Pottery Classes and Supplies in Australia

Pottery is made by forming clay bodies into objects of different shapes and sizes, and heating them to high temperatures in a kiln that would lead to permanent changes that includes increased strength, hardening and setting their shape.
Pottery classes teach students the process of shaping pottery. There are different methods of shaping pottery. They include the following:

• Hand Building - This is the earliest method of shaping pottery from coils or fat slabs of clay. This allows the potter a high degree of control over the size and shape of the clay albeit slower that wheel-throwing.
• Potter?s Wheel - This process is called ?throwing? which means to twist or turn a ball of clay that is placed in the center of a turntable called the wheel-head. As the wheel rotates, the clay is pressed, squeezed and pulled gently upwards to form shapes.
• Granulate Pressing - This involves shaping pottery by pressing clay in a semi-dry and granulated condition in a mould.
• Injection Moulding - This technique is not widely used, but it is advantageous in the production of cups with handles.

The decoration of pottery is also taught such as:

• Incising patterns on the surface
• Underglaze decoration
• In-glaze decoration
• On-glaze decoration
• Enamel

Another lesson that is taught in pottery classes is glazing. A glaze is a glassy coating on pottery which is used primarily for decoration and protection. IT renders porous pottery vessels impermeable to water and other liquids.
The final process in pottery is firing. Firing produces irreversible changes in the clay. The final product after firing is pottery.

Materials used for pottery are available at pottery suppliers. There are a number of these stores throughout Australia. Usually the school that holds pottery classes gets their supplies from these companies themselves.? Pottery supplies may range from clay to wheel-heads and other materials needed for decoration.

The Potters Society of Australia was formed in 1956 to encourage the appreciation and development of potters and pottery in the country. In 2006, the name was changed to The Australian Ceramics Association to reflect the scope of practice and interests of all members. It represents all its members nationally as a nonprofit organization.

Pottery tips and techniques

• Ribs are one of the most useful tools in pottery because they provide stability, control and uniformity with less effort and more consistency when shaping the clay. Finger control and strength will be developed with the assistance of a good rib.
• Centering can be one of the most frustrating tasks for both instructor and student. Try to feel the spinning clay as it rotates on center with the help of the instructor through demonstration.
• To re-center after opening, hold the left index finger straight at the inside of the opened clay with your left thumb directly across from the index and a sponge or your finger across the top of the shallow wall of clay. Apply enough pressure to force the clay into a straight, shallow wall and keep everything wet, but not slippy.
• Try to get all your vertical height out of the clay before you try to make the stack shift and then back in to make a curved shape. When you have gotten your height first, the shape only has to spin and hold the curves for a moment to work out fancy angles. You can also use ribs and slow speed as you shape to get it right.