AR216 Ceramics: Double Pinch Construction

The second project we did in class was the double pinch method. It was a bit more challenging than the first. My imagination and creativity just wasn't coming to me. I knew it would look like a vase, but I didn't want just any vase. So I decided to just build the first part of the double pinch pot to get started and see if something would come to mind.

I had a difficult time making the first pinch pot round with an even thickness all around. It started cracking a little so I moved to the bottom to make the leg. When I felt that the leg was okay enough, I fixed the cracked areas around the lip by using water to smooth it out. When I was done with the first pinch pot, making a pitcher came to mind. I imagined the bottom of the pitcher to be round and kind of short, and the neck long and slim. So I tried again to make the pot wider around but I just couldn't. I moved on to the second. The second didn't need a leg because there will be an opening on the top.

After making the second pinch pot, I needed to make sure the lip of both pots were the same size. The second pinch pot was a little bigger, so made it smaller by choking the lip. I combined both pinch pots together with slip.

I used a wooden thumb to blend the seam of the pot. That way the lines don't show. I think that blending helps the pot to be stronger in a way. Anyways, I continued blending until the seam of the pot wasn't visible. Then I used a ribbed tool to smooth out the double pinch pot.

Because the form of the double pinch pot didn't turn out how I wanted, I decided to change the outcome. Instead of a pitcher, I would make a rose-looking vase. I was inspired by a pitcher my grandma use to have. I found a paper towel roll in class and used that as a template for my petals and used a needle tool to cut out the circle. I combined the petals to the pot with slip. I started with one layer of petals then created a second layer.