Pinch Technique Ceramics

Pinch pots are the ideal project for newcomers to hand building with clay.

Pinch technique ceramics. The oldest known ceramic figurine venus of dolní věstonice traces back to the czech republic in 29 000 25 000 b c during the upper paleolithic period and a 2012 study published in the journal science confirmed that the earliest known ceramic pots found in xianrendong cave in china s jiangxi. Perfecting this technique is a fantastic way to start developing your clay craft skills. The pinching technique is easy enough for even young children to learn. Handbuilding is working with clay by hand using only simple tools not the pottery wheel.

The pinching method is to create pottery that can be ornamental or functional and has been widely employed across culture. This kind of clay can be intimidating to beginners as you have to fire it in a kiln to cure it. Pin share email cometary getty images. A pinch pot is a simple form of hand made pottery produced from ancient times to the present.

Beth peterson is a potter artist and writer with more than 30 years of experience crafting clay and ceramics. However many professional pottery supply stores also provide kiln services. A more recently made better version of this video can be found here in this playlist. Pinch pots are undergoing a bit of a renaissance these days.

Due to the technique s limitations most pinch pots are fairly small holding perhaps one cup to one and a half cups by volume. Most tutors will start people making pinch pots to get a feel for the clay to develop a sensitivity to the material and its working properties. If you want to make a durable food and drink safe pinch pot you need to use pottery clay. Learn about the spruce crafts editorial process.

But that doesn t mean you can t make sophisticated pottery forms with the pinch pot technique. I see beautiful pinch pots everywhere these days. However you can make larger pinch pots if you really put your mind to it. Even though pinching pots is an ancient technique more and more ceramic artists are taking up pinch pots.

Pinchpot coiling and slab techniques. Simple clay vessels such as bowls and cups of various sizes can be formed and shaped by hand using a methodical pinching process in which the clay walls are thinned by pinching. But the repetitive act of pinching clay can be pretty hard on the wrists. Are perhaps the most ubiquitous of all art forms to have emerged from human history.

Below are the three most common forms of creating hand built pots.