Handbuilt: A Modern Potter's Guide to Handbuilding with Clay

by Lilly Maetzig

Create 23 stylish homewares with this modern beginner’s guide to hand building with clay – no pottery wheel required.

Handbuilt introduces you to one of the oldest and most accessible ways to make ceramics, teaching you everything you need to start creating beautiful pottery by hand.

Perfect for complete beginners, the book takes you through the three essential hand-building techniques – pinching, coiling and slab building – before showing you how to decorate, glaze and fire your pieces for a professional finish.

Start with the fundamentals, from wedging clay and adding texture to working with moulds, then put your new skills into practice with 23 contemporary projects for the home. Make everyday and decorative pieces including coffee cups, a teapot, vases, dinner plates, candle holders and more.

With Handbuilt, you'll learn how




Master the three core hand-building pinching, coiling and slab buildingPrepare, shape and add texture to clayDecorate, glaze and fire your finished piecesCreate 23 stylish and practical ceramic homewaresBuild your pottery skills and confidence project by project
Packed with clear step-by-step instructions, Lilly’s expert tips and inspiring lifestyle photography, Handbuilt is the ultimate modern introduction to the tactile, creative and timeless craft of hand-built pottery.

Genres: Art, Crafts, Nonfiction

175 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 9, 2023

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great guide for people who’ve done a little pottery and want to know more: the technicalities behind it and how to improve their technique.
Not for the absolute beginner and not to replace in person instruction, but to understand better what you’re being told and why you’re doing what you’re doing.
A bit more on decoration techniques would have been great, but there are other books all about that.

[Crista Lash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a new potter (ceramist? still figuring out the right term!) and I read this book alongside taking a class. It answered so many questions I had — including ones I didn’t even realize I had.

The project guidance is in the book is fantastic - I’ve already started working on several of them - the projects make beautiful pieces. I love having the book in the studio as a reference.

On top of being incredibly helpful, this book is also beautiful enough to display as a coffee table book.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have twenty pounds of clay leftover from a wheel throwing class. My idea is to make some hand built items out of this. The directions in the book are straightforward and I quite like the slightly wonky items made with the techniques.

[Kirsten Thijssen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. The styling/paper quality/photography is very good. The author shares clear descriptions of the projects and has templates available for download. I’ve been handbuilding for years but picked up some next facts and tricks from this book!

[Jordan Singleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book itself was good, but the ebook is a crime. It’s missing half of the photos, which is a big deal when you’re trying to visualize instructions.