Even the best potters don't always get a perfectly finished vase, pot, or jar immediately after throwing. In fact, it's actually quite common for a potter to go back over his work and trim off or reshape the uneven parts to achieve a balanced finish. This is precisely what master potter Simon Leach does in this pottery video.
Watch this instructional ceramics video to learn how to trim a large tiered bowl with Simon Leach. With a thin bowl, one needs to be careful when balancing the upside-down bowl on the bat. Leach trims each individual tier with a large trimming tool. The large and possibly wobbly ceramic bowl can become once again even and graceful with some adventurous trimming. As we can see from the trimming process, when throwing a tiered bowl, it helps to leave some extra bulk.
Watch this instructional video with ceramics expert Simon Leach to learn how to trim and glaze Hakeme tea bowls. Leach uses a groggy, toothy clay which contains high iron content. He then adds a white clay slip with Hakeme grass brushes, which provides a thin layer of natural white clay texture, using a scratching technique. The white slip should be applied when the clay is still quite soft. The striking effect of Hakeme ceramics becomes more apparent as the clay dries.
Simon Leach shows us an easy way to center your clay on the wheel
Simon Leach shows us how to decorate a little pitcher.
According to a recent survey, many of us work to live rather than live to work. That may explain the lack of satisfaction that most workers report at their jobs. While little job satisfaction can be attributed to a number of causes (horrible boss, bad pay, bad hours, etc.), there is first and foremost the prime mover. Many people are stuck at a job they don't want, sadly.
So after much hard labor and patience, you've finally thrown your first vase, fired it carefully in the kiln, and let it harden to a fine finish. What to do next in your pottery making journey? While a beautiful vase is a beautiful vase no matter the finish or color, applying a glaze is like putting on makeup: sure, you don't NEED it, but having it on dramatically improves and accentuates your features, making cheekbones more sculpted, eyes wider and brighter, and lips more well defined. In t...
Are you a budding potter who's looking for a skilled tutor but can't afford taking pricey classes every week? Then watch this kiln conversion tutorial by master potter Simon Leach.
It's not as easy to walk in high heels as you think, girls! Shoetube.tv host Stephanie Simons shows you how to own the cat walk and turn heads. Learn how to walk in high heels like a supermodel by watching this video tutorial.
In this video, Simon Leach steps away from his wheel for a few minutes to teach potters everywhere how to make a "hakeme" brush at home out of basic items. This brush can then be used to slip decorate your pottery and other ceramics.
A terra cotta slip can add flair and durability to any pot that you've made at home, and also allow you to make up for inconsistencies in the composition of your clay. This video from Simon Leach shows you how to apply just such a terra cotta slip to a clay pot, an important technique to improve you pottery and ceramics skills.
Simon Blunt is here with a recipe for stuffed chicken breast that is sure to fill you up and leave you satisfied! The process is easy and the results are fantastic. It's basically as simple as getting the ham and cheese into the chicken breast and then letting the magic happen. This video will show you how to cook chicken breast with parma ham and mozzerella.
Make a hungry belly pleased with this recipe by chef, Simon Rimmer for creamy fish pie. In this cooking video, Rimmer makes a luscious Halibut pie with additional prawns and mini capers, the pie being topped with a layer of crisp sweet potatoes... Perfect for fall!
In this song tutorial, you'll learn how to play the introductions to two popular songs, "The Needle and the Damage Done" by Neil Young and "Homeward Bound" by Simon & Garfunkel. 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 "The Needle and the Damage Done" and "Homeward Bound" on your guitar!
In this acoustic guitar tutorial, you'll learn how to play the introductions to "Across the Universe," by the Beatles, and "Scarborough Fair," as performed by Simon & Garfunkel. 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 "Across the Universe" and "Scarborough Fair" on your guitar!
Simon Leach shows us how to throw a small mixing bowl in this video series. Part 1 of 2 - How to Throw a small mixing bowl.
Simon Leach shows us how to make a goblet, in this series of videos. Part 1 of 2 - How to Make a goblet.
Simon Leach of Simon Leach Ceramics shows how to finish a lidded box, thrown on a potter's wheel. When cutting into the box, make sure to do so with a cut slanting downwards so that the lid is less prone to falling off. Proceed to smooth off the exterior of the box, beginning where the two halves meet. Once the outside is smoothed, the fit of the two parts is probably not perfect, and so the joint between the two can be smoothed off. Carved features such as scalloped footing may now be added....
Watch skilled potter, Simon Leach, give his expert instructions on how to glaze a set of tea bowls. He also suggests some household supplies which can be used to embellish your ceramics when the clay is still soft, such as a bolt or a comb. This glaze is a combination of Scotland Hills red mud, feldspar and wood ash. He also uses white clay slip on some of the pots. This is a process wear one glazes the tea bowls while the clay is still semi-soft.
Sculpting a fine piece of pottery, whether it's a gorgeously curvy vase for your peonies or a wide, copious plate you'll use for parties, takes numerous hours of practice and fine tuning your method.
Getting children under the age of 6 to do anything is a bit of a challenge, especially when you have a bunch of them in one place. This video teaches one great technique for youth sports coaches to motivate the kids, playing Simon Says. A simple game, but one that has great teaching potential when applied to a youth soccer practice, or any other youth sports practice. Can be used on older kids as well, but perhaps less effectively.
Simon Leach gets back to basic in this installment of his ceramics instruction video series. He teaches you first how to find places todig clay, then how to apply a red iron oxide slip to some flower pots he's working on. Multiple lessons in one video! This one is sure to teach you some interesting new pottery techinques.
Simon Leach, the worldwide leader in free bilingual ceramics instruction, spends this installment of his video series first kneading clay in preperation for potting, then throws said clay into some flower pots on his wheel. Pottery lessons at their finest.
This Simon Leach video features him demonstrating to potters everywhere how to sieve a white slip that he will use later to adorn some clay vases that he has thrown previously. Slips can really make your pots distinctive, but be subtle! You don't want them to take attention away from the flower that the pots are for.
Simon Leach is in the house, or rather on his deck, teaching us how to fashion and then attach handles to ceramic hanging wall vases he threw previously. If you make pottery, and want to attach your ceramic works to your wall, this video will show you how to do it.
Simon Leach's series of high-quality pottery videos marches on. In this installment he teaches us how to dry some high-quality clay that he has just acquired from a cement works, and also how to decorate some hanging clay wall pots he made in a previous installment.
If you are a homemade ceramics enthustiast, chances are at some point you've thrown a pot where the bottom has come out too thin. This video from Simon Leach teaches you how to throw a false bottom for just such a pot so that the precious time you've invested into th piece of pottery doesn't go to waste.
Any prolific potter will know that fitting all of you creations into your electric kiln can be like putting a jigsaw puzzle together, except the pieces are pieces of your heart. This handy video from Simon Leach offers advice on techniques for and a demonstration of packing your kiln properly to avoid damaging any of your precious pots while still firing them successfully.
In this three-part how-to from everyone's favorite potter (wizard children notwithstanding), Simon Leach talks about the process of building a small raku kiln. For insight into Mr. Leach's kiln-building process, watch this helpful how-to.
Simon Leach shows us how to make a bell out of clay.
Simon leach shows us how to paint with a brush on a piece of pottery.
Simon Leach shows us how to light a small kiln.
Simon Leach shows us how to put scrafitto on a bud vase.
Simon Leach shows us how to turn a narrow footed bowl.
Simon Leach shows us how to throw a small bud vase.
Simon leach shows us how to throw a pestle and mortar, in this series of videos. Part 1 of 3 - How to Throw a pestle and mortar.
Simon Leach shows us how to repeat the process of throwing bowls, in this series of videos. Part 1 of 3 - How to Repeat throwing bowls.
Simon Leach shows us how to throw a curvy bowl, in this series. Part 1 of 2 - How to Throw a curvy bowl.
Simon Leach shows us how to repeat throws for coffee mugs to make them consistent, in this series. Part 1 of 3 - How to Make repeated throws for a coffee mug.
Simon Leach shows us how to tap into the center of a pottery wheel.
