A No-Drama Guide to Hand Building With Clay
cool, Calm, and Constructed
Potters needs a proper wheel.
And that's like the last thing someone who's starting a new hobby will ever buy, right? Too big, too scary, and wayyyy too expensive.
So we move on, find a new hobby. Crocheting maybe? But wait! Although that's a fine hobby, let's think again.
What if there's a way to do ceramics — like really nice professional-looking pottery — without a wheel?
Well, you guessed right, this would be an awfully sad intro if there weren't…
The No-Wheel Pottery Technique
Welcome to slab building — the hand-building technique that's part baking cookies (hello kneading and rolling dough!), part building sandcastles, and part pure bliss (enter the flow state and read more about that here).
It's how ancient civilizations made tiles and vessels before pottery wheels were even a thing. Yeah, and they still make tiles that way. It's how contemporary ceramic artists make most of their sculptures and it works for a lot of decorative and using-them-every-day-for-morning-coffee pieces.
And it's how you're going to make great things!
Here's the beautiful thing about slab building: you roll out flat pieces of clay and stick them together. That's it. That's the foundation.
Everything else is just creative problem-solving, patience, and practice.
You'll wedge clay until your arms hurt (ok, seriously don't do that, there's a technique to avoid that and you’ll learn it here). You'll learn to to be patient, you’ll score and slip like there’s no tomorrow. And — after drying, bisque firing, glazing, and glaze firing — you'll see how it was all worth it, because you actually made something that didn’t exist before!
It's magic.
Your journey starts now, and it's going to be messy, meditative, and occasionally maddening — in the best possible way!
What This Hand-Building Guide Covers
We'll talk tools and alternatives, basic methods, and a little more advanced methods.
There will be humor, because ceramics is simultaneously zen and infuriating, and there will be detailed instructions.
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You don't need much to get started, but what you do need matters.
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Our two step, no-drama slab building routine.
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The epic hero’s journey where your tiny ceramic sidekick transforms into a masterpiece.
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Level up your game with our advanced tips and quick fixes.
Part 1.
The Foundation —
Gather your Tools
Let's talk tools. You don't need much to get started, but what you do need matters. Don’t worry, with out tool list, you’ll have everything you need to get started for less than 50€!
A knife, ca. 5€
For cutting slabs with precision. A small kitchen knife can work, but a proper fettling knife (a thin, flexible blade) can save you some frustration.
Slip
Your clay glue—just clay mixed with water until it’s creamy and smooth, like yogurt or thin pudding. Essential for joining pieces. You’ll make your own (we’ll get to that), but get a small container with a tight lid (glass or plastic will work) for your slip to live in.
Scoring tools, about 5€
Anything that scratches up clay surfaces—a fork (great for starting out), a serrated rib, a wire brush. Consider getting a proper scoring tool (a serrated metal rib or a meatl handly wire brush) because you’ll use it constantly.
Metal or silicone/rubber rib(s), 2€ each
As you go along, you’ll assemble quite a collection of them. But for beginners, we recommend getting one geometric metal rib and one rounded silicone or rubber rib
A small bowl with water and a sponge + a kitchen towel
For keeping things clean while you work and for wiping your hands as you go along.
Optional but useful
A ruler
Templates cut from paper
A wire tool (3€) to cut the clay
A small turntable (about 15€)
Your shopping list
Clay, about 12€/1oKG
The star of the show. If you’re starting out, find a mid-range stoneware clay with 20–40% fine (0–0.5 mm) grog—it’s forgiving, strong, and fires at a reasonable temperature.
A rolling pin, ca. 10€
A sturdy wooden rolling pin works great.
A wooden board, about 10€
Get one with a reasonable size, about 60 × 90 cm (approx. 24 × 36 in) — yes, that’s big, but you’ll thank us later. We use wooden surfaces because the clay won’t stick to them. A perfect thickness is about 18 mm (¾ in) because it won’t warp easily. You can use MDF, a solid wood panel, or plywood—whatever you prefer. Most hardware stores will cut the board to size for you.
Wooden guide sticks, less than 2€
These are your guides for consistent thickness. Place them on either side of your clay, rest your rolling pin on them, and every slab comes out the same thickness. Start with a thickness of 7 mm (0.3 in). You can buy them as a set in carft stores (with a variation of thickness. But wooden dowels or slats work perfectly, too. They are much cheaper and usually come in 1 m (39 in) lengths. Saw one in half to get two pieces, which work perfectly.
Plastic sheets and wrap, take whatever you have at home
Use these to cover your table while working and for controlled drying.
Part 2.
Building up —
The Key Steps
Step 1: Rolling the Perfect Slab
It’s easy, fun, and so rewarding—think rolling cookie dough. You’ll use two guides for even thickness and repeat rolling. That’s it!
Make a starting patty
Cut a piece of clay (a large handful, like you’re making a very big snowball—about 500 g) with your knife or wire cutter and smack it into a rough pancake shape with your hands.Set up your thickness guides
Place your guide sticks on either side of the clay. These act as height stops—your rolling pin rests on them, preventing you from rolling unevenly or too thin.Roll with confidence
Rest your rolling pin on both guide sticks and roll forward and back with even, not too heavy pressure. Here’s the key move: rotate your clay 90 degrees every few passes, and flip it over every two or so passes.Check your work
The slab should be smooth, flat, and of uniform thickness. Also use your template as a guide: if you have a large, thin shape (like the wall for a cup), try to roll the clay so it follows this narrow, long shape a bit.Compress
Take your metal or silicone rib and gently sweep it across the surface of the clay to smooth and strengthen the slab.Let it set
Freshly rolled slabs are a bit on the floppy side. Let them sit uncovered for about 20 minutes until they firm up—still damp and workable, but sturdy enough to hold a shape.
Step 2: Score and Slip
It’s a sacred ritual that will soon sink into your bones and become second nature!
Why this matters so much: Clay shrinks as it dries. Two pieces that aren't properly bonded will shrink at slightly different rates and might pull apart—during drying, during firing, or somewhere in between. Scoring and slipping ensures they're unified into one piece, shrinking together as a team.
Prepare
Pick up the slightly dried pieces once they’re firm enough to handle—like a thin piece of cardboard. Look at your template to see which parts need to be joined. Wherever two edges meet, you’ll need to score and slip.Score both surfaces
Use your scoring tool to scratch deep crosshatch patterns into both edges you want to join. Make it look like a hashtag or tic-tac-toe grid. Go deep enough to rough up the surface. The clay needs texture to grab onto.Apply slip generously
Slip is your clay glue — paint it onto both scored surfaces, it creates a bond between the pieces and will soften the seam a bit, so you can blend the transitions smoothly and make them nearly invisible.Press together with authority
Align your pieces and press them together firmly. Hold for a few seconds. You will see slip squeeze out from the seam. Use this slip and blend it on both sides of your piece — inside and outside. Do it gently so you don’t distort the form too much.Reinforce the seam
To be on the safe side, you can add a small amount of leftover clay. Roll a thin coil and press it onto the seam. Dip your finger in a little water and blend it into the walls.
Pro Tip: Use your scoring tool to rough up the added clay on the joint a bit. Then you can smooth and blend it even more easily.
A little extra:
How to make slip
Making slip is ridiculously easy. Here’s the recipe:
What you’ll need:
A small airtight container (a jam or mustard, plastic lunch container, or anything similar)
A small amount of clay
Some water
A spoon, chopstick or brush
If it’s your very first day in the studio and the first thing you’ll do today (which is actually a very smart move), get your package of clay, open it up and take a handful of clay with your fingers.
Then grab your airtight container and tear the clay into small pieces. Let them sit until the pieces are lighter in color and relatively dry — about 5 hours. If you don’t want to wait that long, you can speed up the process with a hairdryer or heat gun. It’s important that the clay is fairly dry and crumbly, because that way it will absorb the water we’re about to add much better.
Now, gradually pour in a few drops of water at a time (think a tablespoon’s worth) into the container and stir with a spoon, a chopstick, or a brush — whatever you have on hand. Add just a little water each time and mix well to achieve the right consistency. Think yogurt or pudding. When it feels like that, your slip is perfect.
If it’s too runny, simply add a bit more clay. As you work on your pieces, small bits and scraps will accumulate — you can keep adding these back into the slip along with a little water.
Step 3: Score and Slip
It’s a sacred ritual that will soon sink into your bones and become second nature!
Why this matters so much: Clay shrinks as it dries. Two pieces that aren't properly bonded will shrink at slightly different rates and might pull apart—during drying, during firing, or somewhere in between. Scoring and slipping ensures they're unified into one piece, shrinking together as a team.
Prepare
Pick up the slightly dried pieces once they’re firm enough to handle—like a thin piece of cardboard. Look at your template to see which parts need to be joined. Wherever two edges meet, you’ll need to score and slip.Score both surfaces
Use your scoring tool to scratch deep crosshatch patterns into both edges you want to join. Make it look like a hashtag or tic-tac-toe grid. Go deep enough to rough up the surface. The clay needs texture to grab onto.Apply slip generously
Slip is your clay glue — paint it onto both scored surfaces, it creates a bond between the pieces and will soften the seam a bit, so you can blend the transitions smoothly and make them nearly invisible.Press together with authority
Align your pieces and press them together firmly. Hold for a few seconds. You will see slip squeeze out from the seam. Use this slip and blend it on both sides of your piece — inside and outside. Do it gently so you don’t distort the form too much.Reinforce the seam
To be on the safe side, you can add a small amount of leftover clay. Roll a thin coil and press it onto the seam. Dip your finger in a little water and blend it into the walls.
Pro Tip: Use your scoring tool to rough up the added clay on the joint a bit. Then you can smooth and blend it even more easily.
Part 3.
What you're really making: Something Real in a Fake World
We live in pixels. We work in tabs. We socialize in notifications. There's nothing wrong with it.
But we just can't do it all the time. Sometimes we need something real.
And then you roll a slab of clay and suddenly you're holding something. Something heavy. Something that didn't exist five minutes ago and now does because you made it.
Your eyes can focus on something three-dimensional and your hands are feeling instead of typing. You'll feel grounded. Not metaphorically. Actually, physically.
So what are you waiting for?
You show up. There's clay. There's a table. Build something. Your hands will know what to do. Let time do that weird thing. And experience what flat out happy feels like.
What’s the worst that could happen?
Worst case: You've got a slightly wonky soap dish.
Best case?
You just found a way back to yourself.
Jackpot!
Go get messy. Start now.
Start today: In 3 easy Steps
Step 1: Start Simple.
Start by wedging the clay and just wedge. Repetitively. 20 times. 50 times. It's a superb feeling.
No need to make a masterpiece just yet.
And then, maybe roll out a small slab. Back and forth. Not too much pressure. Just so that it feels right. Perfect.
Get a cookie cutter from the kitchen. And then press it onto the slab. There, you just made your first piece. Put a small hole in it with a disposable straw. And there it is: Your first ceramic ornament!
Step 2: Keep going.
Trays. Planters. Cups. Start with an easy geometric shape. Not too many pieces to put together.
Maybe a cup that's made out of two simple shapes (find our cuddle cup template here). You'll feel the difference. You just need to make something that keeps your hands busy and your mind present.
It's a wonky tray or cup? That's your first flow state, carved in clay.
Be proud! Then you look up and it's been three hours and you're not exhausted, you're engaged. With a clearer mind. And your brain gets that spa-moment that it deserves.
Step 3: Stay Satisfied.
Here's the thing:
It's not entirely about what you're making.
So you made your first tray. Maybe you made something beautifully wonky that holds your keys. Enjoy its presence. It’s the materialization of your calmer presence. The minutes where you were flat out happy and didn't even realize it until after.
Keep yourself engaged. Make mistakes. But wait, there are no mistakes. So keep going. No strings attached.
A little extra:
When to be Wedging Clay
When clay comes right out of the package, it doesn’t need to be wedged about 95% of the time. So our first step is working with clay straight from the box.
We wedge clay to remove tiny (or larger, for that matter) air bubbles, distribute the moisture content evenly, and align the small clay particles so they behave consistently later in the slab. Again: for clay that comes right out of the package, this is almost certainly not necessary—especially when you’re starting out.
But think of this scenario: after you cut shapes from your slab using templates, you’ll have leftover clay around the edges. Collect all these scraps, then knead them into a ball.
The next step is to wedge them thoroughly.
Side note: If you’re not ready to use the scraps immediately, wrap them tightly in plastic—or even better, put them in an airtight container and give them a little spritz of water to keep them from drying out.
Part 4.
The Science Behind The Slip
All those claims about cortisol and flow states and brain activation?
They're not just feel-good talk. Here's where the research lives:
Stress Reduction & Cortisol:
Kaimal, G., Ray, K., & Muniz, J. (2016). "Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making." Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 33(2), 74-80.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2016.1166832
Anxiety Reduction & Creative Activities:
Daykin, N., et al. (2020). "The Role of Participatory Music Making in Wellbeing for People in the Later Stages of Life: A Systematic Review." Frontiers in Psychology, 10.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01091
Brain Activation & Art Making:
Kaimal, G., et al. (2017). "Functional near-infrared spectroscopy assessment of reward perception based on visual self-expression: Coloring, doodling, and free drawing." The Arts in Psychotherapy, 55, 85-92.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2017.05.004
Flow State & Creative Work:
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper & Row.
Additional Reading:
American Art Therapy Association: https://arttherapy.org
National Institute of Mental Health - Creative Arts Therapies: https://www.nimh.nih.gov