Getting Started

It's tempting to get straight to it- especially having taken so many years to find the time and oportunity, but Ihave quickly learned the importance of preparation.

Clay

At this point, I know very little about the plethora of different clay bodies available so I am happy to use what my tutor suggests.

KGM body clay starts out donkey-grey I  colour but dries considerably lighter as greenware (unfired), goes a milk white after bisque firing and then has a buttery tone after a glaze fire.it is 'forgiving' in the hands of a beginner (although it did t always seem that way!) And can be fired both as earthenware I stoneware so offers firing flexibility.

It's a good idea to weigh the piece of clay you are working with to give you an idea of what weight of clay you might need to throw a particular vessel once you get more practiced. 350-400g seems to work pretty well for me when throwing a mug or  cereal-size bowl, slightly less for a cup. 

Wedging

This is not an uncomfortable knicker situation! It is a technique used to remove airbu bles from the clay and make a smooth consistency throughout the lump of clay you are working with. Florian Gadsby- has several useful tutorials on the technique which involves holding your hands either side of a lump of clay, thumbs on top, pushing the clay away from you on a board and then slightly rolling it as you draw it back. You end up creating a shape a bit like a rams head. Fail to do this and any air bubbles in the clay might cause stress in your careful creation leading it to crack as it dries it even explode in the kiln!

Preparing To Throw

Use a spirit level to ensure the wheel head is steady and level. 

Get a jug with some water and any tools you might need- sponge, rib, potters needle etc. and make sure it is within reach

It is possible to throw directly on the wheel head but this means you need to master the removal of forms from the wheel head before they are firm in order to use the wheel for subsequent pieces. To avoid this, you can mount a potters batt onto the wheel head (securing it with pins if your wheel has them, or failing that, a damp chamois leather serves the purpose of gripping the batt). Turn on the wheel and check that the batt is centred. Adjust if necessary.

Take your lump of clay and firmly throw it on to the dry batt, as close to centre as possible. 

Coning up/down 

Anchor your forearms against the wheels splash pan  trayand your elbows into your body (waist/hip/thigh). Get the wheel moving. With wet hands, cup around the clayusing the heel of your hand as a guide and your fingers to help create a sealant the base. Slowly close your fingers two encourage the clay to form a narrower cone and the move one hand to the top of the cone to push it over and back down into your other hand. This is coming up and down. It not only helps to remove air bubbles from the clay and form a good seal to the wheel, but helps to centre the clay.

Centering

The aim is to get the lump of clay perfectly centred to the spin of the wheel. The importance of this cannot be overstated. If the clay is not properly centred any pot you throw will be a struggle, if not a failure- it will have uneven sides, a wonky top, uneven thickness. Centring is still a challenge to me in these early weeks, but the forms I have made have been more successful when I have managed to properly centre the clay.

Now you can start to create.