If you're living in the U.S., you're probably wondering who the hell Cheryl Cole is, and whether or not "X Factor" is some sort of porn star competition. Well, "X Factor" happens to be the UK version of "American Idol," produced by our lovable teddy bear Simon Cowell.
In this 2 part how-to video, Simon Leach, who normally shows you how to make pottery, instead shows you something else. In this tutorial, Leach shows you how to make and build a small propane downdraft kiln. Follow along with Simon Leach, and you too could be building your own kiln in your backyard.
In this free video keyboard lesson, you'll learn how to play Carly Simon's "Coming Around Again" on the piano. While this lesson is geared toward beginners, intermediate and advanced players are certain to take something away as well. Watch this tutorial to get started playing "Coming Around Again" by Carly Simon!
Master potter Simon Leach is so good at what he does because he follows his own advice: practice, practice, practice! In this tutorial by Simon Leach, you'll watch Leach as he throws and sculpts a very pretty textured tea bowl. Using his fingers to help mold the tall form, Leach skillfully applies a lower rim and then adds a criss cross pattern by slapping a textured mold onto the pot's side.
If you've created the ceramic version of Michelangelo's "David" and want to preserve the work as well as let others know the pottery piece as the product of your own two hands, then watch this video by Simon Leach to learn how to create a ceramic seal.
A Shino glaze is an umbrella term for a category of pottery glazes that range in color from milky white to orange and even charcoal gray. Chino glazes add a very pretty luster to pottery pieces and are made using a carbon trap, or trapping carbon in the glaze during kiln firing.
This excellent three part series takes you from beginning to end on how to make ceramic coggles, or small wheels. You'll learn how to properly spin your glan, glaze your result, as well as how to properly light your kiln. This series is great for any ceramic student, at any level.
Simon Leach from Simon Leach Ceramics provides some great workshop footage on preparing to glaze Raku ceramic pots. This tutorial video provides answers on the beauty and function of Raku pots, as well as some great ideas for home decoration. Simon walks you through the process of glazing these pots, including important specifics about proper materials and methods, easy recipes for making your materials and tools at home, as well as common mistakes that you should avoid when glazing your cera...
Making a round clay vase on a wheel that will hang properly in a corner may sound like a challenge, but with Simon Leach to teach you, even an amateur at-home potter should be able to complete this ceramics project. If you want to avoid griping like he does throughout this video, make sure not to use a plastic bat!
In this video, ceramic artist Simon Leach demonstrates and shows you two different faceting techniques, when potting. The first technique is complete shaving to add more dimension to, your ashtray or small bowl. The second is a half way shave, for a different yet fun look to your pots.
So you've got your clay thrown on your kiln and you're molding and sculpting away with those busy fingers. The charger you envisioned making in your mind is finally taking shape...sort of. While the general flat plate shape is appearing, there's a noticeable lack of contours and it looks rather flat.
Simon Leach has taught us a lot about ceramics and pottery in his many videos. In this concise one he demonstrates for all you at-home potters out there how to make a 3 kilogram (6 pound 10 ounce) flowerpot on the wheel. As you can see at the end of the video, that is a pretty large pot. If you can throw this, you are well on your way to being an advanced ceramics enthusiast.
In this acoustic guitar tutorial, you'll learn how to play the introductions to two popular songs, "Feelin' Groovy" by Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel and "Run to You" by Bryan Adams. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate and advanced guitarists, players of all skill levels can play along. Watch this lesson to get started playing "Feelin' Groovy" and "Run to You" on your guitar!
Watch this instructional ceramics video to learn how to throw a wide bowl with Simon Leach. As a preliminary step, one should throw a flat piece of clay onto the pad to assure easy lifting off of the bat. Centering is quite difficult with a larger piece of clay. Leach's visual guide allows one to view the delicate steps required to throw a wide ceramic bowl without letting it collapse.
In this clip, we learn how to throw a small, 7.5 inch-wide ceramic kitchen bowl with a pouring lip using two pounds of clay. If you're interested in making this bowl yourself, or just want to learn more about ceramics, watch this video guide from Simon Leach.
Adding slips to your vases gives them a subtle artistic flair without detracting from the beauty of the flowers within. Simon Leach is here to teach you how to add a white slip to your ceramics, using the wall vases that he has been working on as examples. You may not be able to do it so effortlessly, but as Simon always says, keep practicing!
Raku pottery artist Simon Leach feels that while most people who work with ceramics are taught how to make them, very few are taught how to decorate them. Simon will show you how to draw inspiration from your ceramic pots that will lead you to the perfect decorations. He shows you both how to decorate a ceramic pot in order to enhance its shape, while also showing you that sometimes it is the decoration that truly makes a ceramic pot special.
Simon Leach shows us how to throw a large bowl.
Simon Leach shows us how to fire Raku.
Simon Leach shows us how to quick trim bud vases.
Simon Leach shows us how to trim a plate.
Simon Leach shows us how to throw a plate.
Simon Leach shows us the technique for making an incense burner, to hang on the wall
Simon Leach shows us how to decorate pots.
Simon Leach shows us how to flute a bowl.
Simon Leach shows us how to knead and ball clay.
Simon Leach shows us how to throw a flan dish.
Simon Leach shows us how to sieve red clay.
Simon Leach shows us how to throw a juicer.
Simon Leach shows us how to reclaim clay.
Simon Leach shows us how to decorate mugs with a design
Simon Leach shows us how to paint bands on mugs
When it comes to the quality of a photo, lighting can make or break it. Too much light, and your subject looks washed out. Too little, and you can't even tell what your subject is.
In this video by Simon Leach, we learn how to fit a lamp base into pottery with Simon Leach. First, you will take the lamp base that has all the wires inside of it. From here, you will wire the cables through the proper fittings for the light. Then, you need to put a hole in the bottom of the lamp base so you can string the light base through and then place the light bulb on top. When you are finished, the pottery can sit on top of the base and then you can add a light shade to finish up the ...
Think you're done with your ceramics project because you've thrown your vase and fired it in a kiln? Think again. While you've done great so far, firing a pot is only half the battle. In order to make a piece of pottery truly spectacular and professional looking, it's vital to add a coat or two of glaze.
We're not going to lie to you: Creating pottery is a long, arduous, and intense process. But After you throw your charger, come back to reshape offset parts, fire the charger, and then glaze it, you have yourself a homemade work of art you will treasure for a lifetime. In other words, all the hard work you put into pottery is worth it!
When your clay is too tough and not malleable beneath your fingertips, you've got trouble. Pottery, after all, requires smoothe and flexible clay that can be molded into any shape you desire.
Would you rather be a sparrow than a snail? Learn how to play Simon & Garfunkel's version of "El Cóndor Pasa," a popular Andean folk tune, on your ukulele with this free video ukulele lesson from Ukulele Mike. Whether you play the ukulele or bass kazoo, there is no better way to improve your chops than by learning to play your favorite songs. Not only is it more fun and much easier than running drills or memorizing a chord book by wrote, it's obviously also a wonderful way to build your reper...
This instructional ceramics video will show you how to throw a large tiered bowl with expert, Simon Leach. Leach provides some of the delicate visuals needed to throw a large clay bowl. It is important to keep the clay evenly moist as you add the tiers. You may have to go back later to attempt to even out the balance of your tiered ceramic pot.
Taking photos in the dark or in low-light settings can be tricky. Just using your normal flash can make your subject look washed out, but not using it can result in a totally dark photo with no subject at all.
