The Upside-Down Bowl with Mary Drabik

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In this video, Chicago-based ceramic artist Mary Drabik shares her upside-down pinch/coil technique for making handbuilt bowls. She also shares her slip transfer technique for beautiful surface decoration.

When coil building, it can be time consuming to create a generous serving bowl with gracefully curved walls. In order for the clay to support the curve, you have to wait for the base to stiffen before adding more coils. But Mary Drabik has a better way!

You'll learn how to:

Securely affix a coil to a bat for pinching
Pinch and shape by applying the right kind of pressure and the right time
Add a slab base that works with the pinched aesthetic
Create a nice transition between the base and sides
Apply screen printed decoration using a newsprint transfer technique
and much more!

*This video does not cover the screen-printing process in detail. For a complete course on screen printing on ceramics, see Fundamentals of Screen Printing on Clay with Paul Andrew Wandless.

Total runtime: 1:01:18

About the Author

Mary Drabik

Mary Drabik is a ceramicist living in Chicago, Illinois. She have been working in clay for 20 years, primarily using a high fire porcelain clay. Porcelain reminds her of clouds and marshmallows and works beautifully with the illustrations and patterns she adds to the surfaces. Mary strives to create one-of-a-kind forms that show our everyday objects hold importance, time, thoughtfulness and connection. Each of her pieces are created by my hand, starting with a ball of clay and transforming into forms by the act of pinching the clay between her fingers. Her business, Mcrocosm Ceramics is a one-woman operation and every piece is made with intention and love.

Unfamiliar with any terms in this video? Browse our glossary of pottery terms!

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The Upside-Down Bowl with Mary Drabik Mary Drabik