Bright Idea for a Work Surface Andi Fasimpaur

Today, potter Andi Fasimpaur shares a great tip for an inexpensive work surface for handbuilding. Plus, we'll give you a couple of other great tips for the pottery studio.

The brightly colored flat craft foam that has become so popular for children's toys, puzzles and crafts, makes a wonderful work surface for handbuilding. The closed-cell foam is about 1/8 inch thick and doesn't leave a texture on clay, so the larger sheets are great for rolling small slabs on a slab roller. - Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor

Place clear plastic over any surface to be patterned with fine-line incising, then simply use a pencil to impress the design. The result will be burr-free. If you wish, you can trace patterns with a marker directly onto the plastic.

When highlighting impressed patterns (such as lace), it is much easier to apply oxide with an eyedropper than with a brush. It seems to flow into the design better and is much neater. This means much less sponging or sanding off the surface.

**First published in 2008.