Pottery Making Illustrated Articles (Simple)

Potpies are the epitome of comfort food. They remind me of dinners as a kid, when my mom would bring a creamy, bubbling potpie to the table. With this in mind, I created personal potpie crocks that br

The first time I shipped pots to an exhibition many years ago all five pieces arrived shattered. In retrospect, I did a terrible job packing them, using layers of cardboard with a few pieces of maskin

When we have visitors in our studio at MudFire, the most frequent comment is “this place is so clean” followed by “I wish my studio was this clean.” With over 150 people using our studio each month we

My interest in crystals in saturated metallic glazes led me to travel to China several times to research a 12–16th century black-pearl glaze, a component of the tenmoku glaze family. The four remainin

Want to bring a cold dish to a picnic on a hot day but afraid it will spoil? Make your own ceramic cooler with this three-piece picnic set.

Use simple printmaking techniques to create a repeatable pattern and increase your studio production.

Inspired by textiles? Incorporate mishima, water etching, and watercolor glazes for fabric-like surfaces.

Combine thrown forms with handbuilding techniques to create architectural-inspired forms.

Try wrapping your pots with sheets covered with slip and underglaze for a fresh surface design.

vintage Fiesta ware drawn by Robin Ouellette.

Increase the variety of your pinch pots by brainstoming with simple clay sketches.

Although the positive psychological benefits of feeling comfort are subjective, most people are able to identify a nourishing meal they hold dear. Among the numerous emotional benefits of comfort food

Have more success throwing globe shapes, and keeping your rims perfectly round, with this very simple homemade device.

Curious about bone china, but leery of its finicky nature? Here are a few tips and tricks to get you started.

Using your scraps to play with new ideas may lead to discovering new forms.

When you first learned how to throw on the wheel, did your teacher tell you not to use the throwing ribs on the inside of your thrown forms? If I remember correctly, my teacher did in my beginning thr

Learn to paddle tall, thrown cylinders into flattened bottle forms, giving you a blank canvas to explore surface decoration.

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.

Like both throwing and handbuilding? Combine the best of both worlds while making these creative vases for your spring flowers.

Years ago when I was learning to throw, my very first assignment was to throw five 6-inch-tall cylinders. I remember struggling so hard just to get to 4 inches. I was so worried I would fail at this t