The last time I did pottery I thought I'd got found the knack, only to "lose it" again the following week. So I felt some trepidation about week one of this class.
Some of my previous experience must have stayed with me, though, because I managed to get SIX not-awful cylinders done.
The clay was particularly smooth, soft and beginner-friendly, although I noticed a couple of lumps — silicate rather than bubbles, hopefully.
Key learnings
- really dig into the outside of the base to create a ridge of clay to pull up
- use the thin spikey thing to gauge the base depth
- slow the wheel proportionate to how high and thick you go
- don't let it get top-heavy
- stop between pulls and get an idea of how the bulk of clay is distributed vertically
- don't push out with my inside finger
I didn't have any complete write-offs. A couple of them wobbled out like hell when I let them get too top-heavy by starting a new pull before completing the last, but I managed to excise the topmost distorted part and salvage things by pulling from the overthick base I still had left.
Overall: GOOD.
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