Danielle ~ The Clay Lady - Introduction to the Potter's Wheel

00:07:43
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqLzNOfZcmA

Summary

TLDRDanielle, known as "the clay lady," provides a comprehensive tutorial on using a potter's wheel to create pottery items. The video covers the various components of a potter's wheel and their functionalities, such as the wheel head, splash pan, and speed control methods. Danielle demonstrates how to adjust the wheel for right-handed and left-handed users, placing emphasis on having the bucket of water on the correct side. She outlines the basic tools included in a pottery toolkit like a wooden rib, wooden knife, throwing sponge, wire tool, and others. Danielle shares her preference for some additional tools, such as a pot lift and a bubble level, to assist with pottery making. She instructs viewers on how to prepare clay using the Rams head wedge technique, ensuring the clay is soft, consistent, and ready for shaping. Proper positioning at the wheel is highlighted as critical for effective pottery making, including how to sit and adjust one's body for maximum control and strength. Tips for using various tools and maintaining the right clay condition are shared throughout her engaging teaching style, inviting viewers to visit her website for more information and supplies.

Takeaways

  • 🎡 Understand the basic parts of a potter's wheel for pottery.
  • 🧺 Keep your pottery tools organized and know their functions.
  • 🌪️ Learn the correct wheel direction for right and left-handed potters.
  • 👐 Master the Rams head wedge technique for perfecting clay consistency.
  • 🪑 Correct seating position is crucial for effective pottery making.
  • 🌍 Use a bubble level to ensure your wheel head is properly aligned.
  • 🔄 Adjust the wheel speed according to the stage of pottery making.
  • 💧 Maintain a bucket of water with the necessary tools close by.
  • 🛠️ Utilize pot lifts and other helpful tools for picking pots off the wheel.
  • 🪨 Remember the analogy of being like a rock in the stream when shaping clay.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:07:43

    Danielle introduces herself as a pottery instructor, emphasizing that all pottery wheels have similar components: the wheel head, splash pan, work table, and a speed control mechanism. She explains different speed settings, correlating them to driving speeds, and stresses the importance of adjusting the wheel's speed as the pottery work progresses. She explains the setup for right-handed and left-handed potters and the tools needed, such as a wooden rib, knife, sponge, wire tool, flat metal tool, needle tool, and trim tools. Tools not in a standard kit, like pot lifts and a bubble level, are also discussed for ensuring pottery studio set-up and pottery-making precision. Finally, clay preparation is crucial, and she introduces the Rams head wedge technique for consistent clay conditioning.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What are the essential parts of a potter's wheel?

    Essential parts of a potter's wheel include the wheel head, splash pan, work table, switch, and speed control mechanism.

  • How should a right-handed potter configure the wheel?

    For a right-handed potter, the wheel should be going counterclockwise.

  • How do you prepare clay for the wheel?

    Clay should be soft, tight, and consistent; fresh clay can be used directly from the bag, while scrap clay should be wedged properly using methods like the Rams head wedge.

  • What is a Rams head wedge?

    A Rams head wedge is a technique for wedging clay to make it consistent by pushing into the clay, pulling up, and forming shapes resembling a ram's head.

  • What tools are included in a basic pottery toolkit?

    A basic pottery tool kit includes a wooden rib, wooden knife, throwing sponge, wire tool, needle tool, and trim tools.

  • Why is the position at the wheel important in pottery making?

    Correct positioning, with close proximity to the splash pan and proper chair height, provides better control and strength for shaping clay on the wheel.

  • What additional tools does Danielle prefer?

    Danielle prefers to use pot lifts for picking pots off the wheel and a bubble level for ensuring the wheel is level.

  • How can you ensure a smooth pottery finish?

    A flat metal tool can be used to scrape the outside of the pot for a smoother finish, although Danielle doesn't frequently use it.

  • What should left-handed potters do with the wheel?

    Left-handed potters should find the reversing switch or plug on the wheel to set it to rotate clockwise.

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Subtitles
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  • 00:00:05
    hello I'm Danielle the clay lady I
  • 00:00:08
    appreciate the opportunity to teach you
  • 00:00:10
    how to throw a pot on the potter's wheel
  • 00:00:12
    first let's talk about the equipment
  • 00:00:14
    most potter's wheels are the same they
  • 00:00:17
    have the wheel head the splash pan and a
  • 00:00:20
    work table they always have a switch
  • 00:00:22
    over here to turn it on and off and then
  • 00:00:26
    they have some way of controlling the
  • 00:00:27
    speed either with a pedal
  • 00:00:30
    or with a variable switch and some even
  • 00:00:33
    have a lever when you turn the wheel on
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    and you push the pedal it makes the
  • 00:00:37
    wheel go around and around
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    there are many speeds you can go very
  • 00:00:42
    quickly which you really never need to
  • 00:00:44
    use and then you can go down to what I
  • 00:00:47
    call driving down the highway but not
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    speeding and then we have medium speed
  • 00:00:51
    which is like residential zone and then
  • 00:00:53
    we have slow which is school zone now I
  • 00:00:56
    will tell you that as you make your pot
  • 00:00:58
    you start off with the wheel going fast
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    and then as you progress through your
  • 00:01:01
    pot the wheel speed goes slower and
  • 00:01:03
    slower you always have a bucket of water
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    I put mine on the right-hand side of my
  • 00:01:08
    work table because I am right-handed for
  • 00:01:10
    right-handed Potter's the wheel always
  • 00:01:12
    needs to be going counterclockwise
  • 00:01:14
    left-handed Potter's the wheel needs to
  • 00:01:16
    be going clockwise if you're a
  • 00:01:18
    left-handed Potter you need to find the
  • 00:01:20
    reversing switch or the reversing plug
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    on your wheel to make your wheel go
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    clockwise everything that I show will be
  • 00:01:27
    right-handed and you will just need to
  • 00:01:28
    switch sides of the pot and switch your
  • 00:01:31
    hands for every step that I show you in
  • 00:01:33
    your bucket of water you're going to
  • 00:01:35
    have the tools that you need a basic
  • 00:01:36
    pottery tool kit has a wooden rib the
  • 00:01:40
    wooden rib works at the end of the pot
  • 00:01:43
    to help scrape some of the clay at the
  • 00:01:44
    bottom of the pot and also off the wheel
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    head
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    you also have what I call a wooden knife
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    and this is for trimming the excess as
  • 00:01:52
    well and a couple other functions that
  • 00:01:54
    I'll show you later
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    you also get a throwing sponge just a
  • 00:01:58
    basic round sponge they also have
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    elephant ear sponges and shammies and
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    all kinds of fancy things but I think
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    this sponge works just fine you also
  • 00:02:07
    have a wire tool this is used to cut the
  • 00:02:10
    pot off the wheel and also to cut your
  • 00:02:12
    clay out of the bag there is also a flat
  • 00:02:16
    metal tool I don't use this very often
  • 00:02:19
    it's used to scrape the outside of the
  • 00:02:21
    pot to give a smoother finish in the
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    bucket of water a lot of times it gets
  • 00:02:25
    lost especially when your water starts
  • 00:02:28
    getting a little slippery with the clay
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    and the water mixing together and
  • 00:02:32
    sometimes this will get lost so usually
  • 00:02:33
    I keep this in my toolbox and not in my
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    bucket of water you also have a needle
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    tool that is an important part of
  • 00:02:40
    throwing on the wheel however it does
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    have a sharp edge so I usually don't you
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    leave
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    this in the water as well I put a little
  • 00:02:46
    knob of clay on my work table with the
  • 00:02:49
    needle tool sticking in it so I don't
  • 00:02:51
    have to worry about poking myself there
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    are two other tools that are in the
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    pottery toolkit and they are trim tools
  • 00:02:57
    I pulled both of these trim tools out
  • 00:02:59
    because you work with these tools when
  • 00:03:01
    your pot is dry and you do not want them
  • 00:03:03
    in your bucket of water because they
  • 00:03:04
    will rust so we put these aside as well
  • 00:03:07
    there's a couple tools that I like that
  • 00:03:09
    don't come in a standard pottery tool
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    kit one is a set of pot lifts these pot
  • 00:03:15
    lifts work wonderfully for picking small
  • 00:03:17
    pots off the wheel a lot of times you'll
  • 00:03:20
    throw a pot on a bat and I'll show you
  • 00:03:21
    that in the advanced techniques portion
  • 00:03:23
    of this DVD another tool that I think is
  • 00:03:26
    essential is a bubble level the bubble
  • 00:03:29
    level will help make sure that your
  • 00:03:30
    wheel head is level a lot of
  • 00:03:32
    professional pottery studios the floor
  • 00:03:35
    has a slight slope to it so it can go
  • 00:03:37
    down to a vent for cleaning but I always
  • 00:03:40
    make sure that my wheel is level you
  • 00:03:42
    level at east west and north and south
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    making sure that the bubble is in
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    between the lines for both we also use
  • 00:03:49
    the level for trimming and we'll talk
  • 00:03:50
    about that later as well and of course
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    the most important piece of equipment is
  • 00:03:55
    your clay your clay needs to be in
  • 00:03:58
    perfect shape if your clay is too stiff
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    you'll have a hard time making your pot
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    if your clay is not consistent meaning
  • 00:04:06
    that you've used scrap clay and you have
  • 00:04:07
    some stiff clay and some wet clay put
  • 00:04:10
    together that won't work as well if you
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    have a pot that it's collapsed on your
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    wheel you try to wad that up and try
  • 00:04:16
    again that won't work
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    your clay needs to be soft tight and
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    consistent throughout when I work on the
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    potter's wheel I'll pull my clay just
  • 00:04:24
    directly out of the bag and work with it
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    the factories that mix the clay have
  • 00:04:29
    wonderful equipment that make the clay
  • 00:04:31
    perfect right out of the bag so I would
  • 00:04:34
    suggest that you do that however after
  • 00:04:36
    you throw a couple pots you're going to
  • 00:04:37
    have some scrap clay and so I want to
  • 00:04:39
    show you how to wedge your clay I'm
  • 00:04:42
    going to show you the Rams head wedge
  • 00:04:43
    the Rams head wedge is one of the
  • 00:04:45
    easiest ways of wedging your clay
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    together you will wedge your clay when
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    you have the wet and dry clay together
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    and you want to bring them together and
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    make them consistent I'm going to wedge
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    on the wheel head just for the filming
  • 00:04:56
    of this DVD
  • 00:04:57
    you'll want to wedge either on a canvas
  • 00:04:58
    covered board or on a table let me show
  • 00:05:01
    you how to wedge your clay with a Rams
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    head wedge we put both hands on either
  • 00:05:06
    side of the clay you need to lock your
  • 00:05:08
    arms and you're going to use the whole
  • 00:05:09
    weight of your body to push into the
  • 00:05:11
    clay and then you pull up and with your
  • 00:05:14
    hands on the side of the clay notice how
  • 00:05:16
    I have a 90 degree angle between the
  • 00:05:18
    palm of my hand and my fingers the meaty
  • 00:05:21
    part of my thumb is going to push down
  • 00:05:23
    and out I will pull up down and out tip
  • 00:05:28
    him up on his nose the reason why it's
  • 00:05:30
    called a Rams head is because after a
  • 00:05:32
    few times of wedging you can see it's a
  • 00:05:35
    Rams head there's his nose there's his
  • 00:05:37
    ears when we do the Rams head wedge we
  • 00:05:40
    push down we pull him up on his nose
  • 00:05:42
    down up on his nose again fresh clay
  • 00:05:47
    does not need to be wedge you can just
  • 00:05:49
    Pat it into a ball and begin but when
  • 00:05:51
    you're a wedging scrap clay together
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    you'll need to wedge probably 60 to 75
  • 00:05:56
    times to make sure that it's nice and
  • 00:05:57
    consistent after you've wedged a little
  • 00:06:00
    bit you roll him up on his nose bang him
  • 00:06:03
    on his ears and it's ready to go on the
  • 00:06:05
    wheel the other important thing other
  • 00:06:08
    than having the right equipment is your
  • 00:06:09
    position at the wheel it's very
  • 00:06:11
    important that you sit up close and
  • 00:06:13
    tight at the splash pan I tell my
  • 00:06:15
    students that the splash pan becomes
  • 00:06:17
    part of your pants because you want to
  • 00:06:18
    make sure that you're very close you
  • 00:06:20
    need to be up on the edge of the seat
  • 00:06:22
    you cannot throw with your bottom way
  • 00:06:24
    back in the seat with your elbows on
  • 00:06:26
    your knees you just don't have enough
  • 00:06:28
    body strength to control the clay so you
  • 00:06:30
    want to be up on the edge of your seat
  • 00:06:32
    you want your pelvic bones higher than
  • 00:06:36
    the wheel head even if that means
  • 00:06:37
    sitting on a telephone book make sure
  • 00:06:39
    you have a stool or a chair that bring
  • 00:06:42
    these pelvic bones higher than the wheel
  • 00:06:44
    head when we throw we always have our
  • 00:06:47
    elbows tucked in and our back hunched
  • 00:06:49
    over when I teach my kids I tell them to
  • 00:06:51
    be a squirrel perfect pottery position
  • 00:06:54
    most people do not have enough upper
  • 00:06:56
    body strength to just squeeze the clay
  • 00:06:58
    and make it form I tell my students that
  • 00:07:02
    if you think of the clay as being the
  • 00:07:04
    stream you're going to become the rock
  • 00:07:06
    in the stream it's not the wheel in the
  • 00:07:08
    clay against you it's you in the wheel
  • 00:07:11
    against the clay so if you stay braced
  • 00:07:13
    and still and strong the clay will have
  • 00:07:17
    to move around your hands just like the
  • 00:07:19
    stream around the rock so thank you for
  • 00:07:22
    the teaching opportunity I've enjoyed
  • 00:07:24
    teaching you some of the things I know
  • 00:07:26
    about throwing on the wheel if you need
  • 00:07:28
    any further information or supplies
  • 00:07:30
    please contact me off my website WWE
Tags
  • potter's wheel
  • pottery tools
  • clay consistency
  • wedge techniques
  • pottery positioning
  • Rams head wedge
  • pottery equipment
  • pottery tutorial
  • clay preparation
  • speed control