who was my teacher. First I had to draw a sketch of what I would like to do. Then Angelica told us a little theory and sat us down at the pottery wheel.

1. They gave me a piece of clay - just enough to fit in my palms, and I could work with it. But before you put the clay on the potter's wheel, you need to beat it well in your hands, make a kolobok and at the same time remove all the air from the clay.

2. You know what fascinates me most about such activities is the opportunity to create something out of nothing. So they gave me a piece of clay and from this I decided to make a vase. To be honest, I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to make any vase. Not only do I not know how to draw, and the vase in my sketch looks more like a trapezoid, and doing something with my hands is not my story...

3. But since it’s already arrived, we begin working with clay on the potter’s wheel. Don't be surprised by the bowl of water :) Water is a necessary tool when working with clay.

4. An upset face and a red nose give away the fact that I was crying; I couldn’t “calm down” the clay and because I didn’t understand how to do it, I burst into tears. These are creative torments

5. And at some point I even wanted to get up and leave. But it’s worth giving credit to Master Angelica - she helped me believe in myself and didn’t even show that something was wrong.

6. In general, it’s very pleasant to tinker with clay!

7. The most interesting thing is that I am starting the first steps for my future vase.

8. Do you know when you swim in reservoirs with a muddy bottom, your legs sink slightly and seem to be sucked under? There are very similar sensations here when you insert your finger inside the clay.

9. I need to make an extension in several passes.

10. This is where the excitement begins - glimpses appear that something can really be made from clay.

11. That's what I've done! Angelica helps to “calm” the clay
12. Hop, and the bulge is ready!

13. I begin to form the bottom of the vase.

14. After shaping the bottom and working on expanding the top, my vase is almost ready! All that remains is to remove excess moisture, which is what I do with this sponge on a stick.

15. Now I have a thin wire in my hands, with which I “cut” the finished product from the pottery wheel.

16. Angelica puts water between the bottom of the product and the circle so that my flowerpot can be easily removed.

17. Voila! A piece of clay, a few tears, a basin of water and a flowerpot is ready

Irina Ganagina
Summary of the complex lesson "Pottery"

The summary was compiled and conducted as part of an innovative project

"Organization of network interaction and social partnership through the creation of mobile ethnographic centers"

Organized educational situation

Subject:"Pottery"

Tasks:

Educational:

Introduce children to the regions of Kuban where they practice pottery.

To develop children's interest in Kuban crafts.

Educational:

To develop aesthetic qualities in preschoolers.

To form and consolidate the ability to distinguish clay household items, to know their purpose, properties and qualities.

To develop the ability to navigate on the map of the Krasnodar region.

Reinforce the techniques of sculpting and processing clay products.

Educational:

Cultivate interest in the culture and traditions of the Kuban people

Cultivate an interest in the potter's profession.

Equipment: Map of the Krasnodar region, badges, clay products, crossword puzzle, jug of water, video film “pottery”, glasses for experiment.

Progress of the educational situation

1. Introduction to the situation

Guys! If you want to know what we are going to talk about today, then guess the riddles.

I was born in the earth

Tempered in fire.

(Pot)

He kneaded the “dough” in a tub.

But his goal is not rolls.

I made a flower pot,

Then he burned it in the oven.

(Potter)

2. Update

There is a crossword puzzle in front of you, I suggest you solve it and find out what is encrypted here.

Name this product correctly? (pot)

After which the clay product does not allow water to pass through. (burning)

What material is used to make ceramic tableware? (clay)

The part of the vessel by which it is held? (pen)

Material used to coat pottery to make it more durable? (glaze)

The name of this pottery? (little jar)

Name the profession of the people who make ceramic products. This is... a potter.

3. Difficulties in the situation

So, today we will talk about potters and pottery craft. Can you talk about this? (No)

Then if you don't mind, I'll tell you about it. More than ten thousand years ago the first pots were made. People were engaged in agriculture and wove large baskets to store grain. But the grain spilled out through the cracks in the basket and someone came up with the idea of smearing the inside with wet clay.

One of these baskets caught fire. The wooden rods of the basket were burnt, but the clay part was preserved. Moreover, it became hard. Thus, the first clay pot was born.

Look carefully at the map of the Krasnodar region.

Name the territory you see on the map. (Krasnodar region, Kuban)

Educator:

In the Kuban, Cossacks from time immemorial were engaged in agriculture and various crafts. One of them was pottery. Let's mark on the map the areas that are famous for their pottery.

Name the methods for making clay products and their processing. (We don't know)

How can we find out? (ask the one who does this - the potter)

Watching the film "Pottery"

Pottery production requires hard work and imagination. Let's remember how clay products are made. (Modeling, drying, patterning, firing, glazing)

I want to show you the product, touch it and tell me what kind of processing it has already undergone?

(modeling and drying)

How did you determine this? (product is gray, no pattern)

Let's look at the next product, what has changed in it? (the color has changed, there is a pattern).

Do you know how the pattern is applied to products? (brush, finger, comb)

What kind of clay is used to make patterns on ceramic products? (liquid, white and colored clay)

Name the elements that make up the pattern? (circles, stripes, dots, strokes, lines, curls)

How can you determine what kind of processing this product has undergone? (firing is determined by the color of the shard - it is red-brown, and by the sound - ringing)

And after firing, the clay product becomes moisture resistant and the pattern does not smudge. Let's check.

What did the craftsmen do with this vessel? (except for firing, covered with glaze)

This final stage, which potters use for their products.

What properties does the vessel acquire after glazing? (becomes smooth and shiny)

So, we have determined that clay products after firing and glazing become beautiful, smooth and durable. They are not afraid of water and fire. You can pour liquid into them, put them in the oven or oven.

3. Discovery of new things and inclusion in the situation

Guys, do you want to check if we made the right conclusion? Then, let's conduct an experiment and make sure of this. There are glasses in front of you. Find glasses that have been sculpted and dried, and those that have been fired and covered with glaze, pour in water and see what happens, which glass does not allow liquid to pass through. Let's leave them for a while, but for now let's remember the folk proverbs and sayings about pottery. (children call)

Well done. Now let's get back to the experience.

What happened to the glasses?

- (the glass, molded and dried, became soaked, but nothing happened to the one that was fired and covered with glaze.)

What conclusion can you draw?

4. Understanding

Did you like our lesson?

What was the most interesting thing for you? What new did you learn? What will you tell your parents about?

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