Throwing off the Hump to Create a Faceted Tulip Bowl Throwing a Faceted Bowl off the Hump Simon Levin

Throwing off the hump is a technique that many potters use to quickly make multiples of a form, typically a small form. In the technique, a large mound of clay is placed on the wheel and roughly centered. The potter can then center enough clay at the top for one form, throw the form, cut off, and repeat the process easily. Throwing off the hump is great for productivity.

Simon Levin not only throws almost all of his pots off the hump, but he also trims them off of the same hump. By doing this, he creates a fluidity in his daily studio practice that allows him to not only increase productivity, but also play and experiment from one form to the other. In this post, an excerpt from his video, Work Flow: Throwing & Trimming off the Hump, Simon shares how he throws a lovely faceted tulip bowl off the hump. Have a look and then give throwing off the hump a try! - Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor

This clip was excerpted from Work Flow: Throwing & Trimming Off the Hump with Simon Levin, which is available in the Ceramic Arts Network Shop. 

Or subscribe to CLAYflicks and watch it instantly!

Simon Levin, on Throwing Off the Hump:

“I love throwing and trimming pots off the hump. It’s a versatile technique that fluidly integrates with my studio rhythms. I find that I advocate for throwing off the hump at every workshop. I use it for all forms that I plan to trim: bowls, cups, mugs, and plates, and a few small forms that don’t get trimmed.” - excerpted from Simon Levin’s article Center Justified, from the May/June 2015 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated.

Many potters throw off the hump when making small forms or repeating a form, but Simon Levin throws and trims most of his pots off the hump. This creates a rhythm in his studio practice as he works his way through a 25-pound lump of clay. Typically, Simon will throw a wareboard of pots and then switch to trimming off the same hump. When the trimming is done, he throws the next wareboard.

**First published in 2018.