My 10 Best Hand Building Tips - INCLUDES FREE TEMPLATES!!

[@beckyrutledge4235]

How to get the templates

[@LittleStreetPottery]

Templates are in the description section.

[@kathrynbechtold8899]

@@LittleStreetPottery TEMPLATES

[@annruel1982]

@@kathrynbechtold8899 Kathryn, look under the video at the description section and you will find the link. Have fun!!

[@marianharris6260]

There is no description section. Help!!

[@heidishink5463]

Where is the description section??

[@kathleenfreeman1696]

I love watching you work. Thanks for another wonderful tutorial. The leave plate is amazing and your artwork is gorgeous.

[@walkerpottery9296-Natalie]

Such helpful tips guys! I would love for you to demonstrate how you draw such perfect little bees, hummingbirds and flowers! Thank you so much for creating such knowledgeable content. 💜

[@sammi-joreviews1135]

IKR?! 💕They are adorable.

[@LittleStreetPottery]

I have a couple vids on painting and STAY TUNED, this week we are working on another painting vid!

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

All of those found pieces are great! The Dollar General and The Goodwill seem to be good places to look. You sure do make some lovely artwork with them. ❤️🤗🐝

[@susydegiuli2347]

Beautiful pieces with very interesting decorations. Thank you again Ann for showing in detail how to make them.

[@chamanlal1883]

Your all piece of pottery’s are mesmerizing Your languid is simple but effective and easily understandable You are really really great

[@deeashford2456]

Thank you for this from a beginner!! Your instructions are so helpful and detailed and I appreciate watching how gentle your hands are with the clay.

[@LittleStreetPottery]

I'm so glad!

[@deeo3926]

Thank you, fantastic tutorial. Summarized excellently!!!!

[@eildonn]

I am so grateful for you sharing your talents. Your a great teacher.

[@annruel1982]

Aw....that is so sweet Eileen.Thank you so much for watching. Happy potting to you,

[@fruitlessbeast]

Now 112 likes, but it deserves many many more.

[@staceybrister1315]

Hello! Your work is so very beautiful! I really love how you decorate them too! Just wow; and I hope that I'll be able to make some beautiful pieces as well. I'm just getting started with my daughter and her girlfriend. Soon we will be taking our first load to be bisque fired. It's pretty exciting. I hope at least some of our stuff turns out well. Can you tell me why you prefer to use porcelain? Thank you for sharing and helping people. You are a gem :-)

[@maryannrogers8550]

Thanks, as always for all your useful information. You have such magical fingers. No matter how much I try, my seams are always so visible.

[@annruel1982]

Aww...thanks Mary Ann. Seams can be quite tricky for sure. I have faith in you!! Dont give up. 🙂

[@neilahalter9663]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. It helps alot

[@koreanature]

My best friend, Enjoyed watching this video my friend Really awesome views Thank you Stay connected

[@sammi-joreviews1135]

I need to head back to Lowe’s today & hope nobody found the two bird feeder platforms that were on the clearance aisle. Of all the shapes in the world, they were BOTH leaf shaped! I pondered on getting them for 20mins. I only left them there after running across a 2-pack of led bulbs that can be screwed into the light bulb fixture in my little studio barn. The bulbs are Wi-Fi connected & are able to be turned on/off from home digital assistants. Once the bulbs are changed out, I’ll be able to turn the (overhead) lights on before walking out there & turn on when I’m back in the house. The hard plastic seed feed platforms with the center bar and hook were like $2 each.

[@BostonBaby1000]

Free templates, yay! 🎉 Thanks, Anne. Beautiful work.

[@GiselaGibbon]

Brilliant channel, brilliant tips, so good, thanks, Ann!

[@fernandapuba]

Hi! I love watching your tutorials, which I do very frequent since I started pottery in Jul 21. Love your calm way when dealing with clay. I just have one question: how do I do to print the templates? I am having lots of difficulty. Thank you very much for teaching us so beautifully!

[@LittleStreetPottery]

Most people just do a screen shot and size on their printer accordingly. 95% of my templates fit on a 8.5 x 11" paper. Good luck!

[@suzannewallcraft8826]

I love your videos. There is no link to the templates. Could you please add it or send it some other way?

[@carolynpollack1083]

Hi. Thank you for some great tips 👍

[@franhenry1719]

I learn so much from you! Many thanks!

[@simoneholmdahl8437]

Such great tips! Thank you!❤

[@micheledickey4066]

Great tips! As always of course!! I have yet to make an oval piece by hand, I have only used push molds to do them. Thanks so very much for sharing all you do. I just suggested to my sister that the next time she’s in town that I walk her through making a few pots! This will be helpful. I found a glass leaf bowl at a thrift store and did the same thing you did!! It had quite a bit of texture so I used a thicker slab than I usually would. It is my absolute favorite piece I’ve ever made! I LOVE LEAVES!! I also use many other glass pieces that have the texture on the back for hump molds. They are so much fun!!! How may I ask did you make the black and white leaves on the oval dish??

[@annruel1982]

Great ideas Michele. Thanks for sharing. that is so nice that you will share your knowledge with your sister. Maybe she will get excited about pottery too. As far as the slabs go, I didnt want to make them too thick as I was afraid the piece would be too heavy, so I just add extra clay pieces to the most vulnerable areas, but both ways will work well. Good thinking. As far as how I did he black/ white gingko leaves, I painted the top section and the bottom section black, then used a stylus to carve the leaves into the clay. Then over the white sections I filled in the carved ditches with black underglaze. Does that make sense.

[@micheledickey4066]

@@annruel1982 I’m glad they are helpful. Your ginkgo leaves were so perfect I absolutely thought they were decals! Lol. My gosh you have absolutely beautiful style in all you do. Thanks again!!

[@annruel1982]

@@micheledickey4066 Oh, I see, I dont do a lot of decals except if I am demonstrating for a video 🙂 Maybe I will do a video of me demonstrating how I created that particular pattern. Thank you for the idea. .....and thank you so much for your kind words. 🙂🙂🙂

[@lorirosner9763]

Hi Ann. I am new to handbuilding. I was surprised you removed the form before cutting all the excess clay away. I was thinking keeping the form in place (upside down) would have ensured a more accurate trim of the edge. Did I miss something?

[@lorirosner9763]

Me again! I was referring to the maple leaf form in my initial comment 🤦 I just re-watched the video and saw the rim on the form. The way you finished it (without a rim) is much nicer. Thanks for making these videos. They are always helpful.

[@annruel1982]

@@lorirosner9763 Hey Lori. You re right. That form had a rim on it that I couldnt quite make out hwen it was upside down, but it left a nice impression that when I turned it over, then I could go ahead and make the cuts. I did try to cut it upside down, but it didnt work as. well as cutting the rim right side up. Good eyes to catch that. Thanks so much for watching Lori. Im so glad you are enjoying the videos. We put a lot of work into them 🙂

[@1021gogreen]

These are great! Is the clay leather hard or soft when you're wrapping/connecting the mug?

[@LittleStreetPottery]

Soft porcelain right from the block!

[@bearhandsartfactory5716]

I’ve really been struggling to stop my mugs warping. Thanks for the tips. I did follow the link for your templates but they just come up as photos of the template. Is there a way to print them on my printer? I really like that mug shape.

[@LittleStreetPottery]

Yes, they are photos of the templates - most folks just print them out and adjust the size on their printer settings.

[@sabineseidel9797]

Thank you so much! ❤

[@embee7434]

Your templates are wonderful, but it remains your clay that I long for! It looks like such a delight to work with. Or maybe the magic is you. 🤔

[@jennycaldwell1]

Do you have any advice about how long to keep the clay on the mold? I have trouble timing it. If I take it off too soon, it sags and loses shape. Too late and it cracks from shrinkage.

[@LittleStreetPottery]

I let the clay set up a little before using it on the mold - its all clay dependent, but my porcelain takes a couple hours to set up - not quite leather hard.

[@Pisceanratsun]

Loving this!!

[@jules6731]

Hi, thank you! How do you make sure your clay doesn’t dry out? Mine gets super dry just as I roll it. If I make coils it takes minutes for them to dry out

[@LittleStreetPottery]

what kind of clay are you using? So many factors like clay type, humidity in your area/work space etc.

[@anavias8184]

THANK YOU!!

[@enough2715]

Really awesome!

[@gloriarodrigueznunez7133]

Muchas gracias ❤❤

[@lindamarxer9156]

Hello, I am creating the templates for the Frustum Cup with Recessed Bottom. I noticed that the template for the top arc is missing a dimension. The overall length is 8 3/4 inches, but how thick are the sides? They look to be about an inch thick but I don't want to just guess. Much thanks!

[@LittleStreetPottery]

Yes! 1" will work. Love to see them when you finish!

[@deborahbrown6476]

Thanks!

[@LittleStreetPottery]

Thanks Deborah (again!) - we really appreciate the support!

[@phyllissommers7214]

What is the best clay to use for handbuilding?

[@LittleStreetPottery]

That is very open for debate. I like porcelain because of its smoothness and ability to paint on it. However, I recommend beginners to try using a more groggy clay (stoneware) as its more robust than porcelain. There is not really a clear answer - check out our Porcelain vs. Stoneware video, that may help you decide.

[@Gingy50]

Thanks

[@LittleStreetPottery]

Thank you so much for your support - we really appreciate it! Welcome to the team!

[@kathleenfreeman1696]

Hi Anne, when attempting to download the templates I get the following message, download link expired. I hate to ask because you are so generous with your time, but is it possible to to update the link? Thank you

[@annruel1982]

Hi Kathleen. Thanks for letting me know. Huh, I didnt know that an Imgur link could expire. I hadnt heard that. Actually, i am terrible with technology but I think the way that people have been getting the templates is to screenshot the pictures then print that out.. Will that work for you?

[@kathleenfreeman1696]

@@annruel1982 Thanks for replying Ann. So, I printed out the templates and I'll have to use a compass to get the correct sizes, but I think it will work. Thank you.

[@annruel1982]

@@kathleenfreeman1696 I wouldnt go to the trouble of using a compass to resize...... I only put the sizes on the template pieces because a lot of people ask me to put those on there, but then they print the pieces out and make them bigger or smaller to the size they want anyway. It might be that whatever size you printed the pieces out will fit together without any reshaping. Give them a try first before going to all that trouble. i wish I knew how to use some of those fancier template software programs but for now, this is the only way I know to get them to you. 🙂 (Im much better at pottery, haha)

[@kathleenfreeman1696]

@@annruel1982 Hi again, I thought that I had replied to your last message, but I don't see it. I will take your advice and can't thank you enough for your generosity with your time. You are an amazing instructor and I would much rather watch you work than see you waste time battling technology. Thanks

[@annruel1982]

@@kathleenfreeman1696 Haha, watching me battle technology is something that is probably not appropriate for a G rated show for sure 🙂 Thanks Kathleen for watching and good luck with your pottery endeavors .

[@sammi-joreviews1135]

Where is the best place to find banding wheels that are decent quality while also being affordable?

[@LittleStreetPottery]

Good question - I use the Shempo (link is description) and its about $100 but its so well made I dont anticipate ever having to buy another one. Ive had cheap ones and you end up spending money in the long run. There are some decent ones on Amazon for around $25 but I'd make sure they are all metal and have a heavy base. Perhaps others on this post will have some good ideas.

[@martycugelman4760]

Where can I buy the plastic matts with concentric circles ?

[@LittleStreetPottery]

Check the description for link - thanks!

[@franhenry1719]

PS I just ran thru far too much ink printing a template. Can you eliminate the color on future templates?

[@LittleStreetPottery]

good to know - thanks..

[@annruel1982]

Hey Fran, when you go to print the picture, on my computer I have the option to print it out in either color or ---black and white? does yours have that? Will that help? Thank you so much for watching and have fun making these :-)

[@franhenry1719]

@@annruel1982 Yes, but color comes out black or gray

[@annruel1982]

@@franhenry1719 That should work for the templates you are printing, right. It can be black or gray I would think and you can save your colored ink. 🙂

[@marlenepiccolo-salvatore9623]

how do i find the free template

[@LittleStreetPottery]

in the description. Lots of good info there. Good luck.

[@deeo3926]

@@LittleStreetPottery the pictures of the templates came up but not in a form that could be printed. Is there a way to get them PDF?

[@peggylubke213]

Where are the templates, please?

[@LittleStreetPottery]

In the description - thanks.

[@FunDumb]

Pottery pitfalls! Yuk

[@sassysheila302]

Thanks

[@frankier9784]

Thanks!

[@LittleStreetPottery]

Thank you for your support - we really appreciate it! Welcome to the LSPRF Team!

[@nimirnn2293]

Thanks

[@dawnpierangeli9304]

Thanks!

[@LittleStreetPottery]

Thank you Dawn - we really appreciate your support - Welcome to the LSPRF Team!