Making Ceramic Sculptures

For centuries, clay has been used not only to make vessels but also to create sculptures. For beginning clayworkers and for experienced potters who can't stand to make one more mug, this guide provides step-by-step instructions to sculpting figurative and non-figurative forms in clay. It explains how to make seven sculptures: a resting cat, a whimsical fish, a colourful bird in a tree pedestal, a mythological bird-human creature, an abstract head, a standing figure, and a relief wall piece. There are instructions on handbuilding hollow sculptures using slab, pinch and coil, tips on which types of clay to use, firing techniques, and surface treatments.