Cups Vocabulary

Guiding Question What vocabulary, tools, and techniques do I need to know to be successful at making cups on the pottery wheel?

Yunomi A traditional Japanese tea cup. Narrow, wide, narrow Trimmed foot.

Trim a Foot Turn your cup upside down. Re-center it. Blocks of clay to hold it. Cut a ring into the bottom of the piece. Use a trim tool. (wood handle with a metal loop)

Mug Cylinder Slightly thicker bottom and walls. Handle is added to the cylinder.

Handle Pull it from a lump of clay. Score and slip both ends. Hand is wet. Glide your hand past the clay to make the handle longer. DO NOT SQUEEZE!

Glass A thin cylinder with no handle or foot.

Alter To change the appearance of a cylinder using various techniques.

Decorate Adding elements that enhance the appearance of the object.

Facet Altering technique. Using the wire tool to cut a flat edge into a thicker walled cylinder.

Paddle Altering technique. Using a wood tool to hit the clay cylinder into a flat edge. Using a wood tool to add a line into a clay cylinder.

Blistering Pushing your finger from the inside of the cup to make the surface bulge out. Add a line to define the bulge. Add texture to vary the surface.

Rasp A tool that shaves the clay off the cup. Very sharp! Be careful!