Tips on getting the best from your pottery studio
In pottery making, the artist requires a workspace where he or she can create pottery and this differs from one artist to another. There are some students that use classroom space as their workspace. Another group of artists will either use their garage or any available space in their home while some will have freestanding studio as their working space. However, whatever be the case, there are a number of things that you should consider when you are trying to build a pottery studio.
Defining your interest
Defining your interest is the first consideration to make if you want to build up a pottery studio. Are you a newbie in pottery? Are you going to be involved in the act for a long time? Are you an apprentice or a student working in another person’s studio before but you are serious with pottery?
Deciding on the method to be used
You should also consider the method you will use in creating your work. You will not require much space if you are building pots by hands. You can make use of your kitchen table to build pots using hands and tidy up the kitchen before dinner. However, if you are hand building, you should also consider the size of your table. On the other hand, throwing in pottery making requires a separate workspace because it will make your environment to be untidy.
Determining the Space Required
Now that you have defined your interest in pottery making and the method you will be using for moulding objects, the next thing that you should do is to determine the number of pots you will be moulding in a day and how long you will be working in a day. This will determine how large or small your pottery studio will be.
Storage Spaces
There are two main parts of storage space in a pottery studio, namely, the material storage and storage for your finished pottery works. Your supplies such as clay scraps, wet clay, glazes and slurries and slips are kept in the material storage. You will keep your pottery works in the shelving for ware for them to dry gradually. Always ensure that the storage space for your ware is very large.
Accessibility to Water
Your workspace should have access to water. You will need water for moulding and for cleaning up your studio after work. Get two buckets. Use one to wash your tools, hands and for rinsing for the first time and then the second bucket for second rinsing and washing of hands and tools. With this, your plumbing will not be clogged up with washed out clay which is a problem normally faced by artistes in pottery making.
This may not be all you need to make your pottery studio very convenient for you. If you search diligently online, there are several reputable sites that would give you all the help you need to get started on the right footing as far as pottery making is concerned.
