Ceramics for Beginners: Hand Building (A Lark Ceramics Book) [Hardcover]

Shay Amber (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Lark Ceramics Book | Publication Date: November 4, 2008

Ceramics are always popular with crafters, and hand building with low-fire earthenware is a natural place to start. With its wealth of information and images, elegant design, and time-tested advice this beautiful new book by artist Shay Amber will inspire even the most intimidated beginner. Just as in her celebrated workshops, Amber guides would-be ceramists through all the basics, from selecting the right clay body to embellishing the surface with fabulous decorations and gorgeous glaze treatments to setting a firing temperature. She teaches how to pinch forms, create coils, make flat slabs, work with simple molds and armatures, and ornament your piece with stencils, slips, underglazes, terra sigillata, and more. Each technique is laid out in easy-to-follow step-by-step photos with projects in progress and stunning gallery images. Amber introduces a unique, easy-to-follow method for constructing a beautiful slab-built piece, and all the necessary templates are included. A dozen projects—including a pinched Tea Bowl, coil-built Espresso Cup Set, and luminous Lantern showcase the key methods. Comprehensive and accessible, this illustrated introduction will become the standard on the potter’s bookshelf.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Presented as an introductory workshop, this first volume in the Ceramics for Beginners series is from a publisher from which one would expect gorgeous and plentiful illustrations and clear, clean directions—and the book does not disappoint. Hand building is defined here as forming clay by hand into “useful objects” and “sculptural forms.” Techniques and projects are arranged from the simplest to tackle to the most involved, from “pinching” to “coiling” and “draping slabs.” This is an exciting, useful, and relatively easy craft, and this lovely book is a very worthwhile consideration for purchase for all crafts collections. --Brad Hooper

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600592430
• ISBN-13: 978-1600592430
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book!, October 22, 2008

By 

C. childs (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ceramics for Beginners: Hand Building (A Lark Ceramics Book) (Hardcover)

For years I've been wanting to work with clay. This book is filled with beautiful full color images of finished work that continuously inspire me. The step by step projects are easy to understand especially with the accompanied photography that visually illustrates the assembling process. You will learn the basics and beyond as this book teaches you about the medium itself and how to make handbuilding with clay a fluent vocabulary to use with your own artistic creations.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Basics and Beyond, October 22, 2008

By 

Skin Artist "Tattoo Fan" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ceramics for Beginners: Hand Building (A Lark Ceramics Book) (Hardcover)

As an artist I do all kinds of art. I have been making ceramics for years. Little did I know that I had been doing many basic techniques incorrectly. This book clearly laid out a new foundation for me. The language is clear and well written so that simple ideas and complex concepts are easy to understand. Clay is still a challenge for me but it's less of a mystery. Now I know why things were not coming out right and I have been able to change my approach to get much better results.

Aside from the technical aspects of the book, the author did a great job of inspiring the reader to be creative and try new things. All of the formulas in the book are easy to personalize so that each project is unique to me. I feel really good about my work for the first time in ages. Instead of fumbling my way through an idea I can visualize what I want to make and figure out the steps ahead of time... whew... what a difference.

I especially enjoyed the introduction. I would write more about this book but it's time for me to play with my clay and get my hands dirty.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful "How To" Book for Handbuilders, October 22, 2008

By 

pottery broad (Georgia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ceramics for Beginners: Hand Building (A Lark Ceramics Book) (Hardcover)

Ceramics for Beginners: Hand Building (A Lark Ceramics Book)This book is well-written and offers easy to understand explanations of basic ceramics terms and techniques. It will be an asset to any beginning or intermediate handbuilder and a good reference for more advanced ceramic artists. I will recommend it to all my students.