Introduction to Pottery and Ceramics
Pottery and ceramics is the oldest industry on the earth. The history dates back as early as 29,000BC. That sure is a long time ago! It all started out when humans discovered that you can dig up clay from the ground, mix it with water and set it by firing it in a kiln. Who would have thought?! I’m going to give a brief history lesson and then some tips on how to get started in pottery and ceramics!
The first objects made from clay were human and animal figurines. Around 10,000 BC humans started making pottery vessels for storing for food and water. Those big vases from Ancient Greece might come to mind. Not only were pottery vases and vessels made to be functional, but many were adorned with artistic designs. This has been seen all across the world, from China to India to South America. This all makes pottery an amazing way to learn about a country’s ancient history!
But pottery and ceramics isn’t just some ancient thing of the past. It is still going on today, all the time, all over the world. Whilst some people do it for a living, there are lots who do it recreationally. In recent years we have seen more and more people taking it up as a hobby, and it isn’t that hard to see why. You get to make something with your own hands that will last forever, you have fun whilst doing it and if you join a class it’s a great way to make new friends. So now let’s look at how to get started in pottery and ceramics.
What you need to get started in Pottery and Ceramics
For someone completely new to pottery and ceramics I would recommend going to a few classes to begin with. That’s just to try it out and see if you like it or not before renovating your spare room into a fully-fledged pottery studio! Even if you develop a real love for pottery and ceramics, don’t feel like you have to get yourself set up to do it from home.
A lot of places offer memberships to use their studio and pottery wheels, which is great because pottery and ceramics can get pretty messy! You’re basically playing around with mud when you think about it.
You’ll need to have a think about what kind of pottery or ceramics you’d like to do. You can do hand-building with clay, or learn how to use a pottery wheel. Or why not try both?! That way you can see which one you prefer, or if you’d like to do both.
So have a search to see what classes or courses are happening in your local area. Classes are usually pretty small so you will be able to get some quality learning time with the teacher. This is always good when you are just starting to learn something new.
For your first every try at pottery and ceramics, I would recommend going somewhere that will teach you basic hand-building and pottery wheel skills. This way you can learn how to sculpt both with your hands as well as with the wheel. You’re going to get messy so don’t rock up in your fancy new pants and sneakers! Chuck on some old clothes that you don’t care about getting grubby and get stuck in!
A beginner’s guide to Pottery and Ceramics: What to expect
Every pottery and ceramics school will teach the skills in a slightly different way. Some teachers might just work with a pottery wheel, or some might focus on sculptures. There are lots of different ways pottery and ceramics can be learnt, so I’ll leave the tutorials to the teachers!
If you are thinking about setting up your own pottery and ceramics studio at home, here is what you would need:
What you need for a pottery and ceramics studio:
- Large work table: The more space you have for a big table the better. If you can, get one that is 4 x 8 feet. You want it to be non-stick I recommend getting a plywood table covered and then covering it with a heavy canvas.
- Potter’s wheel: There are lots of different wheels available to buy and they all vary in price. If you are wanting to make a career out of pottery and ceramics I’d recommend getting a top of the range wheel.
- Storage shelf: You’ll need a space to store your newly made creations. You don’t need anything fancy here, simple shelves made from wood are just fine!
- Damp room: When you have pieces that still need to be finished, you’ll want to keep them in a damp room. This will keep the clay moist, allowing you to work with it at a later date. Old refrigerators work great as a damp room! Otherwise you can always buy a small greenhouse with shelves.
- Kiln: There are lots of different types of kilns available on the market. You’ve got ones that are operated manually and others that have a computerized controller. There are ones that use gas and ones that are electric. The most important things to consider when buying a kiln is checking it goes hot enough for what you want to fire and that your pieces will fit in it.
- Glaze: You can either make your own glaze or buy glaze powder and mix it yourself. I recommend making up some buckets so you’ve always got some handy!
- Clay: Clay has got to be one of the least expensive items you need for pottery and ceramics. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t require a bit of thought! Make sure you buy yourself enough clay and keep track of how much you use so that you don’t run out!
- Pottery Tools: What tools to buy and how many really depends on what you plan to make. Here is a list of the tools I recommend you buy to get started:
- Wire tool
- Wooden knife
- Sponge
- Ruler
- Glazing tongs
- Paint and paintbrushes
- Paintbrushes for glazing
Benefits of doing pottery and ceramics
Therapeutic and relaxing
You can escape the outside chaos of the world when you make pottery or ceramics. Making things from clay kind of takes you back to when you were a kid playing with mud! You just let go, have no worries and simply focus on what you are making with your hands.
Exercises your hands, wrists and, arms
Making pottery and ceramics involves gentle use of your hands, wrists and arms. This gentle exercise is a great way to strengthen your joint movement and dexterity. Because of this it is particularly good for people who suffer arthritis in the hands.
Captures memories
The items you make when doing pottery and ceramics last forever. Whenever you see or use a piece you made it will remind you of the time you made it. Who knows, maybe one of your creations will be dug up 1000 years from now?!
You can be creative
When making something from clay you are allowing yourself to express yourself creatively. Pottery and ceramics is a creative art form where you can really make things however you like. The creativity of pottery and ceramics goes beyond the shaping of the clay. Once you get the paints out, anything is possible!
Helps improve focus
So much of our time is wasted worrying about lots of different little things playing on our mind. When doing pottery and ceramics your focus is shifted on the task at hand. You are not distracted by what your boss said to you at lunch or that letter you keep forgetting to send. Fully focusing on what you are making allows your mind to relax.
How to make money from pottery and ceramics
As mentioned earlier, a lot of people do pottery and ceramics recreationally, but there are many who do it for a living. Would you be keen to make pottery and ceramics your career?
So how would you start? Start off identifying what it is you would like to make. Do you want to specialise in kitchen bowls and mugs? How about beautifully decorative tiles or crazy colourful garden pots?
There’s so much that you can make, so have a think about what will be your unique selling point. What are you going to make that will make you stand out from the crowd? What’s going to make your customers scream “WOW… that’s amazing! I have to buy it!”?
Generally there are two business models when it comes to pottery and ceramics and it’s best to pick and stick with one. You’ve got wholesale, which means you sell lots of the same thing. Then you’ve got one-of-a-kind handmade items. Taking on a wholesale model means that you have to be committed to making a lot of similar or identical items. These generally sell for less than one-of-a-kind items. Have a think about what model suits your capabilities best.
You’ll also need to decide on a name and logo for your business. Get creative and think of something that is memorable and reflects how you want people to see your business. You’ll need to do some boring stuff like registering your company, so it might be a good idea to hire a lawyer to help you with all the paper work. Starting a business can be a bit tricky sometimes, so legal advice as well as financial advice from an accountant is never a bad idea. Making sure you are doing things right from the start will save from nasty surprises later down the line!
One of the biggest things you are going to need to consider is where you will do your pottery and ceramics. Not only where you will be working, but also where you will store all of the things that you have made to sell. You would most likely be fine using a pottery studio to begin with, but you might need to find somewhere else to store your creations. If you have space at home, then you could dedicate that area to storing them. But if that’s not realistic, for example there isn’t enough room or you have small children running all over the house, then you should consider hiring a space. There are a lot of small spaces that you can hire for this kind of thing, even a garage would do!
You might also find that working from another studio isn’t very practical for you. What if you want to stay up until 3am in the morning finishing off that beautiful vase? Or you just want to save money on renting someone else’s space and equipment? These are great reasons to set up your own pottery and ceramics studio at home. The nature of the work is very messy so you will need to have a room dedicated to it, or else your whole home is going to get grubby! If you haven’t got a spare room, you can always renovate the garden shed or build a little makeshift studio for yourself.
As mentioned earlier, you will need to invest in some pottery and ceramics equipment. Make sure that you get yourself a decent pottery wheel, pottery tools and a kiln. These are expensive investments but they are essential! And don’t forget you’ll also need all your clay and paint supplies too. Once you start selling your amazing pottery and ceramics you’ll make that money back in no time!
A really important thing to think about is where you want to sell the items you’ve made. Many professional potters will tell you that you need to sell through a multitude of venues in order to be successful! The more venues you sell through, the higher the chances are of people seeing your products. And the more people that see your products means more people will potentially buy from you…the math is simple!
Like with any business these days, you should make sure that your business is active on social media. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are all free to use and are great platforms to market your products and engage with your customers. To grow a following ask your friends and family to help you promote your social media channels. You’ll be surprised at how quickly the number of followers you get will grow!
A good idea would be to open up an online shop. This way you can sell directly to your customers. You might need to hire someone to set up your online shop but this would definitely be worth doing! Try and get involved in local craft shows where you can showcase your work. This will get your name out there and also is a great way to network with people doing similar things.
Make sure you design and print business cards with your company name, logo and contact details on there. Display these and hand them out and local craft shows, because even if someone doesn’t buy from you that day, they can go to your website and make a purchase later.
Pottery and ceramics are an art form, so don’t be afraid to approach local galleries! Go in and have a chat with the owner and see if you can display and sell your work there. Network and develop relationships with people in the art scene and try and get yourself as many shows as possible! It’s all about getting yourself out there and the rest should slip nicely into place!
So, what are you waiting for? Throw on your dusty old sweatshirt and pants and unleash your inner potter!
