Ceramics for dummies - or what I wish I’d known before starting pottery (part 1)

I turned 40 this year and my husband got me a kiln for my birthday. I was so excited - is a kiln not the best present a person could ask for? I quickly got on the internet to order clay and glazes, and that's where I ran into the first problem: I had no idea what to buy. My only experience with pottery was from middle school, and I couldn't remember a single thing from art class. I started googling, became overwhelmed, and ended up ordering all the wrong stuff. I started experimenting with my (wrong) clay, but I felt extremely frustrated and disheartened, and it took me 3 months until I was brave enough to even set up the kiln and turn it on. It has definitely been a learning curve, and I wish there had been someone here to guide me through the process. I promised on IG to share everything that I learn along the way, and so here we are!

My first ceramic clay creations - an orca and a little humpback whale

Before diving into it all, I'd quickly like to go through the different types of clay so you can choose the right fit for you. The three main types of clay used in ceramics are earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain .

Earthenware is commonly used for flower pots, rustic tableware and decorative pieces. It usually has a red or orange color (think terracotta), and it has a relatively low firing temperature (~950–1100°C). It's soft, porous, easy to shape, and overall very user friendly. The reason I didn't even consider earthenware is because I knew I also wanted to make coffee cups and things that hold other liquids, so I wanted something that is more ideal for that.

Stoneware is what I use. It has a higher firing temperature of about 1180-1280°C, and is usually light-toned, grey, buff or brown depending on the clay and oxides inside. Once it has been vitrified (meaning that it has been fired to a high enough temperature that it is no longer porous), the clay is dense and waterproof even without a glaze. Stoneware is great for both sculptures and functional ceramics, such as bowls and mugs. The texture of the clay is either smooth or gritty (more on this later!), and it's strong, versatile, and nice to work with.

Finally, there's porcelain (think fancy thin white teacups). Very fine, silky and smooth. Porcelain is pure white and extremely strong when fired to ~1220–1300°C, but difficult for beginners to work with. So no thank you for now, but maybe in the future?

Once I had settled on stoneware, I realized that it wasn't quite as simple as ordering 10kg of stoneware clay, please. There were so many different kinds and colors, some with grit, some with out. What is grit?, I asked google. And I was told that it's something I want in my clay if I intend to build by hand, as the grit will provide structural strength. . But google lied. I ordered gritty clay and hated it. I was used to air dry clay, to smoothing it out with water. When I tried that with my new ceramic clay, it turned into sandpaper, with all the grit particles coming to the surface. Turns out grit is something you only need in your clay if you intend on creating very large sculptures. And I have a nice normal-sized kiln - I won't be fitting very large sculptures in there.

So I ordered a new, smooth, grit-less clay. If you want to know exactly which one, it's the GERSTAECKER Tonmasse weiß - unschamottiert. Uncomplicated, handy-dandy, trustworthy, inexpensive and user-friendly. A great, inexpensive all-rounder that I can recommend to anyone. I have no idea whether they ship outside Germany though.

The new clay was so much easier to work with, and I started actually enjoying the experience. At first I just made pinch pot mugs and bowls, meaning that I would simply make a ball out of the clay, stick my thumb in the middle, and then go round and round, pinching and squeezing with my fingers to create a basic (and often lumpy) hemisphere.

My first pinch pot coffee cups. The upper one didn't make it. RIP <3

Initially I treated the clay like air dry clay, but I have since learned that it's actually not that similar and it requires a different approach. For starters, air dry clay solidifies and becomes stronger as it dries. The opposite is true for ceramic clay, and this brings us to the three main stages of ceramic clay - plastic, leather-hard, and bone dry.

The plastic phase is wet clay. This is when the clay is soft, smooth, and easy to shape. Once the clay has firmed up slightly, it's called leather-hard. The clay is still cool to the touch, but it's no longer sticky. This is the best time for trimming, carving, adding handles, or joining pieces. You'll know your clay is leather-hard when you won't leave a fingerprint, but your nail will leave an indent (Tip! Make sure your fingernails are super short when doing pottery, it will make your life a lot easier!).

When you leave your clay to dry, it will eventually turn bone dry. It will become chalky and incredibly fragile, and it won't be cold to the touch anymore. At this stage the clay has lost all visible moisture and is ready for its first firing, called bisque. You won't be able to change its shape anymore, and bending or joining will cause the clay to crack. Be very careful with the clay at this point, and remember to tell everyone else who might be in contact with your creations to do the same. I learned this the hard way when my mom was visiting and I didn't think to tell her that she shouldn't lift my bone dry coffee mug by the handle :') She felt terrible, but it was my fault - there was no way she could have known!

For absolute beginners, I recommend just playing around with the clay. You don't have to make anything for the kiln, you can get to know your clay first - see how it behaves, how quickly it dries, etc. There are some basic supplies that would be good to have already in the beginning, but it's not a long list - a handful of simple, inexpensive tools will take you very far. Here's what I think you need to get started:

The basics - linen cloth, tools, and the dome I use to prevent the pieces from drying too fast.

1. Clay. I recommend choosing a smooth, good-quality stoneware clay. Start with a bag of about 10kg.

2. Basic tools. There are many inexpensive sets available that include the most important things, such as a needle tool (for cutting and scoring), a wooden or metal rib (for shaping and smoothing), a sponge (for smoothing (I cut a small wedge off my sponge and it has been all I've needed so far)), a trimming tool (for carving or trimming), and wooden modeling tools and silicone brushes.

3. Surface protection. Clay will suck the moisture out of everything, including your hands and a wooden table. I use a wax tablecloth to protect any wooden surface, and then place a linen cloth on it. The linen provides me with a good work surface and prevents the clay from sticking.

4. Water and cleanup gear. Things can get very messy. You'll need a sealable container for excess clay that can be reclaimed and used again. And you'll need a small bowl of water to dip you sponge in or to clean your tools, a rag or kitchen paper for the constant wiping, and a bucket for waste. You should never pour clay down the sink because it will cause problems. Once I've cleaned and rinsed everything in the bucket, I'll pour it in a corner of our garden. Please be aware that you can only do this if there are no heavy metals or other harmful substances in the clay. And you can't do this with waste water from glazing!

5. A simple banding wheel can be very useful for handbuilding and glazing. I don't think I would manage without mine!

6. A container for slip. Slip is basically just clay and water mixed together, and it's used as the glue for joining pieces.

7. A kiln. More about mine in another post!

I think that's enough for now, but on a final note, I'd like to mention that proper clean up is important, as clay and glaze materials contain silica, a mineral that’s harmless in wet clay but dangerous when it becomes airborne. It's best to wipe your work area as soon as you're finished. If you sweep or dry-dust the area, those tiny silica particles can stay suspended in the air for hours, and inhaling them over time can cause respiratory issues (in extreme cases, silicosis).