Pottery for beginners. Pottery for beginners

27.09.2019

Perhaps, pottery originated, if not along with the development of fire by people, then immediately after. Not without reason, in many myths and legends of the peoples of the world, the image of the Creator is inextricably linked with the act of creation from clay. So, in Christianity, the first man, Adam, was created from clay. In Hinduism, one of the incarnations of Brahma is the potter. Khnum, the god of fertility of the ancient Egyptians, also created man using a potter's wheel. The myths of the African Dogon tribe represented the supreme deity Amma as a potter who created everything from clay. Many peoples had their own castes of potters, who, in addition to craft functions, could perform the duties of priests and clergymen. So, for example, the honeybee caste in ancient japan, whose members made sacred clay sculptures - haniwa. The work of a potter has always been presented as something divine, except that the master, unlike God, could not give soul to his creations.

Types of pottery wheels

Naturally, potter's wheels occupy a central place in the work of potters, around which, as if around the center of the Universe, the entire pottery craft revolves. With their help, shapeless pieces of pliable clay in skillful hands turn into elegant vessels of the most diverse, sometimes bizarre, shapes.

The potter's wheel is a smooth disc, cantilevered on a rotating axle and driven by muscle power or an electric or, less often, mechanical motor. AT old times they were hand-operated, then foot-operated, and finally electric. It should be noted that foot and electric potter's wheels are more convenient to use. This is due to the fact that both hands of the master remain free. Despite the fact that the electric wheel is more modern and progressive, the foot-operated potter's wheel does not lose ground, because, according to some craftsmen, only on such a wheel can the workpiece rotation speed be smoothly and within wide limits and feel the material better.

Additional tools

If you seriously or even just at an amateur level decide to master pottery, then in addition to the already known circle, you will need some other tools that greatly facilitate the work and allow you to perform various manipulations with the material. The main tools of both the sculptor and the potter are stacks - wooden, metal or plastic spatulas of various shapes and sizes. Also, you can not do without a metal string with two comfortable handles at the ends, with which the finished product is cut off from the circle after molding.

Workshop equipment

To be clear, working on a potter's wheel is a rather dirty occupation, and you most likely will not find a place for yourself in a city apartment, unless you allocate an entire room for a workshop. But not everyone can afford this. In addition, the potter's wheels do not work silently during operation, and this can cause discontent among the neighbors. But in the private sector of the city, in the country or in the village, there are plenty of places to realize your plans for mastering the pottery craft. AT warm time you can do this right under the open sky, but still a canopy over your head is desirable to protect from the scorching sun or rain. The arrangement of the workshop itself does not present any significant difficulties. It is enough to put a table for tools and other auxiliary things, one or more racks for finished products, and provide lighting for the workspace.

If you are just starting out in the field of working with clay, then you do not need to set yourself the goal of acquiring a professional potter's wheel. To master the basics and feel the material, amateur is enough. Moreover, its design is completely simple and easy to repeat for those who know how to use metalwork tools.

How to make a potter's wheel

Now there is no shortage of specialty shops, where both beginners and established potters are offered the whole range of goods for their craft: potter's wheels, all kinds of "grades" of clay, auxiliary tools, and even kilns where finished products are fired. But the price tag in such stores is usually very high. And if you want to save money, you can make a potter's wheel with your own hands.

To do this, you need to make a frame from a wooden beam or a metal profile. Bearings are installed in its lower and upper parts, in which the shaft with the circle fixed on it will rotate. It is desirable to make the circle directly from a material that is immune to moisture: plastic, fiberglass, aluminum, brass or bronze with a thickness of at least 10 mm. It is best if a circle with a diameter of 250-300 mm is turned on a lathe by a turner. The circle is mounted on the shaft with a flange or in any other convenient way.

Foot operated circle

If the circle is supposed to be made with a foot drive, then on lower part shaft, you need to install a massive flywheel, which can be knocked down from thick boards and give it the shape of a wheel, or you can use any suitable massive metal disk, for example, a 30-kilogram pancake from the bar.

Circle with electric drive

If you plan to make an electric circle, then the engine for a sewing machine is well suited as a drive. Its advantage lies in the fact that on this engine you can independently adjust the speed of the shaft. This is done using a special pedal. Such an engine, along with a pedal, can be purchased at a specialized store (it will not be cheap) or at a flea market / flea market (it will turn out much cheaper than taking a new one).

In the case of using an electric drive, you can move away from the manufacture of a special bed, and use any old table or even a massive stool. In addition, you will need a shallow (up to 10 cm) and wide plastic container with a diameter of 40-45 cm. It is fixed on the bed so that the circle rotates freely inside it. This is necessary so that drops of water with clay do not fly in all directions, but remain inside the container. In extreme cases, you can make a fence from dry boards and then soak several times with drying oil to make the wood water-repellent.

Now you know how to make a potter's wheel with your own hands. And with a strong desire, it is quite possible to do it yourself.

Pottery wheel for children

Many advanced schools of early child development practice modeling classes from plasticine, salt dough, polymer or regular clay, etc. These classes develop in children Creative skills, imagination, creative thinking, sense of beauty. In addition, during modeling, children develop fine motor skills, they relax and get rid of all kinds of phobias. After hand-sculpting, the children's potter's wheel will be the next stage in the child's mastery of working with plastic materials. Such activities are usually very popular with the younger generation.

You can also make a potter's wheel for children on your own or buy it ready-made, fortunately, manufacturers offer a lot of options for every taste and budget.

A little about clay

There are many different types of clays, which differ in origin, content of impurities, composition. According to the technical classification, they are divided into shale, refractory, kaolins. Clays also have their own so-called fat content. The “fatter” the clay, the more plastic it is, and the “thinner”, the more crumbly it is. Skinny clays mold worse, and products from them crack during firing. Fatty clays in this case behave much better. Moreover, the thinner the product should be made, the fatter it should be. Clays also differ in their color, which depends on the content of metal oxides in them. When the clay contains no more than 1% impurities, then the product made from it will be white, and if more, then after firing it will turn red, regardless of the original color of the clay.

It is much easier for a novice potter to get started with prepared clay, which is easy to buy. When the hands are “filled” on the right clay, then it will not be difficult to find in other places that clay that is also suitable for work.

Work on the potter's wheel

Any, even ready-made store-bought clay, must be “broken down” before use. It is necessary to roll a "sausage" out of clay, break it in half by twisting. Then, with force, throw it on a board or table, fold it again, roll it out and tear it. Such manipulations must be repeated at least 20 times. You can also not tear the clay, but cut it with a wire string with handles. This is necessary in order to remove air from the clay and make it homogeneous. Otherwise, the remaining air bubbles will interfere with work, and if the cavity remains in the wall of the finished product, then during firing it will burst in this place due to the thermal expansion of the air inside the cavity.

The next step in preparing the clay is spiral kneading. A piece of clay is placed on the table, and pressing on it, push it away from you with your palms and at the same time try to turn the clay towards you (this is how housewives knead stiff dough by hand). With the right actions, you will hear how air bubbles will come out of the clay with a characteristic pop. After 30-40 repetitions, the clay can be considered ready for use.

Now you need to cut off the required amount from a piece, place it in the center of the circle and press down a little. If the clay was not in the very center, then it needs to be corrected and then the circle should be started. In case of uneven placement of clay relative to the center, it may fly off the circle. The position of the hands when working with the circle: the elbows are pressed to the body, bend the hands, bring the wrists together and keep it on the piece of clay. Hands should not be tense, their movements are smooth and soft.

What only summer residents do not exist! Some people like to relax on the river or with barbecue, others - in the garden. And don’t feed the third ones with bread, just let them make something with their own hands. And the more difficult the work, the more valuable the result achieved. That's just for such masters, we continue our cycle "Forgotten Crafts". This time, the turn of the most fascinating needlework is pottery. Readers specifically asked us to tell about it.

Search and procurement of raw materials

The main thing for a potter is, of course, clay. And although it may seem that such goodness is around the shaft, not all are suitable for making ceramics. For example, clay that is too poor (sand content over 25%), or too oily (sand less than 10%) is definitely not useful in pottery. But how to know the quality of raw materials? You won’t order a laboratory examination for the sake of a pot. It's simple - take a sample of clay from the intended place for digging, moisten it and roll it between your palms into a roller with a diameter of 1.5-2.5 cm. Then bend it in half. If there are no cracks or breaks at the bend, then you have found what you were looking for.

The best assistants in the search may be old-timers in your area. Do not disdain advice, ask where they used to dig clay for the production of tiles. If the locals don't remember anything, a brick factory quarry can help you out. In the suburbs, this is the famous Gzhel quarry, whose clay has long been used for the production of ceramics. Well, if you certainly want to have a source of raw materials at hand, nature itself will point to the right place. Low-lying areas covered with butterbur and coltsfoot are usually a source of excellent pottery clay. When you find the material you need, collect it immediately with a margin.

Preparation for work

No matter how much you want to immediately start sculpting from the raw materials you brought home, stop. Clay still has to go through a rather laborious stage of preparation. And the first item on that list is grinding. In order not to carve your pot out of a dried clay block, you need to think about grinding it ahead of time, while it is still damp. To do this, cut the clay into pieces (diameter 3-4 cm) and set them to dry. When the clay dries, transfer it to a canvas bag and crush it with a mallet right in it.

Under number two is slip manufacture. This strange term is called a creamy suspension of clay with water. She prepares like this:

1. Fill a metal bucket to two thirds of its volume with hot (50-60 ° C) water and, stirring constantly, add clay chips there. Close the container with polyethylene so that the moisture does not evaporate, and leave it all to infuse for 6-7 hours. During this time, the clay should completely limp.

2. Stick 5-6 strong permanent magnets to the walls of the bucket (you can buy it on the market or pull it out of old speakers), they will help filter out the smallest metal inclusions from the suspension, which are rich today the world.

3. Take a construction mixer or drill with an appropriate attachment and mix the clay with water thoroughly. At the exit, no, even tiny, lumps between the fingers should be felt. But for a guarantee, close the container again with a film and forget about it for a day, after which, carefully, so as not to shake the sediment, drain 2/3 of the contents into a clean container. You can work with this material further, but there is too much garbage left in the sediment - it is unsuitable for pottery.

4. It may seem that now the slip is absolutely clean and does not need further filtration. This is not true. Final cleaning required. The best sieve is obtained from two or three pairs of women's tights nested inside each other. Pour several ladles of clay slurry into them and, squeezing out, strain the suspension over a basin.

5. Now the slip is really clean, and you can add an additive to it if you wish. Most often it is dolomite flour. It gives the product porosity and thereby improves its adhesion (stickiness), which is very important when glazing or painting. But you need to add flour a little, “to taste”, almost like salt. I salted it - I got a bunch of shards during firing. So mark for yourself such an opportunity, but it is better to experiment later, when you have gained a fair amount of pottery experience.

Unfortunately, you cannot make a jug out of clay milk, and therefore clay soaked with difficulty must also be dehydrated. This is done again in several stages.

To begin with, let the slip stand in the bucket for two to three days until the clay settles and a layer forms on the surface. clean water. Drain it carefully with a thin tube.

Now you need gypsum boards - it sounds unusual, but the technology is just that. Plates can be bought from specialized companies or, which is much cheaper, cast from building gypsum (the same alabaster) on your own. The recommended product size is 500×700×70 mm.

Lay the slabs on the table and carefully pour the clay slurry over the surface. Gypsum literally on the fly will begin to draw moisture out of it. The thickness of the mass should be no more than 2 cm, otherwise the slip will dry longer and the gypsum will get too wet.

After five hours, fold the dehydrated cake into layers of 1-1.5 kg and roll them, like dough, into uniform rollers. Pack hermetically in plastic bags- in this state, clay can be stored for an unlimited time.

But that's not all! Before you put the slip on the potter's wheel, it will have to be washed thoroughly. Cut off a piece of clay necessary for work with a string and throw it on a plywood table (do not forget to carefully pack the remaining raw materials in polyethylene again). Tear off small pieces from the selected segment (to fit easily in your hand) and squeeze them with your palms, like an expander. For one passage - 15-20 squeezes. As a result, all air bubbles will be removed from the clay, and its cut will be absolutely clean.

Now gather the pieces together and knead them like a regular dough, until a monolithic mass is formed. Pat it to make a ball, and you can enjoy your creative work.

It's time, really!

Work on the potter's wheel

First, a few words about the potter's wheel. They are different: both mechanical, driven by a person, and with an electric drive. The latter, of course, are preferable, since they do not require any additional efforts from the potter. Such a tool costs from 10-12 thousand rubles for a weak training circle and from 20 thousand for a professional one. But if you wish, you can make it yourself, for example, from an old washing machine (we'll talk about this if you're interested).

We return to our pots. Take the prepared pellet of clay, tear off a pinch from it and grease the center of the potter's wheel with it - this will be Velcro. Place the remaining material with one strong slap on the newly prepared place. Now, after wetting your hands and clay with water, start the engine - it starts centering.

If you are not left-handed and your circle is spinning counterclockwise, hug the clay pellet with your right palm so that your fingers slide over the clay, and do not meet its movement. Cover it with your left hand. This is important: in pottery, things are rarely done with just one hand.

Squeezing your fingers, give the workpiece a conical shape, and then, slightly pressing from above, again get a hemisphere, and so 3-4 times. All this will allow you to accurately position the clay on the wheel and finally knead it. It looks like this.

Regardless of whether you want to make a jug or a regular cup, after centering comes the stage of forming a “glass”, that is, you need to make a recess in a centered piece of clay and determine the thickness of the bottom. Its height and diameter for the future product are set right now.

Find the center of the workpiece with your thumbs and slowly push a small hole there.

Moisten it with water and only then with your index fingers expand the recess to the desired size. Important nuances:

1. You should always work with two hands. Helping each other, they form a rigid triangle with your body, which holds the center of the workpiece well.

2. To make the bottom of the thickness you need, thumb right hand must necessarily touch the potter's wheel, then with some training you will be able to accurately determine the thickness of the resulting bottom.

But until the desired sensitivity has been developed, the measurement can be carried out with an ordinary needle. Pierce the clay and see how deep it went. Do not be afraid, there will be no leak at the puncture site, the diameter is too small. Everything will drag on on the potter's wheel.

3. When working, the efforts of the index finger should be directed not only to the bottom, but also from the center, which will allow you to get a perfectly centered product. Remove fingers from clay gradually, smoothly relieving effort. Otherwise, the shape of the resulting vessel will be disturbed.

Now you need to expand the walls and bottom of the resulting "glass". With the pad of your index finger, lightly lean on the bottom and gently pull from the center.

Do not forget to "call" for help and a second hand. The base of the future vessel is almost ready, it remains to trim it from the inside with your index fingers. Moving from the center to the walls, smoothly smooth out the bumps.

Now it's time to "drive the wave" - this is how the potters call raising the walls of the future product and giving them the desired thickness. Experienced "clay grinders" pull the material in different ways. Someone pinches the wall of the "glass" between the edge of the palm and the index finger. Others work only with their fingertips, catching the clay with them and gradually lifting it up. But in any case, contact is always maintained between the hands. Pay attention to the photo.

One of the most common mistakes is excessive thinning of the wall at the very top of the vessel. Because of this, they are easily destroyed. centrifugal forces. Always leave a small edge on the whisk. This thickening, if necessary, can then be cut off.

The work itself on the formation of a product from a finished “glass” is simple. Having a bottom and determining the wall thickness, both a pot and a teapot can be obtained from the workpiece. Clay changes shape quite simply, you will learn how to manage this fascinating process intuitively. But some things are good to know.

During work, it is important not only to periodically wet your hands and clay, but also to remove excess moisture with a sponge, which always accumulates inside the vessel.

When the product is formed, its rim is leveled with a soft piece of leather, and the walls with a special wooden scraper. And all this without turning off the circle!

At the end of the work, the product is simply cut off with a string and carefully sent to dry.

After the potter's wheel

The path from a lump of clay to a finished pot is quite complicated and, alas, does not end on the potter's wheel. And so we look at what to do next. After an hour or two, when the clay “freezes” a little, the product must be ironed: with a damp sponge, remove all fingerprints and irregularities formed during the work.

A day later, when the pot or cup is still gaining strength, they need to grind the bottom. You probably paid attention - for any dish it is not completely flat, but has some indentation. Take your creation back to the potter's wheel.

Center the product there and fix it with a few pieces of raw clay with the bottom up. Now, by turning on small revolutions, with a structural loop, like a turning tool, you can easily carve everything you need in clay.

And keep drying again. At room temperature, it lasts 10 days. Avoid drafts in the room! They create tension in the clay structure, which will surely destroy the product during heat treatment.

In the oven

And now, finally, the most crucial moment - firing. It depends on him whether you will be the owner of beautiful ceramics or the results of your work will crumble like clay chips. And dedicate again small digression equipment, namely the muffle furnace. Only in it you can not only achieve desired temperature at 900-1000 ° C, but also for a long time to control it. The market value of such a stove starts from 40,000 rubles, but if you wish, you can again make it yourself.

The main rules of firing are accuracy and patience. So, the products placed in the muffle furnace should be brought to the first 100 ° C gradually over an hour, after which the furnace should be heated up to 300 ° C for another hour and a half. At the same time, the temperature rises gradually, little by little. If you don't have time to play with the switch and want to force the process in half an hour, don't forget to bring a trash can with you. Your pots will not forgive such a dismissive attitude towards themselves.

Starting from 300 degrees and up to 575°C, you should just hurry up. The quartz expansion temperature must be reached in a minimum amount of time, followed by a 30-40 minute pause. During it, the temperature obtained is simply maintained in the oven.

The next frontier is 900-1000°С. You will have to spend two hours to "take" it. Raskochegarit muffle to such a temperature is still not easy. The main thing is not to overdo it, at 1050 ° C even quartz is destroyed. And therefore, having reached the required peak, hold the mode for about half an hour. After that, you can extinguish the stove, although not for long - for an hour and a half.

When, during the cooling process, the magical 575 ° C again appears on the sensor, turn on the switch and hold this temperature for about forty minutes.

Everything, the work is finished! Finally cut down the unit, and you can go to rest. Products will cool down together with an oven. Take them out when it reaches room temperature.

Have you changed your mind about becoming a potter yet? ..

"Ceramics are very similar to life - you always wonder how things turn out.
It may not be what you imagined, but it will still be beautiful…"

These words on last week said the director of one of the American schools in the small town of Carthage at the ceremony of launching a new pottery kiln. It was installed with a grant from the regional public education fund. Now Carthaginian schoolchildren will be able to fully try themselves in one of the oldest occupations of mankind - the creation of real ceramics.

Tomsk schools do not yet install ceramic ovens, but you can still learn this craft, if you wish - from time to time various master classes are held in the city, and its basics are taught in art schools. Well, for those who are not yet ready to get acquainted with the process of creating pottery, here is a story about it from Tomsk ceramist Andrey Saltan.

CLAY DOUGH

The first stage in the manufacture of any ceramic product is the extraction of raw materials, in this case, clay.

Clay I take local, Tomsk; this is the so-called red clay. I actively cooperate with the Polytechnic University - they know all the careers where it can be obtained, - says Andrey Saltan.

In fact, clay just mined from a quarry is just a “heap of dirt”, and therefore it must be properly prepared before starting work.

There are not so many traditional options for processing material. For example, in ancient times, clay was soaked in water, carefully sorted out, choosing garbage. Already purified clay was immersed in a barrel of water, where it settled for some time. During this procedure, part of the mud floated to the surface, part settled to the bottom, and in the middle there was a layer that could be used for work. In the barrel, in those places where the required mass was located, a hole was made, the clay was collected and dried in the sun to get rid of excess moisture. The dried material was crushed, after which it became finally fit for work.

At first we also used this method: we kneaded the clay with our hands and feet, but it is very difficult, - says Andrey. - Over time, we purchased equipment that prepares clay - as a result, it turns out in the form of such "sausages":

POTTER'S WHEEL

Before you start working with clay, you need to properly wet your hands, and during work, water should always be at hand. The main thing is not to overdo it. If the clay products are too wet, they can easily crack when dried. Therefore, in the process of work, the masters keep a sponge on hand, which is convenient to collect excess moisture.

Also, before starting work with clay, you need to “talk”: feel it, work with your hands. If there is a desire to give the product a special shape, it is enough to press the clay harder on both sides, and it will easily succumb.

According to Andrei Saltan, the idea of a future vessel is often born during work, in improvisation. But if there is an idea - what should eventually happen - then the sketch should be thought out in advance.

Making a simple piece of pottery in 5 minutes is a very real thing, says the master. - When you make several identical shapes in a row, your hands get used to it and work much faster. For example, if I made a batch of cups, then the first one takes 15 minutes, and the last one I make in 5 minutes.

When the form is ready, you can give free rein to your imagination and decorate the pot or jug as you like. You can draw on clay that has not yet dried: for this, a variety of wooden sticks are used, with which, like on paper, you can draw patterns - flowers, animals, ornaments. Although, according to experienced craftsmen, it happens that the form is so interesting that no decor is required.

One day they came to me from the Tea Club. They said that they were planning a festival and needed a prize - a teapot. But not ordinary, but real Siberian - in a hat with earflaps. I really liked this idea, and I did it with pleasure, - says Andrey Saltan.

Vessel cutting

DRYING AND FIRMING

The next important stage in working on pottery is strengthening and drying.

When drying, any ceramic product becomes much smaller in size - a good pottery form shrinks at least 10%. To make the vessel strong, it is fired in a special furnace at a temperature of about 1,250 degrees. Although some beginners do without firing at all - they dry the pots in the sun.

After the oven, the dishes acquire a completely different color.

Before the oven, clay can have absolutely stunning colors: green, blue, and black. And after firing it becomes white, yellow or red-brown, - Andrey Saltan explains. - The burnt product made of Tomsk clay has a red-brown color.

But roasting isn't everything. A clay product should not let moisture through, and therefore needs special processing. There are different technologies, one of them is glaze processing, as a result of which pots and jugs acquire a vitreous coating.

True, now the most common types of glazing are being abandoned due to the presence of lead in the glaze (a mixture of quartz, feldspar, metal oxides and some other components). Its presence can negatively affect both the glazing masters and those who will later use the dishes.

Now everyone is striving for a more natural, natural, environmentally friendly - the master notes. - Therefore, for processing, I use milking. This method is much older than glaze, moreover, it will not cause any harm to health.

Milking - processing with milk fat - was very common in antiquity. The already burned vessel was placed in milk, giving the walls the opportunity to be properly soaked. After that, the vessel was dried and put back into the kiln for firing. At the same time, the temperature in the oven reached 350 degrees, so that the milk began to “burn”: in the process of burning, it closes the pores through which water can flow out.

After such firing, the pot darkens greatly, so it must be cleaned. Once this was done with sand or matting, but now, as a rule, they use simple sandpaper. After cleaning, the vessel is treated with hot wax - at this stage, the work can be considered completed.

REVIEW HELP:

Ceramist Andrei Saltan. Has been making pottery for three years. He started with clay models and continued with the potter's wheel.

Currently he creates his own studio, collaborates with the Tomsk regional and historical museums, beauty salons. He believes that there are no random people in the art of pottery - it is too dirty and time-consuming work process.

INDEPENDENT WORK

To try your hand at pottery, you need to get a potter's wheel, a kiln, clay and tools for decorating products.

Potter's wheel. You can assemble a simple potter's wheel yourself if you wish, but you can also make it to order. Or purchase a potter's wheel with an electric drive in a specialized online store. The cost of such a circle ranges from 23 to 60 thousand rubles.

Roasting oven. The simplest kiln for firing will cost 50-60 thousand rubles. But in general, their cost can reach 200 thousand rubles or more.

Set of tools. A fishing line or thin wire to cut off the pottery from the circle at the end of modeling. A sponge to remove excess moisture from the product (can be tied to a small stick so that you can "get" inside the pot). Everyone chooses tools for himself, there is no standard set here: various sticks, spatulas, cutters to create patterns on wet clay, brushes - if you want to paint your pot in the future.

Materials. Traditional red clay can be purchased directly in Tomsk, in the workshop of Andrey Saltan (30 rubles per kg). Also, red clay and clay of other colors (black, white, green, blue) can also be ordered in online stores. For example, 2.5 kg of green clay with plasticity up to 1100 degrees will cost about 300 rubles. The same amount of more plastic black clay (over 1100 degrees) will cost about 200 rubles. BUT acrylic paints are sold in any art store: a set of 6 colors usually costs about 200 rubles.

Text: Anna Liquid, Anna Afanasyeva

Pottery originally developed as a craft that served to make containers for meals or vessels in which bulk and liquid materials are stored. Today, it is a processing by molding on a specially designed potter's wheel, after which glaze is applied to the dried product, followed by a mandatory one. In this way, objects are made that are used in any field: household, construction, decorations, jewelry, souvenirs. These products are called pottery ceramics, they can be found in any corner of our planet.

There are three main production classes in pottery technology:

production of building bricks;
making pottery or stoneware;
the development of more refined faience or porcelain items.

Based on the production technology, all classes of pottery are similar to each other, but there are a number of nuances that affect the final result. The main difference is the grades of clay that underlie the product.

Story

As mentioned earlier, pottery originated from a craft that served solely to make vessels for storing materials and food. Over time, it developed, enriched and appeared before us today no longer in the form that our distant ancestors saw it. Thanks to technological discoveries, new articles of dressing began to appear, they led to the emergence of such items as refractory bricks, stoneware, tiles, tiles, drainage pipes, architectural decorations and numerous other products.

Due to the fact that society began to finish and decorate the usual clay products, pottery moved from the category of craft to the category of art. The manufacture of clay pots has been popular in antiquity ever since mankind became acquainted with the material common on the planet - clay and its properties.

The Old Testament contains several references to the profession of a potter and his products. The most ancient vessels made of clay, even in the prehistoric era, got off with a human hand and, accordingly, were of irregular shape. A little later, there are round and oval items, obviously made using a potter's wheel. History has not preserved information about the exact appearance of this circle, but it has been mentioned since antiquity.

It is known that the first porcelain products appeared in Asia two thousand years ago. This indicates that the pottery industry in China developed much more rapidly than in the rest of the world.

Each nation had its own traditions associated with this craft, which turned into an art. So in African countries at the beginning of the twentieth century pots were made by hand, clay was dried in the sun, and the product was fired with a bundle of straw and fire.

As for Europe, here until the eighth century pottery was in complete decline. Only the Spanish Moors gave it a push, around the same time there were products that were covered with glaze.

Pottery flourished around the thirteenth century. The most striking surge occurred in Italy, where majolica was invented - a type of ceramic that is made from fired clay. Florence gave the world such a master of pottery as Luca della Robbia, his sculptures and other works are considered the pride of the nation in our time.

Using the technologies of the sculptor Robbia, the Tuscan factories have taken another step forward - faience products. They were first burned with fire, then they were covered with white glaze, on which drawings were made, after which the product was subjected to a second firing, stronger than the first. From majolica, they began to make not only architectural decorations, but also flowerpots, figurines.

After the decline of pottery in Italy, France took over. It was here that the clay kiln was invented.

In the Middle Ages, earthenware was created and used only by the poor, the upper classes used pewter, silver, and gold. Wide application pottery also received in church decoration. Here it was used to create jugs. Churches of Novgorod, as well as churches from the time of the Romanovs, are decorated with similar items.

At the end of the eighteenth century, entire factories began to appear around the world that were engaged in pottery.

Ceramic products

The main difference between the varieties of ceramics is the composition of the mass, as well as the type of glaze from which they are made. Pottery comes in two types: dense and porous.

Dense - these are products that, when fired, due to high temperature, merge into a homogeneous solid mass. At a break, such a product resembles glass. It is translucent and does not absorb liquid, and when it hits steel, it gives sparks. An example of dense pottery is porcelain.

Porous, on the contrary, break easily, let the liquid through. Among such products is faience.

There may be products that do not belong to any type, but are something transitional between these two types.

Dense

Hard porcelain. The mass is fused, translucent, fine-grained, elastic, homogeneous, hard, it will not succumb to the action of a knife. Such porcelain contains kaolin, chalk, quartz and feldspar. It is subjected to a double firing: first, a weak one for glazing, then a strong one after coating.
Soft porcelain. It is also called French. Its content is an almost transparent lead glaze. Here, too, a double firing is necessary, only very strong at first and weaker at the end.
Unglazed porcelain, or biscuit. It has the usual porcelain mass.
Pariyan. It is close to soft porcelain in mass, has a yellowish tint, and is hard to melt.
Carrara. white color, translucent. Its mass is a cross between stone products and paryan.
Stone products. They have a dense fine-grained mass. There are ordinary and delicate products, mostly white.

porous

Delicate faience. It is a mixture of refractory clay and silica. It is covered with transparent glaze. The mass is opaque, ringing.
Ordinary faience, or majolica. This is a red-yellow mass, which, after firing, is covered with an opaque tin glaze.
Products from ordinary and refractory clay. This includes bricks, tiles, drainage pipes, etc.
Burnt stone mass, or, as it is also called, terracotta. Its composition is purified clay and ground fragments of finished products. It is used to decorate vases and other products.
Ordinary pottery. The mass is produced from clay, clay marl, and also from opaque lead glaze.

Materials for pottery

To make brick, porcelain, faience, you need to do the following work: make a clay mass, shape it, dry it, burn it and cover it with glaze. The main material for the manufacture of products is clay. Potters prefer to use potting clay, which has the right viscosity and its temperature resistance is ideal for creating products. Despite the fact that the clay itself has a high level of plasticity, the addition of auxiliary materials is mandatory due to the fact that during firing it is rapidly and unevenly compressed, which turns the product into an awkward thing. To make the simplest product, you also need sand, ash, sawdust, for products best quality you need fireclay - a powder that is obtained from crushed products.

For the production of ordinary pottery, previously mined clay must be left for one to two years in air or in water. After that, it is kneaded in wooden boxes, in factories and factories this is done by special machines. This action is necessary in order to clear the clay of stones or debris. After the clay is taken out of the boxes, it is piled into heaps, which are cut into thin slices with a knife. They are again placed in boxes and are re-kneaded, cleared of impurities that could remain on it. Higher grades of products, especially colorless ones, require components that must be perfectly cleaned. The basic rule of a benign clay mass is its uniformity. For the purpose of high-quality cleaning, the clay is divided into small pieces, which are poured with water and, after a day of “soaking”, are thrown into kneading machines. The teeth of this machine, during rapid rotation, cut clay, and a stream of water passing through this chamber carries away very small pieces into a special pool, large ones remain at the bottom. The pool is designed for the next level of cleaning, here coarse particles are deposited, after which another jet carries them into the second pool. In it, the clay is finally sifted out. This technology uses only warm water, because it separates the clay pieces better, and the cleaning process is noticeably accelerated due to the optimal temperature.

Proportions constituent parts determined for each type of product separately. Mixing of funds also occurs in different ways: dry, with knives or with jets of water. When this homogeneous mass is obtained, it still contains a large number of unwanted bubbles. This problem is eliminated either with special equipment, or with the help of feet, with which the clay is simply trampled to obtain the desired consistency.

Burning

AT narrow sense ceramics is the same clay, but fired. Accordingly, when they say "ceramics", they mean products made from inorganic materials (often clay), as well as their mixtures with various additives, which are produced under the influence of high temperatures and subsequent cooling.

The firing process triggers irreversible changes, after which the material turns into ceramic. Under the influence of high temperature, small particles are fused in those places where they come into contact.

In the production of porcelain, technologies undergo significant changes. This is due to the difference in materials, the required temperature and the different properties of the components. Each source material has its own proportions, as well as a certain temperature regime:

The technology of roasting products is carried out various methods. Nevertheless, the kiln firing process is a centuries-old, unchanging tradition. Depending on the temperature and duration of the process, products of different quality are obtained. Therefore, the maximum temperature in the production ovens does not change until the production of a whole batch of products is completed.

Furthermore, appearance the finished product also depends on the composition of the atmosphere in the kiln for firing. You can cause one or another degree of air oxidation. With the help of specially set parameters, it is even possible to achieve that the potter's clay will change color from brown to green.

Glaze application

Some pottery works are not glazed at all. These include bricks, tiles, terracotta, pots. The so-called glazing is carried out in order to protect clay products from excess moisture. The same result was achieved in antiquity by milk roasting - a method of giving products beautiful view and waterproof.

Not the most expensive clay products are glazed in their raw state at the same time as they are fired. This is called antling. The essence of this action is that during firing, salt is thrown into the oven, which turns into vapor and settles on the product. In the place where it lands, a fusible compound is formed, called fort.

Another way of coating is that the glaze, crushed into a fine powder, is sprinkled on the product. Often these are products of rough manufacture: pots, unfired pipes, and so on. Before coating, the product is smeared with flour paste and fired.

The essence of the third method is that the product is doused with glaze, which has the consistency of cream. A similar method covers solid products that practically do not absorb liquid. For example, some types of porcelain and faience.

And the last way is that porcelain and faience products are placed in a container with glaze. This method is intended for those products that are subjected to weak firing and initially absorb liquid. The glaze is ground into a fine powder, mixed with water. In this liquid, resembling milk in consistency, a product is placed that absorbs this mixture. It is possible to make a drawing on such a glaze.

Art therapy

In the modern rhythm, everyone finds their own way to relax. One of the most beautiful and unusual methods is to do pottery. There are two ways to try yourself in this art. The first is to buy a potter's wheel and necessary materials to practice on your own. A pottery workshop in your own home is not only stylish and fashionable, but also incredibly exciting for you, your loved ones and friends. In this case, you can feel like a free artist, try different forms based on video tutorials.

The second way is the school of pottery. In the class of beginners like yourself, you will have the opportunity to try on the role of the creator of the beautiful, the artist and the sculpture.

Psychologists say that pottery is a great way to cope with stress, become more balanced and attentive. Art therapy, according to experts, is one of the best methods of dealing with depression and other nervous disorders. Spending time at the potter's wheel helps to organize thoughts, distract from small everyday troubles and find a way out of a difficult life situation. "Full dedication to the cause will not solve your problems, but it will definitely help you find ways to solve them," the doctors say in one voice.

DIY products

In every house there are clay, ceramic or porcelain products. In conditions of mass production, it is difficult to surprise someone with factory-made dishes or a flower vase.

Pottery is an incredibly fun and exciting activity for the whole family. You can have fun, learn a new business, develop skills and dexterity.

Having visited the first pottery master class, you will be able to make a pot yourself. Attentive teachers are usually patient with newcomers, guiding them and helping in everything. Pottery helps to cope with minor stresses, distracts from everyday hustle and bustle. And the products that you make yourself will be a reason to be proud of another victory over yourself. In addition, after you work around the circle and blind your pot, you will have the opportunity to paint it with your own hands. Here you can show all your imagination. Such a product will be a wonderful gift for a loved one.

Parties, birthdays and corporate parties held for such an unusual activity are popular. This is a good opportunity to communicate, get to know each other better and see the creative potential of your friends. In addition, such a holiday will surely be remembered for its unusualness, originality, and products made independently at the potter's wheel will be an excellent gift in memory of a wonderful day. And someone, perhaps, will discover a talent in himself and seriously take up this business in order to open his own museum of pottery in the future. Children will especially like this activity. If they are good at sculpting from plasticine, then you should try to send them to a pottery school. This will help develop hand motor skills, have a beneficial effect on the mood of the baby, and also allow you to discover the child's creative potential. An interesting and exciting hobby develops attention, imagination and thinking.

Hobby or business?

AT modern world pottery is very popular. They belong to the category of products that are always in demand and relevant. Each house has dishes, vases, pots, various figurines and souvenirs. For many centuries, growing into art, is popular and in demand. Therefore, the passion for pottery is increasingly growing into a real business. Our own pottery workshop is a very profitable business, because the main raw material - clay - is a free material that literally lies just under our feet. Beautiful, original, designer products can bring a good income to the manufacturer. The master of pottery is a profession for the soul. You can diversify the world around you, get a unique hobby that will bring you profit, and also reveal your creative potential.

Pottery is popular all over the world. Despite the fact that it has been around for several decades, it will never go out of fashion.

Clay products are always relevant. Some people cannot imagine their kitchen without ceramic dishes - they cook in it, decorate their interior with various decorative pots made of this plastic material. Yes, and souvenirs - magnets, photo frames, cups, vases, which we always get when we relax at the resort, most often clay ones. All this suggests that the pottery business is one of the most profitable areas of business. In this article, we will talk about pottery for beginners, so that anyone who is seriously thinking about leaving their main job to develop their own business can realize themselves in this direction.

Features of the pottery business

The first potters were the ancient Greeks. It was they who began to make unique products from clay - vases and amphorae, which conquered the whole world of that time. We treat them as ordinary, without attaching special value. But one has only to think about how many things necessary for organizing home life are made of clay - plates, cups, cauldrons, bowls and much more. This means that pottery as a business will never lose its relevance and will bring a stable and high income for those who decide to start pottery at home. If you are among the people who want to start DIY pottery at home, then you need to know the main features of this entrepreneurial activity:

Ceramic products are best sold in large resort towns, where there are always many tourists coming from far abroad. These people are the target audience, as they will probably buy various souvenirs for their relatives and buy something beautiful for themselves as a memento of their vacation;
Those who have been engaged in pottery at home for more than a year have well mastered the peculiarity of this business, which we mentioned in the paragraph above. Therefore, this line of business has high level competition. A beginner will have to devote a lot of time to studying the market in the area where he decided to open pottery;
Remember that your pottery must be exclusive in order for people to buy it. It will be necessary to develop an author's technique for the manufacture and decoration of ceramic products so that they emphasize your personal unique design style. People really like to buy author's gizmos - it's fashionable and meets the requirements of the time;
Keep in mind that those pottery products will be in special demand in resort town which reflects the flavor of the local culture. People are more willing to acquire something that emphasizes the traditions and customs of the place where they have been;
The beginning of pottery should be marked by the release of a narrow range of products. It should be one thing - or dishes, or souvenirs, or pots, or vases. Over time, when your customer base expands, you can think about making several types of ceramic products at the same time;
Before starting pottery, it is necessary to register a private enterprise. If you will only be engaged in the manufacture of household goods (dishes, for example), then you need to register your activity under the OKVED code 26.21. If your interests also include children's toys, then you need to choose OKVED 36.50 and a simplified taxation system so that insurance premiums and other expenses are not very large;
Having mastered the above features of the ceramic business, you can become a wealthy person almost from scratch. Of course, start-up capital will be needed in any case, but it will not be so large and will quickly pay off. We will talk about this in more detail in the corresponding section of our article.

Selection and arrangement of premises for the workshop

How to start pottery after registering a business? It is important to pay due attention to the room where your workshop will constantly function. After all, the selected space must meet certain mandatory requirements:

It must be two rooms. You equip one of the rooms for a workshop (this room should be larger in area than the second), and the other for a warehouse of finished ceramic products (a room area of 15 m² will be enough);
By area, the room should not be less than 50 m²;
It is advisable to choose an apartment for a workshop on the ground floor;
It is very important that the room has all the necessary communications ( we are talking on sewerage, air conditioning, ventilation, electricity and plumbing);
Be sure to carefully consider the choice of equipment for the pottery workshop. This should be done under the guidance of an experienced craftsman who is well versed not only in pottery technology, but also understands the equipment necessary for work. By the way, many potters can make equipment for pottery on their own.

Production technology

Scheme of production of ceramic products

For several decades in a row, the production of ceramic products has been carried out using the same technology, but in different ways. If you are making souvenirs (doing free modeling), then you only need to choose the right raw materials, knead it and sculpt it. In this case, it is important to use a potter's wheel, a modeling board or special prints - so the shapes of your products will be more accurately processed.

In fact, the process of making pottery includes several main steps:

Acquisition of raw materials - you can either buy it or extract it yourself. If you are just thinking about how to start pottery, you can try the second option. To do this, you need to find deposits of clay in your personal plot and check it for suitability for hand sculpting. It is necessary to roll a small tourniquet from clay and roll it into a bagel. If there are practically no cracks, then this is an excellent raw material for work;
Form the necessary product from clay using the tools you have;
Dry your ceramic creation and then fire it;
When the product hardens well, it needs to be given an elegant look. To do this, clay is treated with special solutions, and then painted, decorated and varnished.

If you neglect at least one of the above points, then your work may be done in vain, because improperly mixed and then processed raw materials will simply begin to crumble, break, which means that you will not be able to sell it.

Necessary equipment for work

Let's get back to what equipment you need to purchase if you decide that the pottery business is exactly the one you want to implement:

Potter's wheel;
Scales;
A machine on which clay is kneaded for modeling;
The furnace in which you will burn the finished products;
Forms for modeling various clay figurines;
Decorative materials for decorating your products (paints, glass, brushes, etc.).

Note that at first you do not need to purchase professional new equipment. At first, it will be possible to use used devices. They can really be found on various sites of free ads, on the Internet. Do not worry that the technique that other masters of pottery managed to use is no longer suitable or will quickly break down. As a rule, the equipment is always sold in excellent condition. If you are unsure that you can handle it on your own, invite an experienced craftsman who will give you practical advice when buying and determine with his expert eye whether you are offered quality workshop equipment or not.

Pottery wheel diagram

What can you earn?

Ceramic products have a fairly large sales market. Therefore, if you doubt whether pottery is profitable in modern society, then you can discard all negative thoughts. Ceramic products are a great way, with minimal start-up capital. The main thing for you to decide. Be sure to consider the needs of a wide range of people in the area in which you decide to do this business.

If you decide that there is nothing better for you than to open your own pottery and souvenir business, then you can find wholesalers who will buy goods from you. But organizing this whole process is quite difficult. After all, large supermarkets acquire a batch of souvenirs, in which at least 1000 pieces of products. Numerous problems and questions immediately arise. initial stage development of your business will only prevent you from focusing and learning manufacturing techniques. Of course, if you hire experienced craftsmen in your workshop, you can quickly deal with orders;
Having gained experience, you will be able to organize paid pottery workshops for children and adults. Today it is a very fashionable direction of artistic activity. Who is not interested in molding something with their own hands, and then hanging a product made by themselves in their room? Over time, when high earnings from pottery appear, you will have the opportunity to organize large-scale exhibitions and even competitions among your students;
Some companies and firms prefer to use different ceramic souvenirs as advertising. They can be made to order.

In fact, the market for the sale of ceramic products is very wide. You just need to constantly develop, look for new consumers, offer your services to a wide audience, and then profitable offers will always appear.

Financial investments

Having decided, you need to draw up a pottery business plan in order to make sure for yourself that the chosen decision is correct and dispel all doubts about whether it is profitable to engage in pottery in our time.

The minimum amount of money that you need to have before doing the pottery itself should be 500,000 rubles. This amount will go towards the following expenses:

It will take about 10,000 rubles to register an IP;
Renting a room for arranging a workshop - 40,000 rubles (the same amount will have to be spent monthly);
Purchase necessary equipment- 300,000 rubles;
Kiln for firing - 100 thousand rubles;
Several potter's wheels- 50,000 rubles;
Scales - 6 thousand rubles;
Modeling molds - 50,000 rubles;
Clay different varieties- 20,000 rubles;
Marriage and breakage of products (from 15,000);
Employee salaries. You will need at least two masters at first, an advertising manager and a person who will keep track of finances (you can assign this responsibility to yourself). All this requires at least 70,000 rubles;
To pay taxes and contributions, you will need about 70 thousand rubles a year, but this figure can vary significantly, depending on which form of production you choose;
You will have to spend at least 10,000 rubles a month on advertising your business.

Where can I sell the finished product and at what price?

Now let's take a closer look at how much money you can earn for the sale of finished clay products.

If you find regular wholesale buyers who will purchase goods from you in a batch, where there are 1000 units, then you can get from 10,000 to 100,000 rubles. Revenue will depend on what kind of products you sell:

If these are fridge magnets, then for a batch you can get 6,000 - 12,000 rubles (if they are made for a designer order, then the price doubles);
If these are photo frames, then for a batch you will receive from 12,000 to 24,000 rubles (the situation here is the same as with magnets);
If these are ceramic pots, then for a batch you can get from 75,000 to 200,000 rubles;
If you rent pottery equipment to other workshops, you can earn from 2,000 rubles a day;
If you conduct pottery training for children and adults, then in one hour of classes you can earn from 500 to 1000 rubles.

Video: How we made a pottery school from scratch

Before you start exercising entrepreneurial activity related to ceramic products, you should definitely study as much information as possible about this type of business. There are a lot of sources on the Internet. It can be difficult to read a useful article, but also watch a free video pottery for beginners.

We still recommend that you, in addition to self-education in matters related to starting a business with ceramic products, take pottery training from a qualified specialist. He will explain to you not only the theory of working with clay, but also demonstrate everything in practice. Of course, you will have to spend money on courses - approximately 15,000 rubles, provided that you attend pottery master classes for two months. Keep in mind that even if you learn pottery lessons for beginners well from the master you went to study with, you will still be far from professional level. In the process of work, with experience, you will achieve the desired result and become a fairly wealthy person who will do what he loves.
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