Pottery Tutorial- How to Open a Pot and Pull the Walls (Throwing, part 2.)

Welcome back to our 3 part series on Throwing! In part 2 we will show you how to open your pot and pull the walls up into a simple cylinder. If you are trying throwing for the first time or you are a beginner, we recommend that you start with 1 Lb. (one pound) of clay and gradually work your way up to larger weights if that's your goal. 1 Lb. is a great weight to start off with! Once you can comfortably throw 1 Lb. , increase by increments of 1/4 of a pound until you get up to your desired weight.
Music by Bensound.com

[@penknee4yrthoughts]

Been at this for 1 month. And I will tell you this is one of the best to the point videos I've seen.

[@potteryplus]

Hi Liza! I'm so glad you found the video helpful. One of our goals is to keep our videos short and to the point, so this is wonderful feedback. Thanks for watching!

[@jchemotti]

Thanks so much, this was concise and to the point. And I really like the spray bottle tip because I use way too much water and that adjustment will really help me!

[@denisenoble4010]

Always god to go back to basics, there are so many little things that need to happen and when you do them all together it works a treat and leads to less oops moments later on, I've been doing a class once a week, since forever and every now and then things don't go to plan, last Thursday was my day to hit every bump in the road to project cylinder. So for the last couple of days I've watched videos like this to remind myself of all the parts that are important in their own way but pulling together, no pun intended, when they come together it works in your favour and the start follows through to the end a d a new cylinder shape is born. So your video, beautifully broken down and put back together on the journey upwards was a must watch for me, your show and tell format worked for me. Cant wait to get back to class to try again. Thankyou 🎉😊

[@potteryplus]

Wow Denise, thank you for sharing! What a beautiful description of the process of throwing! I'm so glad the channel can be a part of your journey. Keep us updated on your progress. I would love to hear how your next class goes. Thanks for watching and for the kind words ❤️

[@stevej.6004]

i have to tell you, 1st, im eachin my self with yooutube how to do this. never took an actuasl class, i have watched sooooooooo many different videos on centering/opening/pulling a wall. i have went through over 100lbs of clay and i ot the centering and opening part down, for the life of me, i couldnt figure out why everytime i pull a wall, i end up with a bowl. until now, your video. at about the 6min 45 sec mark, finally someone told me why. thank you soooooo much, now i wont keep wasting clay.

[@potteryplus]

So glad the video was helpful for you Steve! What you're experiencing is very common. Try leaning towards the center of the pot when you're trying to pull the walls straight up, it might help. If you're through 100 lbs. of clay already, you are well on your way to getting control of your clay. Keep potting!

[@user-Jazz1boy]

Thanks for teaching me how to open and pull

[@potteryplus]

Thank YOU for leaving this comment! I'm so so happy I could help!

[@SalTrevino]

Great video, thank you

[@potteryplus]

Thanks for watching Sal!

[@laurenstacy6269]

Kara you are so great at these videos! I love watching them 💖

[@potteryplus]

Thank you Lauren!!! I love that you're watching, that makes me happy 🥰

[@monawirth8076]

very helpful this video....thank you from germany

[@potteryplus]

Thanks for watching Mona! I am so glad you found it helpful!

[@TheMarnaiz]

Thank you. This was really useful.

[@potteryplus]

Thanks for watching! So glad you found it helpful!

[@a.d1806]

This is so helpful

[@potteryplus]

Thanks for watching!

[@louella2765]

Thank you Karen! This was really helpful for a beginner like me :) May I ask when pinching the walls up, should I be putting some force inwards on the outer fingers? Thanks!

[@potteryplus]

Hi Iris! Thank you so much for watching and commenting! I am actually Kara, not Karen☺️ And, yes, you will apply some pressure with the outer fingers as you move up the wall. The pressure should be about even between your hands except maybe during the initial pull/s when you're working the bulk of the clay up from the very bottom. At that point you might be applying more pressure to the inside bottom of the pot, but otherwise try to keep it pretty even. I'm so glad the video was helpful for you!

[@annewatkis5824]

Hi Kara, I can centre and open BUT honestly, the pulling seems to be beyond me! How much pressure should I be using between my fingers to pull up? Very light, barely any pressure or more like pinching an ear lobe!? Thank you x

[@FlavouredWater]

Hey I am struggling finding a specific clay to buy as a beginner. Most of what I am reading describes a good clay but finding a listing with that vauge information is hard (maybe just for me lol). Are you able to recommend one? thanks :D Loved the video, it was easy to follow and helpful.

[@potteryplus]

Hello! The brand of clay you purchase doesn't matter so much but there are some qualities I recommend for beginners, especially on the wheel. A stoneware or stoneware blend (which will have iron in it so there will be some speckling in the final product) with grog is great for when you're learning. Grog gives a bit of a gritty texture which helps your clay not to collapse on the wheel or when hand-building. I have always liked Laguna cone 10 Stoney White! Stonewares come in lots of different shades which can be kind of fun as well. Thank you so much for watching! Glad you found it helpful.

[@ianhawk5888]

This post is old so not sure you’ll get this. What would be the common price for the pot once it’s finished?

[@potteryplus]

Hey Ian! I get notifications any time someone comments so even if the video is old I can still answer questions! I would typically turn a pot like this into a mug. Depending on the surface design of a mug I would say a common price range would be $25 to $50. But there are many factors to consider when pricing so please take that as just a starting point. I actually made a video about pricing not too long ago if you would like more information! Thank you for watching!

[@growaway3321]

For funzies

[@barnabeadriaens3703]

Mozes? the guy from the bible thing?

[@potteryplus]

Hey Barnabe! Oh yeah! It's just like that bible guy thing!