Book Review
The author has used language in a clear, concise manner to describe
the process of making handbuilt pottery so the reader feels they
can be successful at the projects she has included in her book.
There are step-by-step instructions and photos for every project
as well as helpful Tips for Success accompanying most of the individual
techniques (i.e. in the chapter on Pinching, it is suggested you
look at pictures of birds for inspiration when modelling a clay
bird). The author has included a small section on the health and
safety rules because she is concerned with safety as well as the
success of the readers when engaging in a pottery project. The other
reason this book is so good is because it is very visual and with
a topic like making pottery it has to be. There are also photos
of the glazed and fired finished products for a few of the projects
which gives the reader an idea of what their creation could look
like. Occasionally the comments next to the photo of the glazed
and fired items included tips for safe use of the item (i.e. whether
it is safe to use with food). For certain projects a variety of
designs are provided for different styles you can use, for example,
when making a bowl set, there are diagrams for 4 different styles
to choose from. There is also a cross section of some of the projects
when they are being made to help you see what the thickness of the
clay creation is supposed to be.
Before beginning to work with clay it is good to read the introduction
and essential to read the section on the tools, illustrated in color
photos with accompanying descriptions, you will need for the projects
in this book. Another important section to read is on the types
of clay including the different colors, where to get it and what
it looks like when it is raw and after it has been fired. The final
essential section on handbuilding techniques is the description
on the two types of kneading, ox-head (easier) and spiral (useful
for large pieces of clay) accompanied by a photo and description
of each.
The four chapters cover the main techniques of working with clay;
Coiling, Pinching, Molding and Slabbing. All of the chapters are
basically structured the same, with the same features included in
each. There is an introduction at the beginning of each of the chapters,
specific to the techniques in that chapter. The intro to the chapter
on coiling, one of the most versatile methods to build a pot, covers
the plus and minuses of using of coiling as well as commenting on
the ease of using this technique. In this chapter there are step-by-step
instructions for using rounded and flattened coils, making coiled
bowls, baskets and surface decorations as well as garden sculptures.
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