Pinch Method Ceramics

Pinching ceramics is usually the first thing taught in a beginning pottery class because it requires very few tools and is a great way to get familiar with the properties of clay and the process of making ceramics.

Pinch method ceramics.

Created from a single lump of clay pinch pots are often the first forms created when beginning to work in clay. In this era egyptians employed the pinching method to create remarkably thin walled vessels and representational figures out of hollowed out pieces of brownish red clay also known as terracotta. A more recently made better version of this video can be found here in this playlist. But that doesn t mean you can t make sophisticated pottery forms with the pinch pot technique.

The most common handbuilding techniques are pinch pottery coil building and slab building. You pinch and again the clay responds. To make a pinch pot one inserts a thumb into a ball of clay and continually pinches the the clay between the thumb and fingers while rotating to thin out and raise the height of the vessel. The thing with using the pinch method is that no matter how much one pinches that clay or smooths it down the pot will never be perfect however that is the beauty of it it s perfect within its imperfection.

The pinching method is to create pottery that can be ornamental or functional and has been widely employed across culture. These pots are made by literally pinching the clay into the shape you desire no other tools are necessary. That s what gives it proof that it was made by a human. The pinching technique is easy enough for even young children to learn.

Begin a pinch pot by forming a lump of clay into a smooth sphere that fits the size of the hand. Producing pinch pots is the most direct method there is for interacting with clay. You push and the clay responds. You can learn a huge amount simply through the experience of directly modifying the clay s form.

This method is similar to the way the native americans shaped clay into useful pots.