Topic outline

  • Introduction

    • After a lump of clay has been centered and the base formed, the next step in the process is pulling up the walls of the pot and doing that is the topic of this tutorial in which I'll discuss how to pull up the walls alongside showing you any tips and tricks I have together with showing you what to avoid to hopefully get your throwing to a point where you can quickly, evenly, and confidently pull the walls up on the pots you're making. It’s worth noting that this tutorial won't go over centering or opening up and forming the base of your lump of clay as I've already covered those topics in great detail in the two previous tutorials. Both centering and opening up the clay correctly are undeniably important parts of this process and if you attempt to pull the walls up on a pot that's centered poorly or opened up incorrectly you'll only make this next step of pulling the walls up all the more difficult. So let's begin.

◄Step 14: Weight and Balance
►Step 16: Final Adjustments

  • Step 15: Improvement and Practice

    • 15.1
      Learning to do it efficiently is something that just takes time, but for those who are starting out, I'd recommend just going for it.

    • 15.2
      Use a bit more gusto and pinch more firmly at the base.

    • 15.3
      Try to move as much clay upwards in the first three pulls as you possibly can, and if that means your pot breaks, then so be it. Slice it off and start again.

    • 15.4
      The fastest way you will improve is by throwing hundreds and hundreds of pots.

    • 15.5
      Another important thing to consider when you're throwing is how you release your fingers when you get to the top of your pot.

    • 15.6
      Ideally, when you get to the top, you want to release pressure very gently from either side.

    • 15.7
      As I'm pulling up, my knuckle on the outside and the pads of my fingers on the inside never go beyond the rim of the pot.

    • 15.8
      Instead, they arrive just underneath it, and then I very gently detach them.

    • 15.9
      Often beginners, instead of stopping at this point, simply continue pulling all the way through the rim and pinch it, which often causes one side of the rim to be thinner than the other, and if you do this numerous times, you can end up with a rim that's very uneven and off-center.

◄Step 14: Weight and Balance
►Step 16: Final Adjustments