Clay slabs for dinnerware.

This jug is crafted from a slab. Discover the art of slab building in our virtual Hand Building Porcelain Dinnerware class.

If you’re not working with porcelain clay, any smooth clay body, such as B-mix from Laguna Clay Company, will suffice.

Here’s how it works: Koos and Antoinette have video-taped the classes, and you’ll have access to 10 weeks of viewing time. You’ll also receive reviews and have direct access to Antoinette and other student questions.

Below are some of the techniques you’ll learn in the porcelain dinnerware online workshop at TeachinArt.com.

How to throw a clay slab

​Begin by pounding the clay to about 2" thick on the table surface. Pound in all directions so that the clay particles stretches evenly.

​Lift the slab up and bring it down on the table surface so that the middle of the slab touches the surface first. Imagine this is a tablecloth that you want to drape over a table. If the edges touches first, you have to pick it up and drape again. This is not a forceful action. If the clay is soft enough and pliable, it will stretch with a light touch. 

Start to throw slab previously pounded on.

See how the slab grows with repetitive throwing. keep moving the direction in which the slab stretches.

​When the clay edge touches first, you thin the edge and not the whole slab. Do not use force. Move your body like swinging a golf club when you throw the slab. ​In doing so, turn somewhat sideways and let your body swing along. 
If you slam it down too hard, the clay will stick to the table. 
Every time you pick the clay up, do it from a different place. You want the clay particles to spray evenly in all directions. 
Remember to re compact the clay before you start cutting or forming the slab. 
​If needed reinforce with a roller. 

​It is possible to make many different objects from slabs. The balloon bowls are made from slabs. Many handmade dinnerware pieces starts out from slabs. 
See the content list from the Hand building dinnerware class. 

The dinnerware pieces blow were made from slabs

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