One trend that hasn’t gone away on the pottery landscape is handmade pottery bowls, and for a good reason. Why is that? Well, there are many reasons, and we will go over why that is, how to make them so you have an effective and really reliable result from making this type of product, and why many potters are choosing to go this route.
They’re Pretty!
Handmade pottery
bowls tend to be very pretty. Unlike other pottery items, which can take a lot of skill to learn, these are simple, and they look nice. Out of all the basic items you can make on a wheel, these tend to be the most aesthetic, and that’s because of the following:
• You can use pretty glazes
• You can make this food and waterproof or safe for decorative purposes
• You can use stains to create textures on them
• You can always paint various intricate designs
• They tend to have a unique element to them
The cool thing about handmade pottery bowls, is you don’t have to do some super intricate design to make them look good, although you totally can. Even just glazing the bowl in a beautiful black finish will certainly do the job, and that’s something that makes them truly stand out, and it’s why they are considered the future of pottery.
They’re Easy to Make
Yes, pottery bowls are easy to make. You really only need to engage in a few steps in order to create beautiful and worthwhile designs with this. The steps are pretty easy, and even beginners can do this.
To make pottery bowls, you do the following:
• Wedging clay: basically, you choose a pottery clay, take a block, and move it in circles to soften this, and then, you want to flatten the bottom so that it’s flat and creates a pyramid look
• Wheel time: put it on the wheel, put some water on there, and then cup the hands along each side, and you press the sides of the hand to the top of the clay, and then cup it again until it creates a mound that’s flat-topped
• Open up the clay: you want to basically put the thumbs onto the center of the clay, make a hole, and then slowly make sure that your hands are wet, and then cup the clay, put the middle three fingers onto there, and pinch the fingers towards one another to make a bowl
• Pull the wall up: squeeze the clay near the bottom with the thumb on the outside and pinch up slowly to make the bowl however high you want it to be, using light pressure to stop breakage
• Smoothing: you’ll see lines, and you can use a ceramics tool in order to lightly press it against the surface until it’s done to remove the throwing lines
That’s all there is to it! In terms of pottery, it’s very simple to master, and you should make sure that you do take a bit of time at the wheel to master this.
If you don’t have a wheel, you typically can go to one of the pottery studios in the area to use this, and also fire the clay as well. You essentially want to fire all of your pottery bowls, and there’s a reason for that, and that’s the following:
• It hardens the clay to make it less wet
• It can be used for food purposes then, with the proper glazing
• Can change the color of the clay in some cases
• Allows for beautiful finishes and shine for the piece itself
With pottery, the making, firing, and even decorating after is a ton of fun, and it’s quite simple to do. Handmade pottery bowls are also a great skill for those who want to get into learning how to make the best and most effective pottery that you can, and ultimately, can help to make your pieces even better, and brighter than ever before.
Helps Learn Pottery Skills
One of the best ways to become a better potter isn’t just by watching videos or reading tutorials but actually doing it. With pottery bowls, you’re getting the chance to work on a ton of different skills. Some of them include the following:
• Forming the bowl
• Wedging clay
• Opening up clay
• Creating sides that are thin, but with a bottom, that’s thick enough
• Creating even and smooth textures on pottery
• Firing the pottery
• Working on opening up and creating higher and even walls
All of these skills alone can be learned just from creating a bowl.
Now it is safe to say that you won’t be perfect at this the first time. After all, who is perfect on their first try? But, for many people, it is often better to get started with handmade bowls rather than another type of pottery. Sure, you can choose the hand-built route, but the thing is, it is really only so much you can do.
With handmade pottery bowls, it allows you to sit at the wheel to learn how to make a bowl, and in turn, it can actually help you learn how to make new items, including the following:
• Vases
• Decorative containers
• Teapots
• Teacups
• Other small dishes that are deep
Sure, you can hand-build trays and such, and you can coil the vase pottery if you want to make a coiled design, but this allows for you to create some very intricate and really cool elements, and handmade pottery bowls are often the best beginner step to choosing this, and it can help you create items that work for you, and some other beautiful elements that you’ll enjoy. Handmade pottery bowls are the future, and they can be the best thing you do for yourself if you’re looking for simple, yet effective designs for you to try out, and other amazing elements that can bring you forward on the pottery train and let you hone your skills.
You can Create Custom Designs
One awesome thing about this is you can create custom designs. Now, there are a couple of cool benefits to this, and that is the following:
• Can make cool items to sell
• Can improve a pottery brand if you want to start selling
• Can cater to a certain niche if you’re going that route
• Can create a uniqueness for them
• Creates a selling point since they are “one-of-a-kind”
While pottery bowls have a similar means to manufacture the item, you can make it something personal for yourself, and for others as well. That’s the beauty of pottery, the fact that you don’t have to do the same thing every time, but instead work to make items that are custom, and beautiful.
The thing is, custom pottery and handmade pottery bowls are something beautiful. People love them, and lots of times people will pay good money for something that can get that’s one-of-a-kind and not just some item from Walmart.
So yes, creating unique bowls is actually a beneficial thing. People do seek out unique content. There is a reason why people will pay artists for items, and that’s because they have unique content to them that you’ll be able to enjoy.
So what are some aspects of creating unique pottery designs and handmade pottery that you can employ? Well, why not try the following:
• Paint designs the person will like
• Create a certain unique “touch” to every single element that you make
• Maybe paint different animals and such on there, so it creates a “custom” look
• You can add clay ears and such to the sides of these bowls to create “custom animal bowls”
• You can paint unique patterns with stains
• You can glaze them in different ways, making them both pretty and functional
• You can use old pottery as inspiration for your designs, creating a new and unique piece based on this
So yes, there is so much that you can do with handmade pottery bowls, and the coolest part, is the fact that you can always create different things and use unique elements to make this even better for you. Pottery bowls and pottery designs are often something that allows for a bunch of creative freedom in terms of design. While the element behind it is simple, in that it only takes about six steps to make them, the fact that you can take those six steps, build on it, and also create unique and memorable designs is something that many potters enjoy about it, and the fact that you can do a lot with this does showcase that there is a uniqueness to all of these that you can really benefit from, and various aspects that truly make it the best thing that you can make at a beginner, or even veteran level.
Can Be Great Gifts
Finally, they can be awesome gifts. They are often quite nice, and they do have a nice handmade touch to them. I like creating handmade pottery bowls myself for friends and family since they are a different kind of gift.
Some of the different benefits of using handmade pottery bowls as a gift are the following:
• They’re more personal than just something you buy, or a gift card
• Can be memorable
• Are great if you want to acknowledge a sentimental action
• Often are pretty cheap to make if you have the materials
• You can stand out as someone who gives awesome gifts
• You can show off your skills to the ones that you love
I love to give these to people for different holidays. They really do make awesome gifts, and while most people don’t think of pottery when they think of amazing gifts, this is certainly one that you can enjoy.
Some great holidays you can give handmade pottery bowls as a gift are the following:
• Birthdays
• Anniversaries
• Mother’s Day
• Father’s Day
• Christmas
• Bridal showers
• Baby showers
And virtually any time you really want to give someone a memorable gift. I remember that one year, I gave one of these to my mom for mother’s day. It was a simple design, but it was something that she kept forever. They don’t even have to be usable, they can be decorative if you don’t want to use glazes for the pottery bowl.
Another important aspect of this too is the fact that it doesn’t take much to make these personal. I remember I gave one of those bowls to my friend’s daughter for her birthday, and it was super simple to personalize it, but I remember the kid loved the bowl so much that I personally felt like I did something great for the kid. This is similar in nature to it, and I personally feel that this type of gifting is one of the best ways to create an impactful piece.
If you’re looking to give someone a gift that they’ll like, they’ll use, and one that’s personal, I do suggest handmade pottery bowls. They add a beautiful personal touch, and you don’t have to use them for just food, for they can be used to hold jewelry and so much more.
Bowls are for Everyone!
Handmade pottery bowls are for everyone, whether they’re amazing at pottery, or just starting out. They’re simple, and effective, and you can make them for yourself and others as well. That’s why I love making them, and if you feel like you want to give the special person in your life something that they’ll enjoy, these bowls are the way to go, for they do create a wonderful and lasting impression, and you can make this for yourself in order to better your skills and to help you become the best potter that you can be.
