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Handbuilt, A Potter's Guide: Master timeless techniques, explore new forms, dig and process your own clay Kindle Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 261 ratings
4.2 on Goodreads
75 ratings

In Handbuilt, A Potter's Guide, pottery expert Melissa Weiss shows you the basics of crafting without a wheel, how to harvest and work wild clay, and using natural glazes.

Handbuilt pottery is the perfect way for new potters to dive into this unique medium because it
doesn't require access to a potter's wheel. In Handbuilt, A Potter's Guide, Melissa Weiss takes an organic approach to harvesting and working with local clays, and even shows you how to mix your own glazes to use on functional pottery for use at home.

Students of pottery the world over have traveled to North Carolina to attend Weiss's classes. Now you don't have to! In this book, Melissa provides you with a solid course on
slab and pinch-pot techniques that allow beginning students to master the basics and progress through finished wares.

Looking to go a little deeper? Melissa also offers her unique knowledge of
how to dig and process local clays for use in pottery, and for the techniques she has developed for creating unique glazes with ash, salt, and other dry materials.

Melissa will also
introduce you talented contemporary potters, who will share their work, tips, advice, and techniques.

Learn the basics of handbuilding and more with this engaging guide.
Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download

Product description

About the Author

Melissa Weiss is an Asheville, North Carolina potter and a true handmade maker. Each pot she makes contains clay that she digs up on her land in Arkansas. From there, she drives the clay back to her studio in Asheville where she cleans it and incorporates it into her clay bodies. Melissa makes a variety of ash and celadon glazes and fires her pots in a gas reduction kiln. Melissa teaches classes in handbuilding at intervals throughout the year, including at the famous Penland Art School and the North Carolina Pottery Center. She also operates an 8,000 square foot art cooperative called Southside Studios that houses studio space for twenty potters. Melissa  participates in shows in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and exhibits her work in galleries from New York City, to Fayetteville Arkansas.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07L9F8QS1
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rockport Publishers (Nov. 20 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 37804 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0760393001
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 261 ratings

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Melissa Weiss
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
261 global ratings

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Top reviews from Canada

  • Reviewed in Canada on January 7, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Handbuilt, A Potter's Guide is a great addition to my pottery library. I was looking for a book that was specifically handbuilt projects as well as something that could talk to me about harvesting wild clays and boom! Both of these subjects are covered beautifully in this book. I'm a great fan of Melissa Weiss's pottery and it was awesome to find out that she had written a book on exactly what I was looking for. From wild clay to slips/glazes to handbuilding to handles to firing to creating new forms from others - this is a great resource for any level of potter. Gorgeous photos and clear descriptions plus mini interviews with a bunch of awesome potters make up a really fantastic book. Can't like it enough - thanks!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in Canada on October 7, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent book! Loved reading about the artist's journey and how she makes her pieces. Lots of info on handbuilding. Highly recommend if you are a fan of this artist.
  • Reviewed in Canada on July 6, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    One of the better books I have purchased on hand building. I like the authors approach and will continue to use this book as a reference.

Top reviews from other countries

  • GB
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed it so much
    Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I am a mom a big inner with pottery. This book made a nice clear introduction to so many topics for me. The projects are beautiful. I loved the personal stories and interviews. Great photos and great pottery by the artist. I had a lot to think about and really appreciate the idea from the book that one could start small and build on the foundation. Thank you!
  • Jocelyn Wilson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Useful book.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A nice book for dipping in and out of, with a good range of potting subject matter for the enthusiast.
  • Nana
    4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book
    Reviewed in Mexico on August 15, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Very inspirational.
    Delivered on time.
  • Evgeny Grinchenko
    5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book
    Reviewed in Spain on July 2, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    absolutely new and best quality! very happy with it
  • An Expat in Tirol
    1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing!
    Reviewed in Germany on February 18, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    An art book that is not at all appealing or inspirational: how disappointing! I'm just returning to ceramics after a very, very long time, so call me a beginner. Melissa Weiss's book purports to be for potters working at many levels but starts out with a chapter on harvesting wild clay. I'd say that's an advanced skill. Somehow, I think the book she wanted to write was one on wild clay, but her editor talked her out of it. The interviews are interesting, but it's not really a guide, as the title suggests. The book itself is poorly and cheaply designed with typos and incomplete sentences. Not the book I was hoping for.

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