Guides

The basics worth keeping close, plus useful ceramics sites.

Stages of a pot

Throw, handbuild or cast the shape, then trim once it's leather hard.

Let the piece dry slowly and evenly until it's bone dry.

The first firing hardens the clay and leaves it porous enough to take glaze.

Dip, brush or spray glaze, keeping the foot clean.

The final firing melts the glaze and matures the clay.

Fires low and stays porous unless glazed.

A durable mid-to-high-fire studio workhorse.

Fine and white, firing dense and translucent where thin.

An open library of glaze recipes and analysis.

A deep technical reference on materials and glazes.

Articles, videos and community.