I'd completely forgotten what we were doing this week, so I was surprised to turn up and realise we were… trimming!
I remember really enjoying this process the last time I did it. I didn't enjoy it as much this time, although I found my feet somewhat as the lesson went on.
Getting the bowls centered was the main hurdle. It's hard to center a bowl that's inherently wonky because it's one of the first ones you threw. None of the methods I was shown really clicked with me, so I just kind of fudged it as best I could.
And it was fine.
Key Learnings
- Take your time to center it as best you can
- but don't get too hung up on making it perfect.
- Use the big tool to smooth out the wonkiness before going for the foot.
- Be bold when removing weight from the bottom.
- Check the internal shape and make a mental note where you're going to remove clay. You need to be able to recall this after you've put the lugs on and are ready to carve.
- Carve the foot to angle out from the body if you want a wee lip to catch glaze.
- The spikey thing is called a pin tool.
Overall: GOOD
END