Little run through how I make this vase! It’s probably one of the simplest shapes you can make on the wheel but I think its always good to show the whole process regardless of whether its a fancy big vase or a small bulbous vase
You’ll see me using a shammy for the rim of the piece, i find its one of the quickest and easiest ways to get a good shaped lip without your fingers pulling on the clay too much 🤗
A few extra tips I couldn’t fit into the video
Start with a ball of well-wedged clay and place it on the wheel head, I always pinch the corners to the batt purely to make it easier in the initial starting of the centring, generally when you begin to spin the wheel you’ll see a lot of people begin the wrestling match with the clay, and if they try too hard the clay ball will just slip straight out of centre towards the edge of the batt, pinching it beforehand gives a much better result, but don’t take my word for it, give it a go and let us know if it helped at all
Create an opening in the centre of the clay by pressing your thumbs down into the centre while the wheel is spinning. Gradually widen the hole to your desired pot size, smaller the hole the more clay will be in the walls and allow you to throw the pot higher
As you pull the clay upwards, try to keep the walls as straight as possible. Use consistent, controlled movements and maintain an even thickness throughout the pot. While you can begin shaping the vase the moment you begin throwing the walls, I also find throwing the walls up to a height first before shaping gives a better result
Then you can begin shaping the vase, I do this by either using wet fingers or holding a sponge to then push the clay out from the inside. I will also support the top part of the wall, almost conforming it to its original dimensions so it doesn’t follow the lower part of the pot, you can also bring in the top by just squeezing it with both hands, but I’ll let you decide if what method you enjoy doing
As with any form of pottery, the method is pretty irrelevant, As long as you making things and having fun thats all that matters
