Wheel Throwing: A motor skill

Who doesn’t like playing with mud? Get dirty and have fun!

Go small, go big. Starting small will be easier for the beginner but eventually the idea of making something larger than you can be quite a draw.

Motor skill as muscle memory Many people believe that you have to be a talented artist to participate in art unfortunately. Wheel throwing is simply a motor skill that can be mastered through practice creating muscle memory! I promise!

Practice makes perfect.

The first lesson: Centering Equal distribution of weight and pressure. Use your entire body to brace yourself, move the clay, don’t allow the clay to move you. You’re the boss! The clay is in a ball on the middle of the wheel head. Put one hand on the side and one hand on the top. Use cold water to decrease friction and start the wheel moving. Starting with a centered piece of clay will greatly help to produce a proportional piece of work.

Formation of the walls: Once its centered put your thumb or finger in the middle and push down into the ball, stopping about a 1/2” from the wheel head. Slowly pull outwards,stretching the hole until the walls are about an inch thick.

Bringing up the walls: Pinch the outside rim you’ve now created and with a steady hand, brace yourself with your body, begin to pull the walls up into a cylinder.

Shaping your cylinder: Lightly brace the rim while you use a wooden rib to apply even pressure to the inside, pushing the walls out slowly.

Finishing touches: Create the thickness of the walls to your satisfaction, remove any extra clay around the bottom that may add unnecessary weight. Smooth out your rim and remove from wheel to dry or trim, you are now a bad ass potter!

Key terms: Throwing: working with clay that moves in circular motion. Green ware: Piece that has not been fired yet. Bisque ware: Piece that has gone through first firing process but not the second. Trimming: Shaping the foot of a pot on the wheel after sufficient amount of drying time.