My 10 week course has now finished and i'll stick a few more bits i made up here, if only to make a couple of proper potters laugh! It was worth doing though, as i needed a bit of a kick start and it has helped me understand a few more things about working with clay. Could it have been better? it was a college course... of course it could! It got off to a good start, but kind of faded out. The snow didn't help.
Anyway, the good news is i finally got to use the wheel and experience throwing, I loved it! I knew i would, but there was always a fear that once i did, it might not have been what i expected. Only got to throw 3 lumps and spent forever cleaning the damned thing back to it pristine condition! (no wonder they avoid using them!) I found centering the clay easier than i expected, i guess i picked something up from all those youtube clips! My problems came when i tried going up!! I ended up with a couple of odd pots, i took photos, but haven't uploaded them yet... funny. Oh, and one had a base about an inch thick! I know that i could do it though, i just need a bit more practice and to remember what i should be doing when i'm doing it. I just need to figure out how to get more experience on a wheel now, at a time when money is at it's tightest. Why didn't i get into this 5 years ago when i had money and no kids?? It'll have to sit on the back burner for a bit. I want to get making and doing some sgraffito real soon though, so i need to stock up and figure out what clay and slip i need to kick me off. Hopefully i might stumble upon a wheel or some spare cash soon.
