My Obsession with Hand-Building Clay Pottery Ideas

For the past month and a half, I’ve been completely immersed in one of the most rewarding creative experiences I’ve had in a long time: a class on hand-building clay pottery ideas.

I am taking the class at Green and Bisque Clayworks in Pasadena. What started as a curiosity quickly turned into a full-blown passion, and I’m thrilled to share the joy, challenges, and surprising things I’ve learned throughout this journey. Let’s just say, I’m officially hooked.

Hand-building Clay Pottery Ideas and Green and Bisque Clayworks

What Is Handbuilding?

Before I discuss my experience in detail, let me explain hand-building. Unlike wheel throwing, which many people associate with pottery (cue the scene from Ghost), hand-building is the art of forming clay pieces using your hands and basic tools. No pottery wheel is required.

There are several main techniques in hand-building:

• Slab building, which involves rolling out flat sheets of clay and cutting or molding them into shapes.
• Coiling, where you roll clay into long ropes and stack them to build up forms.
• Pinching, which is just what it sounds like—shaping clay by pinching it between your fingers.

In my class, we primarily focused on slab building, which was perfect because I knew from the beginning that I wanted to create tableware—plates, trays, and serving pieces that I could use in my home and for entertaining. I am sure you are not surprised.

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The Green and Bisque Clayworks Experience

Green and Bisque Clayworks in Pasadena has been the most welcoming and inspiring learning place. The studio is beautiful, the instructors are patient and knowledgeable, and, best of all, they offer open studio access Monday through Saturday to all enrolled students.

This meant I could come in and continue working on my projects outside of class hours. And trust me, I took full advantage of that. Some days, I was in the studio longer than planned, totally lost in the creative process. No surprise, I know.

There’s something meditative about working with clay. Whether I was rolling out a slab, smoothing edges, or gently pressing in a floral pattern, the process was both calming and energizing. Time flew by.

Lessons in Clay (and in Patience)

While hand-building sounds simple on the surface, I quickly discovered that there is a lot to learn. Clay has its own rhythm, needs time to dry and settle, and doesn’t always behave as expected.

Learning about the firing process was one of my biggest “aha!” moments. I had no idea that clay had to be fired twice: once for structure and once for finish.

Bisque Firing

After completely shaping and drying your project (this part requires patience!), it goes into the bisque kiln, which fires the piece at a relatively low temperature. This removes moisture and transforms the fragile clay into a porous ceramic piece. At this stage, the piece is firm and no longer fragile like dried clay, but it’s not yet finished or food-safe.

Glaze Firing

After the bisque firing, it’s time to glaze—an art form. The glaze adds color and a glass-like surface, sealing the piece and making it functional for everyday use. But glazing isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. Depending on thickness, firing temperature, and the clay body, the colors can be unpredictable.

I’m still learning to master glazes (more on that in a moment), but the process has been both frustrating and exhilarating.

Let’s Talk Cookies (No, Not the Edible Kind)

Another surprise? You need cookies for glaze firing; no, they’re not chocolate chip.

In pottery, cookies are small, flat, pre-fired clay discs placed under your glazed pieces during the glaze firing. Why? Because glaze has a sneaky habit of dripping. If glaze leaks onto the kiln shelf, it can permanently fuse your project to the shelf and damage both. The cookie acts as a protective barrier, so if any glaze runs, it lands on the cookie, not the kiln.

Since my projects are not typical sizes, I am currently making my own cookies that I can reuse.

So yes, even my clay pieces need cookies. And they’ve saved me more than once!

My Design Style and Clay Pottery Ideas: Floral, Functional, and Textured

One of the joys of hand-building is the ability to personalize every piece. From the start, I knew I wanted to make tableware, beautiful, functional items I could use at home. I focused on creating plates and trays of different sizes, perfect for appetizers, dips, sauces, and everything in between.

I love ruffles and decided to try my luck adding them to my pottery. My first ruffled edge plates will be out of the kiln tomorrow. The salad plate featured above is glazed and ready for the kiln.

Adding texture to my pieces became a signature style for me. I’ve used textured rollers, stamps, and even stencils—many of which I made using my Cricut machine.

My favorite patterns are floral, especially delicate vines and blossoms. There’s something so timeless and charming about a handmade plate with just the right hint of botanical texture.

Each plate or tray became a little canvas to explore. Some I left more organic, others I refined with soft curves and polished edges. The range of tools available in the studio—and the ones I brought from home—gave me endless possibilities to experiment.

The Glazing Challenge

While I love the hand-building part of pottery, glazing has been my biggest challenge.

In theory, glaze colors are labeled, swatched, and straightforward. In practice? Not so much.

The way a glaze looks on a test tile doesn’t always translate exactly onto a finished piece. Sometimes, the color is darker than expected, or the finish turns matte when you expect shiny. Occasionally, a piece comes out with unexpected drips or uneven coverage.

These square plates were supposed to be sage green, and the outcome was not great.

But that’s part of its beauty, too. Glazing is unpredictable in the best (and occasionally most maddening) way. Each kiln opening is like Christmas morning—you never quite know what you’ll get.

Despite the learning curve, I managed to complete a lot. I love the full set of twelve small white appetizer/sauce plates; they are my favorite project to date. The textured design shows through. The glaze came out beautifully, clean, simple, and elegant. They are the perfect size for everything from soy sauce to olive oil to tiny desserts and appetizers.

I will definitely make more plates with ruffled edges. I have a whole set in the kiln right now, so I don’t have completed photos, but I like them.

And they will make me smile every time I use them.

What’s Next: Independent Study and Bigger Clay Pottery Ideas

I couldn’t stop making this pottery now, even if I tried—so I signed up for another session at Green and Bisque Clayworks. This time, I’ll be doing an independent study, which gives me even more freedom to experiment and tackle more complex projects.

I have some exciting ideas: nesting trays, custom platters, a large multi-bowl appetizer display, and maybe even a sculpted surprise for a wall at the beach house.

And yes, I plan to continue creating more floral textures and experimenting with glaze combinations until I find a few go-to styles that feel truly “me.”

Final Thoughts

This hand-building class reminded me how fulfilling it is to learn something new, get messy, and create with your hands. Forming something from a lump of clay and seeing it through every stage—shaping, drying, bisque firing, glazing, and final firing—is deeply satisfying.

I’ve learned that mistakes aren’t failures—they’re just part of the process. I’ve learned how to be patient (well, more patient). And I’ve learned that the imperfections in handmade pottery make each piece beautiful.

If you’ve ever been curious about working with clay, I cannot recommend hand-building enough. Whether you want to make your dinnerware, explore sculpture, or try something creative and relaxing, it’s a wonderful process.

If you’re in the Pasadena area, check out Green and Bisque Clayworks. Like I did, you might fall in love with clay.

Stay tuned. I have over 20 items in the glazing kiln right now, and I can’t wait to share what I make next.

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