Making Pinch Pots

Produce fabulous pinched ceramics Jacqui Atkin's Making Pinch Pots. From what type of clay to choose and decoration style, to firing and beyond, Jacqui offers up her wealth of knowledge to help make each project unique. This helpful guide proves that the pinching way of working is filled with potential and can produce beautifully reined and sophisticated items. * Crafts Beautiful * It is a long time since I reviewed a book on actually making pots. So let us get back to basics with the making of pinch pots. The technique most of us started with to get the 'feel' of handling clay but abandoned when we were allowed on the wheel or utilised clay slabs. Later it became useful from time to time for additions to a form. Yet for some it has remained a major element in hand building work including Jacqui Atkin, who is the author of 8 books currently in print and has taught ceramics. She makes (and sells) her own work using a combination of slabbing, throwing, coiling and pinching. The format of the book is a commonly used one. The basics of clays, tools and equipment, health and safety and the main hand building techniques are described. These are followed by 35 different projects. The final chapter covers the basics of decorating and there is an index. The 'core' making processes section goes on from straightforward pinching to joining pinch pots and the use of wooden dowels to produce cylinders and conical tubes. All notable for the clarity of text and photos. The quality of this kind of book is dependent on how interesting the projects are, how clearly each is explained and overall is it value for money. There are 35 projects included starting with a simple cereal bowl and covering a range of domestic ware including mugs, jugs, cup and saucer, and even a teapot. Vases, a piggy bank and a tea light are covered as are sculping a pine cone, an artichoke and a blackbird. Each starts with an indication of the difficulty, the amount of clay required and the tools utilised. There follows a series of photos with descriptions of the stages of making. Each project has a photo of a glazed finished piece. Clarity is sought and achieved for each object and there is no hiding of the difficulty of working on some pieces. For example the tea lights are made from porcelain. It is made clear that it is a difficult material to work but practice makes the end result worth the effort. Page layout of text and photos is very clear. The paper used is of a good thickness but not as glossy as usual with publications these days. I presume this may help keep production costs reasonable. It does not detract from readability and seemed to avoid the reflections you sometimes get from high gloss paper under artificial light. Making Pinch Pots is certainly excellent value for money. * Roger Bell * Having won this book in a competition I was pleased to find it was well written and informative. Lots of ideas for this pottery novice to get to grips with when I finally get round to joining a pottery class. -- Maggie Goodsell * Customer Review * As someone who has never worked with clay before this book is excellent. Great section on the different types of clay, another on tools & equipment. Good to see the tools marked up as essential, can be replaced by or useful but not essential as I usually feel overwhelmed by the requirements for a new craft. Most of the 35 projects are useful items and the step-by-step instructions and photos are very clear and easy to follow. The projects allow you to progress with your skills as you work through them. I haven't attempted any of the finishing techniques yet, but again the instructions are clear and concise. Would recommend the book to anyone new to working with clay. -- Ann Hewison * Customer Review * Fabulous book. So informative with step by step guides. So pleased with it and it's given me confidence to try new shapes and techniques. -- Paula Hunt * Customer Review *