A Beginner's Guide to Wheel Throwing at the Hintonburg Pottery Studio

Ever wondered what it would be like to take a pottery wheel throwing class? Now that I have taken three beginner pottery classes at the Hintonburg Pottery Studio and I am now a studio member, I thought I would share what I have learned and explain the basics of how to make your very own pot. Please note that I am absolutely no expert in pottery making, but I wanted to share what you can expect during a wheel throwing class at the studio and a few tips and tricks I have learned along the way from my fabulous instructors.

I divided the process into 3 stages: Throwing, Trimming and Decorating, and Glazing, which correspond with the different states of the clay, from soft/wet, leather hard, and bisqued, respectively. I hope you enjoy!

Before you get started

There are a number of materials and tools you will need to make your pottery. Lucky for you, if you take lessons at the studio, everything you need is included in the price, so you will just need to bring yourself and your creativity! Here’s a list of some basic materials and tools you will need:

Apron
Clay
Potter's wheel
Bowl of water
Sponge
Wire
Pin tools
Wooden tool
Ribbon tools

The shop also has a wide variety of different carving tools and stamps for decorating your pieces.

Stage 1: Throwing Your Pot

Step 1: Prepare the clay

Form your clay into a rough ball shape, then slam it against a hard surface several times at different angles. Wedge the clay, similar to kneading bread, to create what is called a ‘ram’s head’, as seen below. The pleats allow for air bubbles to escape. After you have wedged your clay for about 2 minutes, form it into a rough ball shape again. For this example, I used 2.5 pounds of clay to make a decent sized bowl.

Step 2: Put the clay on the wheel

Throw the ball of clay with some force onto the center of the wheel head. Seal the clay to the wheel by pushing on the clay your finger where the clay meets the wheel head. Pat the clay firmly with your hands to make a rough cone shape.

Step 3: Cone and center the clay

Start spinning the wheel at medium-fast speed using the foot peddle. Wet your hands and the clay, and cup the clay in your hands with even pressure. To cone, squeeze the clay between your fingers and the heels of your palms and slowly pull up. To center, place one hand on top and the other on the side to stabilize, and apply pressure downward to flatten out the clay. You want your clay to be distributed evenly on the wheel, so you should not feel any wobbling or unevenness. This is one of the more challenging parts of throwing and takes some practice! Be patient with yourself as it may take some time to center your clay onto the wheel properly.

Quick tips!

Brace your arms by keeping your elbows tucked into your side, resting on your thighs.
Keep your hands/fingers touching at all times to help ensure your clay shapes evenly.
If you feel air bubbles, stop the wheel, and use a pin tool to poke small holes to release the air.

Step 4: Open up your pot

Once your clay is centered, put one finger in the direct center of the clay with the opposite hand still on the side, and press down until the bottom is about a half an inch thick. Slow the wheel down to slow-medium speed and pull open your pot by slowing pulling your fingers outward from the center, with the other hand still supporting the side.

Quick tips!

Use a pin tool to poke a small hole in the center of the clay to check how thick the bottom is.

Step 6: Pull up your pot

Start with your fingers on the bottom of your pot, one hand the inside and one hand on the outside, and apply pressure while slowly pulling up your pot along the sides. Repeat this a number of times until your pot is at the desired height and the wall of the pot are about a ¼ inch thick.

Step 7: Remove your pot from the wheel

Use your wooden tool to cut a line at the base of your pot. Take your wire, hold it taught with both hands on either sides of the wheel, and firmly and slowly run the wire across the bottom of your pot. Place your pot on a tray to let it dry. For classes, all the pottery is covered with plastic to prevent it from drying out too much before the following class a week later.

Quick tips!

Put some water at the back of your pot, so when you cut it with the wire, the water will flow under and help it detach from the wheel head.

For more visuals on the throwing process, you can watch this short YouTube video on how to throw a bowl. You can be as creative as you'd like in terms of what shape and size you want for your piece!

Stage 2: Trimming & Decorating Your Pot

At this stage, your pot should be leather hard, meaning that the clay has dried enough to be able to be handled without deforming it, but soft enough that you can carve into it for trimming and decorating. You pottery should be at this state after it has sat for a week, covered with plastic wrap. If it is still a bit sticky to the touch, you can use a hair blow dryer (provided at the studio) to ensure it is in the right consistency for trimming.

Trimming is an important stage of the pottery making process, as this is where your pot really comes to life. It allows you to “wake up” your piece by trimming away excess clay, lightening your pot, and being creative in how you want to decorate it with stamps and carvings.

Step 1: Mark your pot for trimming

Feel your pot to see how thick the bottom and walls are. You will want to remove excess clay from the areas where it is too thick or uneven.

Quick tips!

You can make a few small marks with the edge of your nail to mark the thickness of the bottom and walls.

Step 2: Center your pot

Place your pot upside-down, in the center of the wheel head. To center your pot, place your finger gently on the side of the pot and slowly spin the wheel to see where it is uneven, and adjust accordingly. This is again challenging part to center your pot!

Quick tips!

You can make 3 little logs out of spare clay and place them on the sides of your pot to stabilize it once it is centered.

Step 3: Trim the bottom and sides

Spin the wheel at slow-medium speed and, using your trimming tools, shave away excess clay from the edge of the bottom and sides of your pot. Do multiple times, layer by layer, until you have reached the desired thickness of your walls.

Step 4: Make a foot ring (optional)

A foot ring elevates your pot, adding some extra detail, and is useful in the glazing process to help make sure the glaze does not run too far down the pot. You can make a foot ring at the bottom of your pot by trimming away a circle in the base of your pot and leaving an edge.

If you would like to trim the inside of your pot, you can do so by turning it right side up, and then centering and trimming again, as in Step 2 and 3.

Step 5: Smooth out any rough edges

Once you are satisfied with the weight and look of your trimmed pot, dip your fingers in some water and run your fingers along the edges of the pot to smooth out any rough edges. This will ensure your pot does not have any sharp edges once it is bisqued (fired in the kiln once).

Step 6: Decorate your pot

You can decorate your pot in a number of ways, including stamps, hand carving, cut outs, or adding extra clay décor, such as handles or buttons. For this example, I used a stamp to make a pattern around the edge of the outside of my pot.

The Hintonburg Pottery studio has their own kilns where their technicians bisque the pieces.

Stage 3: Glazing Your Pot

At this stage, your pot has been bisqued and it will be hard and white. The Hintonburg pottery shop has over 40 glazes made in-house. This is one of the pots my mom made. She blended two different types of clay together, which is why it looks like two different colours.

Step 1: Pick your colours and pattern

Quick tips!

Decide what colours and pattern you would like for your piece before starting to glaze.
Do not have more than two colours per piece, and only use a few colours amongst all your pieces if you would like them to look more like a set.

Step 2: Dip or paint your pot

Glaze the inside first by using a measuring cup to pour some of the glaze in the middle, rotate it around, and dump out the excess back into the glaze bin.

Dipping is best for coating a large portion or all of your pot. You can do it by hand or use tongs to dip. Lower your pot into the glaze bin, remove it quickly (it should only be in there for maximum 2 seconds), and gently shake it for 10ish seconds to get rid of the excess. The glaze dries quite fast. If you want more details on your pot, you can paint the glaze on in specific areas using a paint brush (available at the glazing area in the studio).

Step 3: Clean it up

Using a sponge and a bowl of water, wipe away any glaze at the bottom of your pot, and leave about a ¼ inch from the bottom of the sides unglazed as well. This will help prevent the glaze from dripping down off the pot onto the cookie (a small disc of clay your pot rests on when being fired a second time) which would ruin your pot. :(

Once you have glazed all of your pots, the studio will put them in the kiln for a second firing.

And finally... Admire your work!

Your pot will be ready in one or two weeks. This is when you can admire all the hard work you put into your piece, feel proud about what you have done with your own two hands, and put your beautiful pot to use! This picture is an oldie, since my new pots are still in the process of being fired.

No amount of words or pictures make up for actually experiencing the pottery making process first hand. The Hintonburg Pottery shop offers a variety of different classes, including one-day workshops or 6-week long classes. You can sign up here!

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to message me below. Thanks for reading, and happy potting! :)