6 Free Professional Ceramics Tutorials for Beginners

From creating a simple clay vase to glazing techniques, learn how to master ceramics with some help from the experts

One of the oldest manmade materials, pottery has been used for centuries for making household objects, building houses, storing food and drink, and even recording stories—the ancient Greeks used vases and ceramic pieces to keep their stories and mythology alive (this is why it is so common to find pottery in archaeological excavations to this day).

There's so much you can create using simple materials and techniques that hold great cultural and emotional value.

In this article, we've put together a list of seven tutorials from ceramics professionals to help you start practicing easy-to-learn techniques at home. At the end of the post, you'll also find two tops tips for decorating your pieces.

You can watch the videos in the post below and click on the red titles for more information.

Ceramic Tutorial: Basic Glaze Technique

Nuria Blanco (@nb_1980) is a multidisciplinary artist who turns plates and tableware into hand-painted works of art. A reference for other Spanish artists, her works have been exhibited in all kinds of galleries and international fairs; they've also been featured by the likes of Vogue, AD, and El País.

In this tutorial, she teaches us the basic glazing technique to seal your drawings onto your ceramics and (importantly) make your pieces food-safe.

Ceramic Tutorial: How To Make A Pinch Pot At Home

Ceramist Lily Maetzig (@mae_ceramics) runs her ceramics business, Mae Ceramics, from South East London. She fell in love with ceramics after attending art school in New Zealand and brought her business with her when she moved to the UK in 2016. From her studio, Lily specializes in creating handmade functional ceramics for everyday use, featuring her signature minimal style with sharp lines and a limited color palette.

In this tutorial, she teaches you how to create a pinch pot from scratch using minimal resources. Pinch pots are an easy way to create ceramics from home that have an authentic, handmade look.

Ceramics Tutorial: How to Create a Simple Clay Vase

Creating your own pottery is a fun idea, but it often requires a daunting amount of equipment—from a wheel to a kiln. However, it doesn't have to be that way.

Taught by Sandra Apperloo (@thepotteryparade), this easy clay vase technique allows you to dispense with the potter’s wheel. The Dutch potter, who created the brand The Pottery Parade, has also crafted a series of techniques designed to make pottery more accessible.

Ceramics Tutorial: How to Add Texture to Your Plant Pots

Ceramic plant pots are beautiful decorative pieces that (combined with gorgeous plants) add life and color to your home, office, or any interior. But, did you know you can make elegant pots from the comfort of your own home?

Founder of creative studio La Pomona (@lapomonamx), Mónica Oceja is a designer and potter who loves plants. She cares for her greenery by designing ceramic pots that support the shape and needs of each. In this tutorial, Mónica teaches you how to decorate or add texture to your pots using simple tools to give your creations plenty of character.

Ceramic Tutorial: How to Make a Rock-shaped Flower Pot from Clay

Bas (@xenia_bas) is a ceramic artist and the co-founder of Bas, a ceramic workshop in Barcelona. She likes to think that a good flower pot not only houses and provides support to a plant, but also enhances its beauty.

One of the simplest and most practical forms you can give to a flower pot with clay is a rock. As well as being easy to mould by hand, it gives a lovely finish and allows many variations—as Xènia will show us in this tutorial.

Ceramics Tutorial: Painting Your Final Piece

A helpful way of making sure your design fits your ceramics is to design it directly onto a piece. This technique is especially ideal for 3D objects as it gives a true idea of the finish our work will have and allows us to design to scale straight onto complicated works.

Creator of the brand CHICHINABO INC (@chichinabo_inc), Patricia Lázaro teaches us step by step how to design onto our ceramic pieces and then how to transfer that design to paper to digitize it later.

Ceramic decorating tips

Now that you've delved into the world of making ceramics, explore this craft even further by learning two top tricks to make your pieces even stand out:

How to Choose a Ceramic Piece to Decorate

Whatever the craft, creating pieces packed with style and personality makes them stand out. And decorating your ceramics is one way of leaving your mark on everyday objects.

But can you decorate any piece? Designer Patricia Lázaro, founder of Madrid-based atelier Chichinabo Inc, shares her tips for different pieces you can design with ceramic decals.

Fill Your Ceramics With Color With This Simple Marbling Technique

The creation and personalization of ceramic pieces go beyond modeling—although this is an essential part. The overall shape of the piece is completed by the decorative touches we apply, and using glazing techniques often results in a more attractive finish.

One of the simplest glazing techniques is marbling, with which we can use a few colors and some heat to create something exciting. To help you master the marbling technique, ceramicist Paula Casella Biase (@paulacasellabiase) explains her technique in the video below.

Did you like these tutorials? Find out all about ceramics with the Domestika coursesdedicated to this ancient craft.

English version by @acesarato.

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