how do I begin?

1 - Find a good teacher. Check your local community college and maybe, if you're in the right city, the local city arts department. 2 - Patience. That's a huge thing to learn.

3 - Wedging.

4 - technique - don't do anything sloppily. Take your time, and be willing, should you decide to throw, to cut your first 30 or so pots down from the top so that you can see where any problems lie.

5 - repetition - the more you do the same technique, and the more often, the faster you'll get better at it.

But really, #1 and 2 are the most important, in my opinion.

Scoop has it sussed. Find classes, IMO pottery is not something you can learn from a book, you need a teacher/tutor with experience. Yup patience too is a must. However you do have the most important thing you love ceramics/pottery and once you enjoy the thrill of making stuff for yourself you will be even more hooked. Good luck.

Practice, practice, practice - and learn how to relax. If you lose a piece, it is no biggy. It wedges back up and can be thrown or used again (coil,slab,etc.). There are dozens of different processes in pottery. Learn and enjoy as many as you feasibly can. If the throwing isn't working so well today, do recycling / read about glaze formulation / try making some tools / or whatever else might fit the moment. In other words, learn how to shift gears but be sure to invest some time in the craft in one fashion or another every day that you can.

Others have already recommended taking a class or finding a teacher. That will make life easier and I imagine you already have or you wouldn't know that you have a love of the craft. The only thing I would add to that is if you have a teacher that claims there is only one right way to throw, wedge, glaze, etc - find someone else to work with because they are telling you a falsehood.

And Welcome to the Joy! Donna

I started with a class and haven't looked back since.

I have many many books - all which describe how to throw, but they don't beat watching the 'real-thing'....You need to get the 'hands-on' approach to really grasp it - books afterwards are great for reference and ideas. Above all you'll learn so much from this chat group - the ppl here are so helpful.

Enjoy and have fun - it's great therapy and a fantastic de-stresser.

JM

Like everybody sez, find a class and use it.... you'll get access to lots of clay, glazes, your firing will get done for you (usually) and all you've got to do is concentrate on learning how to do it... Plus you'll be surrounded by other people who may know more and may know less but are there to discuss with... Hugs Eddie

And give you interesting ideas to do with the weird shapes as well.... and cause other interesting ideas to make weird shapes on purpose.

... Bruce (took my first class in January. I'm hooked..)

Hi Julie, Eddie's comments about joining a class are so right. Pottery is people! It's a form of comunication like any art, and working with others fires the imagination; you learn by their succeses and failures as they will from yours and make some good friends doing so! Andy

WOW! What a response, and how kind and cool you are with sharing your advice and skills. (:oD)

I will be enrolling this week at the local college that holds ceramic classes... YAY!

I must say I am very inspired by you and hugely excited about getting started, learning about all these techniques and letting you know down the line about my experiences and my own lessons!!!

Thanks again - I am very grateful...(:))

uh oh! sounds like you're hooked!

*that's how it begins*

see ya

steve

Hi!

I am a bit slow reading the group these days, but I am so glad that you have already found a class.

I have been "going potty" for almost 5 years now, and with the support of my husband (and his kind builds of table, bench etc.), I now have a usable home studio! I am totally hooked too.

Everyone says to find a good teacher. That is alfa-omega, I think. I have found a gal who is so great and knows so much! Still, I feel that I have gotten interesting input from the other two teachers I had as well, and I do hope to take classes/courses from other people to get other ideas and inspirations as time goes on.

If you are able to take some clay home and have it in a room that it is OK to get dusty, practicing (enjoying!) between classes isn't a bad idea either.

Ask your teacher to tip you about a couple of books that you can fill between-class time with as well.

It is really difficult to give up on a piece when you are just starting out. I am just slowly learning to now. What I did in the beginning was to keep it, even if it looked a bit ugly and wasn't what I was aiming to do, as long as it was "a piece" - and not a lump, for example - I had plenty of those too, especially on the wheel! Haha!

Keeping the pieces, I now can see my progress. These days, I am hoping that some of them get broken, though ;-)

Sometimes, ceramics can become rather all-consuming. Do remember to come up for air now and then, especially if you have a spouse and/or kids who might enjoy your company now and then :-)

Most of all - have fun!!!

Marianne - sometimes glad her spouse comes home late from work ;-)