How To Throw A Bowl

[@TinyChickPottery]

Such an efficient way to throw a bowl. Definitely going to try pulling with a rib. Thank you!

[@amyvowles9553]

Best bowl throwing video I've seen to date! Thank you for sharing your talent.. Your bowl is beautiful and technique is so smooth and simple! Here's to my first...real bowl!

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Thank you. I’m glad it helped and you enjoyed it

[@kennethdante]

You're awesome, bud. I think I leave a comment like this about once a month whenever I come for a little inspiration. Thank you!

[@jda8409]

Thank you Matthew for your generosity in sharing the details and short cuts to throw in a precise and confident way ! Lord Bless you

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[@denavess732]

Like the foot on bowl haven’t done that yet. Thanks!

[@LIFELOVER715]

I always wanted to throw with a rib & thanks to you, now I will. Great shapes on your bowls!

[@Wokkaiser]

Matthew, you are amazing. Thank you so much for your efforts and explanations. Yesterday I got frustrated, because I screwed 3 bowl attempts, but after watching your video, I feel inspired to give it an other try today. 😀😀

[@benji405]

The consistency between the bowls is impressive! and the speed! I spend so much time trimming my bowls. I gotta try this technique :) Great to see the different angles in the video!

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

I love a good trimmed bowl but yes it takes a long time. I’ve thrown for most of my 25 years with a gauge so consistency is kind of second nature by now. I’m glad this helped you. Good luck.

[@clifforddalton3067]

after many attempts at throwing thin, I still find that I need to trim! but I'll persevere in my attempts at throwing thin :)

[@debbiewilsomn4314]

I watched this video over and over again. One day maybe my 1lb bowls will look this good.

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

I believe in you!!

[@denniswood231]

Thank-you, very valuable!...You are so fast. I just got my pottery wheel two days ago and learning on my own...not easy without some instruction.

[@natashacloutier3285]

I just started as well. New adventure on the books 😊 Good luck to you

[@judelachance]

I appreciate the details= Seeing at the beginning of the video an example of what you are going to make, amount of clay and unfired dimensions. Etc

[@heididerksen8227]

Awesome video looks great the colours are gorgeous

[@julies4106]

I threw 5 bowls earlier today. I wish I would have watched this first! It will be a few days before I'm back on my wheel, but I can hardly wait to try this!! Thanks for sharing!!

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Good luck. I hope it goes well. Cheers

[@lauraharden7204]

I love watching you throw these bowls. You make it look so effortlessly.Also how you use every bit of clay. Very little waste with hardly any water. Amazing.

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Thank you. That’s definitely the result of years of practice.

[@barryschwartz2950]

Great video thanks.

[@melissagraham4569]

Thank you Matthew. Very inspirational.

[@RoosterPootPottery]

I put this to work for me today and I love pulling the bowl with the wooden rib! Thanks!

[@danielajohnson177]

Gotta try that rib trick! and the little foot. THANK YOU! 😊

[@whoami00712]

very informative, waiting for tips and tricks for throwing with the rib seems very useful thing to learn, thanks in advance

[@ericwilson2323]

This is a great simple design. Thanks for posting. I am going to try to emulate this shape and technique this week.

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

You’re welcome. I hope it goes well with your bowls

[@happypotter1138]

Thank you so much. This is great!

[@robertcole1098]

Very nice shaped bowl Matt, I don't usually put a lip on mine but I can see how pleasing they are to the eye, so I'll have to throw some myself. Cheers Bob 🇬🇧

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

You’re welcome. I think a lot about the shape in relation to slip and glaze also. Tons of trial and error in making a body of work.

[@kathleencole319]

Thank you for these great tutorial videos!

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

You’re welcome

[@dougnicholson1146]

Thanks once again... I know that you are a caring guy and generous with what you share... thanks

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

You’re welcome. Thanks for the kind words

[@SallyRoperPottery]

I am in awe of your ease in throwing and the manner in which you describe your techniques. Your incredible skill makes it look easy, hopefully with a learning curve and practice, it can be.. will give it a try this morning. Thanks Matt - always a thumbs up from me !!

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

You’re welcome. It definitely gets easier with time as all skills do. Thanks for the thumbs up.

[@TariHuffaker]

Very nice! Thanks for the tutorial. I love learning different ways to throw a bowl.

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

There’s no ONE way to do any of it is there!

[@gsandau]

I came back to this because I'm making bowls for an empty bowl charity event, and I often lose a bowl while shaping it. I'm going to give it a go with my rib and hope for the best. Thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos!

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Awesome! I hope the technique helps you. Good on you for making bowls for the event.

[@eseniogsg1]

Nice job

[@ClownWhisper]

I'd like to agree with you I've only been throwing again after a long time off for about 4 months now and I'm already starting to cut back on my trimming making a similar type of foot is you. I've seen plenty of trim feet that look absolutely terrible. I've seen people ruin parts that were otherwise pleasing to the eye by putting a foot on them. If you make a nice perfectly smooth unglazed base that is nice smooth as glass it's every bit as utilitarian and beautiful. I've also gone to a new kind of foot on cuffs where it's just a slight rounded put that I do not glaze I turn the edges rounded over and then just a slight dug out of the interior and they're beautiful

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

I love a nice trimmed foot on a bowl or any pot for that matter but I’m not one who thinks it’s not a proper bowl without a trimmed foot. I’ve made bowls without a trimmed foot that most potters couldn’t rival even with one. With or without they are both skills and admire and applaud both when done well.

[@ClownWhisper]

@@MatthewKellyPottery Again, I absolutely agree. And I'm sorry for all the typos. I do not use a keyboard any longer because of a neurological. Issue that I'm having I'm sure it'll clear up someday, hopefully. . Thank God I can still throw clay. So voice recognition screws up so bad, and I never notice it. . . Yes, you can make a pot look nice with a trimfoot specially in Asian. Style pot it looks right. With a small foot But I've also seen more than not people putting Gerke and chewing deep feet in bowls. And utilizing a flat bottom rather than rounding it and it just loses. Something. People are afraid of drips. And many people don't take the time to learn good. Glaze control. As a result you see a lot of large unglazed feet It just look out of place in my opinion. Again, rather than a straight foot. I've been taken to making a slight round foot. With about 3/16 indention on the bottom. And it just looks so nice. I wish we could post pictures on KZbin. I'm really not well enough to start my own channel. Maybe someday I will. When I get a little better. . I love your one pound Bowl. Tutorial it's very well made. And I'm going to work on full consistency based on your work. So I appreciate that you help a lot of people.

[@ClownWhisper]

@@MatthewKellyPottery Don't mind me. Making a suggestion. I personally have a little bit of a problem making very narrow bottom vases. Are you pull up nice? Perfect column? Cylinder pretty regularly and consistently But I have a little bit of a trouble. Narrowing the base I have never learned a good technique on that. That might be a good video. No. I mean, I know basically what people do but there's got to be more to it. I always end up having to pull up again because of the extra clay that's being forced into the bottom of the vessel You think that's worth a video?

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

I’ll definitely consider that. Most of that is experience but I’ll think about it some more. I don’t mind the suggestions. Cheers

[@ClownWhisper]

@@MatthewKellyPottery I'm sorry for How badly illegible some of my sentences are. I use voice recognition? And I don't hardly catch the mistakes. Cheers

[@BringMeMusic1]

Not sure if you already made the video I tried looking for it but still waiting on that rib pull tutorial for the bowl ! Thank you for the content

[@GambolingwithMonique]

Funny thing, I went into the studio yesterday to try the throwing with the rib that you do here and failed horribly! I am not a new potter but have been doing it for fun for about 4 years so I thought...HA! no problem! Problem! I have to wait for that tutorial and then try again : )

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Yes that video is on the list. Sorry to make you wait. Keep attempting it for now and that will make it even easier to catch on when I make the video.

[@clifforddalton3067]

me too, I find that the rib takes control and friction spoils my attempts but I'll not give up.

[@kimbell6689]

Great video. Thanks for showing us this technique! I love the idea of throwing with a rib. I'm going to try that tomorrow ;o)

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Good luck. I’ll be doing a more extensive video on pulling with a rib in another tips and tricks video.

[@____Ann____]

@@MatthewKellyPottery hi. I am interested too. Did you upload that video? I can't find it.

[@rajamar4289]

Thank you Matt, these are great tutorials. Much appreciated!

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

You’re welcome

[@Tarantee]

Thank you for this. I learned a lot.

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

You’re welcome!

[@Tarantee]

@@MatthewKellyPottery You are a talented instructor. I would appreciate watching u throw a bowl also using a different method. Without using the Rib. I am a beginner and my teacher thought me a different variation to throw a bowl and would love to learn more from you.

[@michaelhyland7166]

Thanks Matthew

[@clifforddalton3067]

thanks Matt, love the use of the rib :) I still find that difficult, but watching you I have picked up some tips :)

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

I’m glad it has helped. I’ve been doing that technique for 25 years. Any new technique takes some time to get used to.

[@clifforddalton3067]

@@MatthewKellyPottery so have you used chattering as a means of extra texture to some of your pots? I use it a lot, sometimes on bare leather hard and sometimes through under glaze mason stains. The results can be inspiring.

[@shanemilehi]

Have you ever talked about your decision to stand and throw?? You’ve got a few wheels/ configurations?? Have you done a studio tour?? Thanks for videos. Glad I found your channel. Not a lot of potters on KZbin

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

I plan to talk about that soon. Thanks for your interest. Hope you enjoy the videos. I agree there’s a lack of potters on KZbin.

[@adolfobulomorgan2551]

Genial! Me encanta tu trabajo y la manera tan didáctica como lo muestras!

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoy the videos

[@jessiewlv123]

I absolutely am inspired by your work. You mentioned sand bottoms and Grinding bottoms from the wood kiln. Could you post a video of these two technique's

[@sarabarden]

Thank you

[@jeannettegenuardi1235]

Really helpful!

[@megga1886]

Beautiful

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Thanks

[@clifforddalton3067]

Thanks Matthew.

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

You’re welcome Cliff

[@UsernamesForDummies]

I’m in awe. I’ve just come home from my weekly pottery adventures and though I made some beautiful things today, it was such a birth! Long, painful but ultimately rewarding. Still, the ease with which you pull (got to try the rib pulling) amazes me. I know it takes a lot of practice and I’ve only been doing this for 1 1/2 years, but my impatient self is envious. Great channel!

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Yes it is tons of practice. I love pulling with a rib when possible. Good luck!

[@Alakwe]

It takes years to master throwing

[@Aaron.101]

Thanks

[@alexforget]

I notice that you like efficiency and I am wondering why you bisque fire instead of raw glazing / once firing. Does once firing limit what is possible for the glaze, or is it only for the ease of manipulation/glazing? Thanks

[@kennethdante]

I think MK is the only potter I've seen throw pottery and his hands are clean when he's done lol.

[@saturninedecember]

could you help me find the video of how to pull the wall up with the rib? i've been trying to get the hang of it but my rib ends up taking a lot of clay off o:

[@ale.g.x.667]

Hell yeah dude! Rock n roll!

[@vickiefmorgan]

Love your videos. Did you ever do a video on throwing with a rib? I’ve looked but couldn’t find it... thanks

[@cindyperry4721]

Great video!

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Thanks

[@romanchn4742]

how to pull with the rib, been two years since you said please

[@Cate7451]

What kind of clay do you use as the wall on the bowl was very thin. Excellent as always

[@stevehoffmanpottery1236]

thanks for the great vid Matt, have you shown your any of your glaze development techniques ?

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

You’re very welcome. I have only made the one recent glazing video. I’ll consider how to put another one together in the future. Thanks.

[@romanchn4742]

looking for the video to pull up with the rib is this in this channel thanks

[@xm3364]

Hello Mathew, I wonder if you had your wheel spanned clockwise when you centred & opened, then anti-clockwise as you started lifting the clay wall? I failed on throwing alot...Still trying to figure out why I cant lift the wall up! Also, confuse if I shld exert pressure on the outside or inside bottom of the clay..Will be grateful if you can advise. Many thanks

[@heatherhughes7467]

It's totally skirtless! This, to me, makes me so ruddy excited I can't tell you! (surprisingly I'm from Yorkshire, UK where my excitability is viewed with a kind of disdainful suspicion. But who cares! I like being kind of packed with uncontrollable exuberance when it comes to witnessing masters of clay, like what you are. Anywho, i have this obsession with achieving a ''zero skirt situation'' ...so i could literally rave all day about how skilled you are. I know most folks advise a good thick base for bowls, to support the wall and they don't seem bothered that they have to cut off a 23 pound skirt of clay. But it does my head in. I want to be able to get all of that skirt into the pot somehow. And I'm proud to say that I can produce skirtless tall forms but for some reason, with wider forms, I still end up with that darned skirt! So frustrating! So, my question (if you've not died of boredom by now..) is .... is your ''rib-pull technique'' the key to skirtlessness do you think? Lastly (!) I love how you so obviously still, after 25 plus years, get great pleasure from your work, from the end result...from the visual effect and the tactile nature of the object. This gives me great hope that i will never lose this wonderful joy of clay. Thank you (and apologies for my windbaggy nature)

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

I loved reading your comment! I like the language and your thoughts. I agree about the “skirt” as you call it. I try to make all my pots with the clay evened throughout the entire piece instead of trimming off huge amounts of clay that you then have to reclaim. Especially if that happens because someone is too lazy to learn to do otherwise. I love a good trimmed foot on a piece. I didn’t learn that way and don’t trim very much. There’s nothing wrong with it though. If it helps people make better pots that’s cool with me. Just don’t be lazy. Haha. The rib technique helps get all the clay up into the pot but I do that even when i don’t pull with the rib so it’s not exclusive. And yes I still enjoy what I do and it’s amazing that I have found the thing I love to do and I make a living doing it. I feel very blessed and fortunate! Cheers!

[@heatherhughes7467]

@@MatthewKellyPottery Firstly, ee by gum (as we RARELY say in Yorkshire!) many surprised thanks for appreciating my windbaginess! I always feel I need to apologise for my verbosity, yet words are wonderful in my view and the more the better (if they are wrangled into happy and pleasant conglomerations that is...lol). Secondly, I do personally like trimming and would love to be producing those copious piles of long, thick curls of clay that some potters produce when they trim. Yet I guess you only get them if you leave tons of clay at the base of your pot... and as my mission is to get all the clay up into the pot, I'm on to a loser there. I'll keep practising and will try your rib-pulling technique too! Thank you. Lastly, it's a wonderous thing to have a job that doesn't feel like a job. I'm kind of phobic about actually selling my pots to the public (friends and colleagues provide me with enough orders and to be honest I kind of resent even them..because my ''clay time'' is precious to me and I like to use it doing whatever i fancy, rather than having to spend it on making what someone else wants. I'm super selfish I guess...yet it's more than that... Im very interested in how you retain the joy youbso obviously have in your work. You visually and tactily (i think i just made up a word there!) drink in your pots...at least that's what i see when you showed us that little red bowl or the pots in your recent review video...yet you have also created a successful business. How is that possible? I was self employed for about 7 years with my own business as a silk painter, producing wearable and wall art. On silk. Years ago. But by the end I felt like in wanted to climb out of my own skin because it became about making enough money to pay the bills as opposed to just being free to paint what I felt from inside. I really, like really, don't want to lose the amazing feeling that I get from interacting with clay..hence my selling-to-the-public-phobia. Few folks seem to understand this yet to me it's my soul, it's my joy, and I fear losing it if I have to focus on selling stuff and the money side of things. I really don't enjoy sharing photos on social media, producing videos would do my nut in and just the thought of setting up a website gives me the goosegogs! Talking to shops and galleries leaves me feeling awkward and tonguetied (shockingly that's kinda true!) and shows/fairs are my idea of slow torture. I just want to play with clay (but it would be nice to somehow have my pots find their way into other folk's hands and their dosh into my pocket, partly because I LOVE to see other humans experience pleasure from my pots and partly because the dosh would be welcome). But, how do you keep that internal enthusiasm and joy going? Woah! There's some deep thinkiness coming out, right there! It's a real quandary for me and I don't know whether to just forget trying to sell properly, avoid the stress and go my own way... so your view would be much appreciated! If you've spent your time reading this far I'm much indebted to you Mathew. But I totally understand if you gave up at the start. Cheers me duck!

[@jillwhite790]

Do you have a video, or post where you talk about your bats? What are they made of? How big are they? Thanks in advance for responding.

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

I’ve talked about them several times but I do have a video on bats specifically. The product is difficult to find in some regions. It’s tempered hardboard, and 1/4in thick, smooth on both sides. My square bats are 9in square with holes drilled for my wheel at 10in on center.

[@jillwhite790]

@@MatthewKellyPottery Many Thanks for the info. I'll be checking out the hardware store to find hardboard!

[@nanechkasawyer9537]

Good day Matthew, I enjoy learning from your bowl technique video; may I ask you how wide do you start when you open the clay, how tall and wide is the finish result of the bowl. Love the shape and proportion of your bowls. Thank you in advance, best regards Nanechka from Texas

[@nanechkasawyer9537]

reading all the comments I saw the answer to my question, just wondering the opening diameter of the clay though, thank you for a great video technique, I'll keep practicing till I get it right! Best regards Nanechka from Texas

[@teelatomchick1926]

what are the dimensions of your bowls?

[@sammi-joreviews1135]

Matthew, do you have a studio in Seagrove! My husband & I are trying to find some time for a day trip. Seagrove is a couple hours away. We haven’t been in a number of years, so long that I wouldn’t know where to begin. I am certain we will stop in at Ben Owens’ studio. I’d be nice to see him again. I’d like to stop by to meet you if possible. We are about an hour east of Raleigh.

[@jhasaelcalle7683]

Yayyyyy another vid thank god😃😃😃😃😃😃😃

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Haha

[@janepirico6580]

Quels poids pour ce bol,? Merci

[@pavlentos]

Do you use high temperature clay?

[@keesjoosten2282]

Hi Matthew, i have a problem with pulling greater amounts of clay. Even with great effort, to much clay will stay on the bottom. Can you make a film on You Tube to explain. how to pull up cilinders with for example 4 kilograms of clay.

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

I can do that although I rarely use that much clay in a single piece pot. By the time I reach what would be about 2.5 - 3 kilograms (I use pounds, haha) I would start making them in sections. But that all depends on the shape also. I make large bowls and such much bigger as you’ve seen on the channel. But I will add that to my list to make cylinders and talk about pulling clay. Thanks

[@genearnold3252]

So you don't wire cut these? Do you slow dry them to help prevent warping?

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

I think drying on the bat actually helps keep them from warping bc they’re never sitting on an uneven surface. Even if the bat is not sitting flat the bat itself is flat and the weight of the bowl is not enough to warp it. I have had larger pots warp due to sitting on an uneven surface on a thin bat.

[@jeennienickolls2341]

What type rib do you use? soft rubber?

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Wooden ribs for the most part. At times I will use a hard rubber rib.

[@greyarea779]

Fanominal...I dont do facebook only youtube...how can I catch your occasional live streaming?

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

I haven’t live streamed in a while but when I do it will be on KZbin. You can click the notification button on my channel o be notified about videos and live streams.

[@Trinitysnana]

Great video! Love the different angles and the sound was fantastic. What are the measurements when wet?

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Should be 3in tall and 8in wide. I removed my gauge for filming purposes but that’s the size I normally make them.

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Thanks for the input on the audio. I have a mic for my phone now but still a struggle to balance it all.

[@jfro515]

So you threw this starting with just one pound of clay?!

[@bmsohal1]

What is the weight of clay.?

[@meredithinserra4670]

He said it's one pound of clay.

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

Thanks

[@KittyKarenpoo]

Very inspiring, watching you crank those out. I think I can't wait until covid is over, so I can get out and try my hand at it, now that I can at least see the process. The hands, feel, experience, etc., are another matter. Thanks for the videos. Oh, and incidentally, has anybody ever told you that you look and sound a lot like Les Claypool? It took me a few videos to figure that out. Well, Les is the master of bass, and you are the master of the bass of the earth, so karma. Here's Les playing his song, MUD (how appropriate is that?) kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4vTaIdvbLBlmbc

[@hyearchuleta9990]

Why not show how you remove it off the bat and also trim

[@debbiewilsomn4314]

3 x 8 for real????

[@shuvalassaf]

Thats an Abomination, haha.

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

LOL. I’m waiting for all the thumbs downs

[@MatthewKellyPottery]

I assume that throwing a bowl that looks trimmed when it is not shows quite a bit of skill and while some take 15 min to trim a foot I’ll make 5 more bowls. Haha

[@shuvalassaf]

@@MatthewKellyPottery I agree with you, it is very beautiful, just hard to swallow that. 😁