My collection of carving tools is always expanding. I love experimenting with new tools and discovering new ways to achieve a particular look or effect. Here we’re going to look specifically at the tools needed to carve into clay, rather than general pottery tools.
Don’t limit yourself to purchasing specialist pottery tools; a number of my tools are either homemade or re-purposed items from around the house. And never forget the most important tools at your disposal—your hands! You can soften down carved lines and edges by wetting your thumb or finger and smoothing over the lines. Depending on how subtle you want your carving to appear, you can simply apply less or more pressure to get your desired effect.
A great way to get an idea of what effects you can achieve with your tools is to roll out a large slab of clay, leave it to firm up slightly, and then have fun experimenting. Try using the same tool in different ways: use the side or back of the tool; apply less pressure, or more; create a sense of movement with a sweep of your arm; or use a straight edge to help you create an intricate, geometric pattern.
Hilda’s Essential Carving Tools
A Cheese Slicer
This works just like a potter’s wire but the central bar of the tool prevents the wire from cutting too deeply. This is a great tool for faceting.
B, C Sgraffito Tools
There are lots of different tools available for sgraffito work. These are two of my favorites: a small ball-tipped tool (B), great for making fine lines, and a scoop tool (C), which you can either use on its side for scraping larger areas or use the fine point for creating detailed designs.
D–G Loop Tools
My absolute favorites and the first carving tools I ever bought. These come in all shapes and sizes with rounded tips, straight-edged tips, or pointed tips. These are great tools for fluting, creating texture, and cutting in sharp-angled shapes.
H Flexible Steel Kidney-Shaped Rib
This is a useful tool for scraping larger areas and for carving shallow curves. It works best on drier clay.
I, J Combing Tools
Use a specialist potter’s tool (I) or you can easily create your own by cutting a design into an old credit card (J).
K Potter’s Knife or Fettling Knife
This is a must-have potter’s tool—for carving and for general use—and they come in all shapes and sizes. I like this long-bladed version as it’s great for incising and fettling.
Looking After Your Tools
Carving tools will dull over time. You can sharpen them with a file or a Dremel tool. Cleaning and drying them after each use will increase their longevity.
Techniques for Carving
The effects that you can achieve with a simple carving tool are limitless. Combine that with the number of possibilities for form, clay type, and glaze, and you’ve got enough options to make sure you never get bored!
The projects that I’ve included in my book, Carve Your Clay: Techniques to Bring the Ceramic Surface to Life, are designed to introduce you to just some of the ways you can bring your ceramic pieces to life through carving. Some are very simple, requiring only your hands and a loop tool, others are a little more complicated, requiring a few more tools and techniques. Use them as a starting point to explore and develop your own designs—create your own unique versions that embrace your style and preferred way of working.
Hida Carr working in her studio.
As with anything, confidence comes with practice, so don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I remember the first time I tried carving: I had made a small bowl on the potter’s wheel that I was very proud of—successes at this stage being still few and far between. I wanted to carve a simple design into the outside of the bowl, but I was terrified of cutting into it and ruining the whole thing. It took a few attempts to achieve the look I wanted, but I found the more I practiced, the more I gained a feel of how the clay would respond, and with it a little more confidence.
The joy of handmade ceramics comes from knowing that a piece is one of a kind, it is not about achieving perfection. The marks of the maker: the hand-drawn lines, fingerprints, and marks that show how the piece was constructed add the character and individuality that you can’t get from a mass-produced piece. Don’t worry about getting your lines perfectly parallel or your shapes completely symmetrical. Embrace these quirks: it’s these that make it yours and completely unique.
Hilda’s Key Techniques
These carving techniques each create a different effect, so try a few out and find out which best suits your aesthetic and preferred way of working. Additionally, each technique corresponds to a project in the book, such as a faceted pitcher, a fettled planter, and a wall tile art piece.
Incising (1)
Use a potter’s knife or fettling knife to cut a pattern right through the wall of your vessel. This technique is great for candle holders as the pattern will be projected around the room when the candle is lit.
Fluting (2)
Use a loop tool to cut ribbons of clay down the length of a pot. You can get a variety of effects depending on the size and shape of your chosen tool.
Carving a Geometric Pattern (3)
Mark out a rough pattern on your piece before carving your design. This technique can add a great architectural quality, and the design can be as simple or as intricate as you want.
Combing (4)
Use the teeth of a combing tool to carve narrow, parallel grooves into the clay, which add surface texture and interest. I use this tool with the pot still on the wheel to help get accurate lines.
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34
Creating a Texture (5)
There are lots of options to create surface interest and detail with a variety of loop tools. Work freehand and let your imagination loose.
Impressing (6)
Carve a design into a piece of craft linoleum and then impress your clay into it. This technique works best on slab-built pieces.
56
Faceting (7)
Use a wire or knife to slice away flat strips of clay. Choosing a straight wire or a wiggle wire will create different effects.
Fettling (8)
Trim the edges of a piece with a knife, in this case trimming the edges of a curve to create a multi-faceted shape.
Sgraffito (9)
Carve away a top layer of colored slip to reveal the clay beneath.
Caution: Always wear a respirator when you’re carving nearly dry to bone-dry clay. When using a technique where the clay needs to be on the drier side, always brush away the carved clay rather than blow.
78
9
A set designer by trade, UK-based (Surrey) Hilda Carr turned her hand to ceramics in 2014 and now sells her work through her website as well as in shops and galleries across the UK. She has built a large following on Instagram where she frequently shares her new works and techniques. She can be found at @hildacarrpotteryand hildacarrpottery.com.
Excerpted with permission from Carve Your Clay (Quarry Books, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 2023) by Hilda Carr. Available in the Ceramic Arts Network Shop: ceramicartsnetwork.org/shop.
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My collection of carving tools is always expanding. I love experimenting with new tools and discovering new ways to achieve a particular look or effect. Here we’re going to look specifically at the tools needed to carve into clay, rather than general pottery tools.
Don’t limit yourself to purchasing specialist pottery tools; a number of my tools are either homemade or re-purposed items from around the house. And never forget the most important tools at your disposal—your hands! You can soften down carved lines and edges by wetting your thumb or finger and smoothing over the lines. Depending on how subtle you want your carving to appear, you can simply apply less or more pressure to get your desired effect.
A great way to get an idea of what effects you can achieve with your tools is to roll out a large slab of clay, leave it to firm up slightly, and then have fun experimenting. Try using the same tool in different ways: use the side or back of the tool; apply less pressure, or more; create a sense of movement with a sweep of your arm; or use a straight edge to help you create an intricate, geometric pattern.
Hilda’s Essential Carving Tools
A Cheese Slicer
This works just like a potter’s wire but the central bar of the tool prevents the wire from cutting too deeply. This is a great tool for faceting.
B, C Sgraffito Tools
There are lots of different tools available for sgraffito work. These are two of my favorites: a small ball-tipped tool (B), great for making fine lines, and a scoop tool (C), which you can either use on its side for scraping larger areas or use the fine point for creating detailed designs.
D–G Loop Tools
My absolute favorites and the first carving tools I ever bought. These come in all shapes and sizes with rounded tips, straight-edged tips, or pointed tips. These are great tools for fluting, creating texture, and cutting in sharp-angled shapes.
H Flexible Steel Kidney-Shaped Rib
This is a useful tool for scraping larger areas and for carving shallow curves. It works best on drier clay.
I, J Combing Tools
Use a specialist potter’s tool (I) or you can easily create your own by cutting a design into an old credit card (J).
K Potter’s Knife or Fettling Knife
This is a must-have potter’s tool—for carving and for general use—and they come in all shapes and sizes. I like this long-bladed version as it’s great for incising and fettling.
Looking After Your Tools
Carving tools will dull over time. You can sharpen them with a file or a Dremel tool. Cleaning and drying them after each use will increase their longevity.
Techniques for Carving
The effects that you can achieve with a simple carving tool are limitless. Combine that with the number of possibilities for form, clay type, and glaze, and you’ve got enough options to make sure you never get bored!
The projects that I’ve included in my book, Carve Your Clay: Techniques to Bring the Ceramic Surface to Life, are designed to introduce you to just some of the ways you can bring your ceramic pieces to life through carving. Some are very simple, requiring only your hands and a loop tool, others are a little more complicated, requiring a few more tools and techniques. Use them as a starting point to explore and develop your own designs—create your own unique versions that embrace your style and preferred way of working.
As with anything, confidence comes with practice, so don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I remember the first time I tried carving: I had made a small bowl on the potter’s wheel that I was very proud of—successes at this stage being still few and far between. I wanted to carve a simple design into the outside of the bowl, but I was terrified of cutting into it and ruining the whole thing. It took a few attempts to achieve the look I wanted, but I found the more I practiced, the more I gained a feel of how the clay would respond, and with it a little more confidence.
The joy of handmade ceramics comes from knowing that a piece is one of a kind, it is not about achieving perfection. The marks of the maker: the hand-drawn lines, fingerprints, and marks that show how the piece was constructed add the character and individuality that you can’t get from a mass-produced piece. Don’t worry about getting your lines perfectly parallel or your shapes completely symmetrical. Embrace these quirks: it’s these that make it yours and completely unique.
Hilda’s Key Techniques
These carving techniques each create a different effect, so try a few out and find out which best suits your aesthetic and preferred way of working. Additionally, each technique corresponds to a project in the book, such as a faceted pitcher, a fettled planter, and a wall tile art piece.
Incising (1)
Use a potter’s knife or fettling knife to cut a pattern right through the wall of your vessel. This technique is great for candle holders as the pattern will be projected around the room when the candle is lit.
Fluting (2)
Use a loop tool to cut ribbons of clay down the length of a pot. You can get a variety of effects depending on the size and shape of your chosen tool.
Carving a Geometric Pattern (3)
Mark out a rough pattern on your piece before carving your design. This technique can add a great architectural quality, and the design can be as simple or as intricate as you want.
Combing (4)
Use the teeth of a combing tool to carve narrow, parallel grooves into the clay, which add surface texture and interest. I use this tool with the pot still on the wheel to help get accurate lines.
Creating a Texture (5)
There are lots of options to create surface interest and detail with a variety of loop tools. Work freehand and let your imagination loose.
Impressing (6)
Carve a design into a piece of craft linoleum and then impress your clay into it. This technique works best on slab-built pieces.
Faceting (7)
Use a wire or knife to slice away flat strips of clay. Choosing a straight wire or a wiggle wire will create different effects.
Fettling (8)
Trim the edges of a piece with a knife, in this case trimming the edges of a curve to create a multi-faceted shape.
Sgraffito (9)
Carve away a top layer of colored slip to reveal the clay beneath.
Caution: Always wear a respirator when you’re carving nearly dry to bone-dry clay. When using a technique where the clay needs to be on the drier side, always brush away the carved clay rather than blow.
A set designer by trade, UK-based (Surrey) Hilda Carr turned her hand to ceramics in 2014 and now sells her work through her website as well as in shops and galleries across the UK. She has built a large following on Instagram where she frequently shares her new works and techniques. She can be found at @hildacarrpottery and hildacarrpottery.com.
Excerpted with permission from Carve Your Clay (Quarry Books, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 2023) by Hilda Carr. Available in the Ceramic Arts Network Shop: ceramicartsnetwork.org/shop.
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