Pictures of hand placements?

From my experience, I wouldn't focus all that much on hand placement, since I throw in a studio with a half dozen good throwers, and we all have very different techniques, often because we have different hand shapes, throwing positions, strength, and preference. For example, I use an electric wheel, throw standing (unless I'm throwing a tall multi-piece construction), don't brace my arms since I have very strong forearms, and I never collar. Everyone finds their own style.

The pictures and techniques in books are a good start, but it's better to get a bunch of bags of recycled clay, try a few different techniques from books, and mess around and find something that works for you---then you won't need pictures, since it's what works naturally for you.

Just one hobbyist's opinion.

Hi Richard :-)

I appreciate your opinion, but I am a bit slow on the learning scale these days, and forget what has worked for me before. Therefore, I would like to "pin up" those hands that remind me what worked for me last time, if you understand.

I have decided to spend 3-4 days a week in the studio now, in order to really get going on my work. I do realize as I make one wobbly pot after the other, I will get less wobly and more sure of my moves - but - for example - to collar in the body and to collar in the top have a couple of very good hand-positions that do the trick. Also to recenter after opening up, I would like a few examples to try.

The rest of my walls will be covered with pictures of ideas of things to make - though having bought plaster ball forms now, I think I might like to play with those a bit! But I will have to spend at least a day a week throwing on the wheel, in order to get the right touch.

Marianne

Marianne, I just took a course that lasted 6 weeks, starting at 8 AM and going until 2 PM, all of it independent study type work. I chose to focus on the wheel, since I'd already acheived a fairly decent amount of success. Now, 6 weeks later, I look at the difference in the quality of my work, and realize that the daily, continuous work on the wheel made a huge difference. I can center without worry, pull walls that are even, tall, and thin, and pretty well get the clay to do what I want. I'd encourage you to focus on the wheel more than once a week, otherwise your progress will seem extremely slow, and will probably frustrate you.

I'll keep looking for hand position guides.

Marianne,

If you can be really patient and wait for a couple more days, I still need to download the rest of the "manuals" we use in the classroom to my Yahoo! gallery.

We spent the better part of the Spring semester photographing the various processes and now have several resource binders the students can use when there's no faculty or staff in attendance in the school studio.

I'll post the link - probably about Sunday - once they're up and ready to view.

Lori

Hi Scoop!

I am in my studio and on the wheel about 3 times a week now. As much as I can, really. If possible, I will even go on the wheel once every day. But life somehow seems to get in the way, if you know what I mean. And 1 hour is too little time for me, what with having to knead the clay and set everything up. My hubby is very supportive, though - so he even makes dinner after a long day at work, so I can get another hour in in the studio.

I now have 3 weeks before the next guest (my mom) arrives, so I am going to devote as much time as possible to that durned wheel of mine! Hehe!

You are quite right, though - I must put in the time at the wheel in order to progress. Mind you, I tried 2 600-gram pieces today and couldn't center either for the life of me! I think maybe I was being too hard - using too much power and not enough "zen" :-) Will try again tomorrow or the day after.

Thanks so much! You might want to put that slightly on hold, though, as Lori seems to have pictures which she just needs time to upload.

Marianne

Sounds great, Lori!!! THANK YOU!!!

I will trundle along without the pics until I read from you on here :-)

Marianne

Marianne,

Well, here's what I have for you -

I haven't edited any of the copy yet - don't know if I really need to. If you think I do, let me know. There are a lot of photos - some of them will come out because they're just not necessary - kind of redundant - but I won't be doing that for a couple of days yet.

The next album will be trimming the bowl - not quite so many pictures.

Hope this helps!

Lori

A thousand thanks!

One question - how much clay is used in this example?

By copy, you mean text, right? I haven't gone through the whole album yet, but so far, I don't see anything other than the DS-xxx picture names. True, though - if you halfway know what you are supposed to be doing, there is little need of explanation :-)

Trimming, I am pretty good at, actually. Just have to have a bowl to trim! Haha! Also, I sometimes get almost dizzy from staring at the bowl going round and round!

It most certainly does. Thank you so much!

Marianne

Good, I'm glad you can make use of these.

He generally uses 1-2 lbs. of clay for demonstration purposes. I'm not sure how much he was using here. Probably about 2 lbs.

Yes, by copy I mean the text. If you see no need for it, I won't bother adding it.

Don't worry - you'll soon have those bowls to trim. Just take a deep breath and plunge right in. Steady and slow. Listen to rhythm of the wheel and join yourself to the clay. Feel the rhythm of the clay as it unfolds itself for you, like a blossom does to the sun. Center yourself with the clay.

I often close my eyes while centering - gets me in tune with it.

Take care,

Lori

I have copied your advice on centering to a page I am going to print and read before I get down to it.

Keep smiling :-)

Marianne

Good! Much luck to you. It's almost a Zen approach, I know, but it works - at least for me. I also throw several warm-up pots before I get down to serious business just to get myself into it, put on some music and lose myself.

You can tell what kind of music I've been listening to by the looks of my pots - Gershwin makes my pots nice and voluptuous. Bond, Ted Nugent, Springsteen or Bob Seger just makes them BIG. The music's energy is what makes me able to dance with the clay.

Later!

Lori (aka - Claydancer Pottery)