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Home > Arts and Crafts Projects > Clay > Making Clay Pinch Pots
Making pinch pots is a great first-timer clay project...this is way many times preschoolers, Kindergarteners, and young children bring home pinch pots from school. They are very easy to make but still come out great. Find out how to make pinch pots with the following tutorial.
1. Water clay (oil base clay does not dry out and cannot be fired and glazed or painted)
2. Orange stick or other modeling tool.
1. Knead (wedge) the clay well to remove the air bubbles and to make it pliable.
2. Take a piece of clay no larger than a tennis ball and roll it between the palms of the hands to form a sphere. (round ball)
3. Hold the sphere (ball of clay) in both hands so that the thumbs are free to press against it.
4. Rotate the ball of clay slowly and, at the same time, press the thumbs gently into the center of the ball. This will start a shallow or hollow depression into the clay.
5. Continue rotating and pressing the clay so that slowly and gradually the hollow is deepened and widened and the clay is gradually pressed and formed into a pottery shape. As the form stretches and enlarges the thumbs are moved up and down over the inside surface of the form and pressed, first here and then there, to keep the walls of the form of an even thickness throughout.
Continue this process until the walls and the base of the pot are of a uniform thickness and less than 1/2" thick. Any cracks which may develop during this process may be smoothed over by pulling the edges together with a rubbing movement of the thumbs and fingers.
6. The finished pot may be lightly tapped against the table top to flatten the bottom.
7. If you desire an irregular shape or flattened sides, the pot may be lightly pressed between the palms of the hands.
8. A simple decorative border may be pressed into the wet clay with the thumbs, orange stick, or other implement.
9. Allow to dry at room temperature.
NOTE: Unfinished pots may be kept damp from day to day by covering them with damp cloths and then with oil cloth or a plastic bag.