The pinch method is a great way for beginners to get acquainted with ceramic clay. The most important point about this technique is that there is no tool between your hand and the material, reminding you that your hand is actually a great tool.
Why Pinch Method? Humans have probably been making pottery with the pinch method since they learnt that they could excavate. Pinch pots dating back 17,000 years have been discovered in China, and this technique, which was used to fulfil a very basic need such as eating and drinking vessels, eventually became one of the most basic shaping methods. Is this really the best way to get used to moulding clay? Does requiring beginners to make simple pots discourage them from making sculptural figures? Does it hinder creativity? The pinch method, which beginners often question in this way, is actually a very important skill. Making a vessel with the pinch method is not just about making a pot. Making a pot with pinching requires great focus and attention to detail. It provides the basic skills needed to explore more creative ways of working in ceramics. The pinch method will help you understand the consistency of the clay and how to control it. Most instructors start with the pinch method to develop sensitivity to the material and its working properties, to give an idea of ceramic clay. It is a relatively simple technique because you handle the material instinctively, but it still takes practice to perfect it. The most important element in this method is to learn to consider the inside and outside of a form together. The importance you give to the inside of an object and the action you apply are equally important as the effects coming from the outside, and this is not only a ceramics lesson, but also a life lesson. Pinching also teaches tactile sensitivity. Through this process, you learn to trust your fingers to give you information about the clay. You also develop a kinetic awareness of the thickness of the form, walls and floors. This tactile awareness can improve your ceramic skills in all areas. Beginners often pinch too hard and too fast. This makes their form too wide or thin and causes the form to collapse. This can be very frustrating. You can control the form by working in control. If you pinch indiscriminately, without thinking about how the clay will react and where it will move, you will lose control. A good exercise for beginners is to close their eyes and pretend that their eyes are on their fingertips. This forces them to focus, slow down and think about the material.
What You Can Do With Pinch Method? Pinching is usually used to make small pots, most of them less than 15 cm in diameter, but also larger. Thick, large pieces can be made by pinching, but also very thin-walled pieces. The pinch method is not only for vessel forms. Whistles and pipes made of clay are often made with this method. Sculptural forms are also possible. One of the most fun is making small animal figures with this method. Once you have mastered the pinch method, you can use the technique to create ambitious forms, or you can create several and combine them to create hollow sculptures.
Practical Tips for Working with the Pinch Method Chamotte clays are relatively strong and hold their shape well without cracking, so they are a good choice if pinching is used for the first time. As you gain experience and a better understanding of how the clay behaves, you can move on to softer alternatives with finer particles and thus make finer products. If you do not want to work with fireclay mud, try mixing it with a smooth mud at the same bake temperature - it will retain its strength, but will have a better surface quality. One of the biggest problems for those who work with the pinch method is their fingernails - they get in the way by leaving marks on the mud, and this is often a problem when working on mud. You should work with short nails. Hot hands dry the clay quickly, which can be a problem when pinching because it can cause cracking - the more time you spend working on a piece, the worse the problem becomes. The problem is simply solved by periodically cooling the hands under cold water and working as fast as possible. A small amount of clay can be shaped in a long time using this method and this technique is not usually suitable for very large quantities - you will find that you can increase the amount of clay you use as you gain experience. Start with a quantity that fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and if you want to copy a shape, weigh your clay before you start and keep a record for the next batch. If deep cracks appear when working, you can glue them immediately using a very small amount of slime. Small stretching cracks can be left as a textural effect.
Step by Step Pinch Method Roll a small amount of well-kneaded clay into a smooth ball that fits in the palm of your hand - be sure to weigh it if you want to make several products of the same size. Press the thumb of your other hand down the centre of the mud until you feel some pressure in the palm of your hand. First use your fingers and thumb to compress the shape under the ball. Work in small, close compression movements, rotating the clay in the palm of your hand in a rhythmic motion to even out the marks as you thin the wall. Work by twisting your thumb to help prevent the mouth from opening too quickly. At this stage it is important to keep the mouth of the product quite thick and as closed as possible. This will prevent the wall from expanding too quickly and becoming misshapen, and will also stop the mouth from tearing or cracking. Change the position of your hands so that the fingers are inside and the thumb is outside, and squeeze the wall up and out in stages. Bring the entire form to a single, even thickness, then continue working in the same way, again making it a little thinner. When you are satisfied with the form of the product, start correcting the spout - work with small, even pinches between your finger and thumb to thin it out as needed. To remove lumps and bumps, scrape and smooth the inner surface with a small scraper - hold the product in the palm of your hand while working. A scraper made from a credit card is perfect for this task because it can be cut to the exact size required. If the product looks too flabby and does not hold its shape, dry the clay a little from the inside and outside with a hairdryer. Place the product upside down on a board, then carefully scrape the outer surface with a metal scraper to level the wall again and remove all lumps and bumps. You can repeat this with a rubber scraper to smooth it if necessary. If you need to correct the shape of the product, you can bring the walls to the desired shape with a wooden spatula. The rim of the product is very important because they direct the eye to the rest of the form. It is the first thing you see, so it is very important that it is well finished to balance it with the rest of the form. It does not mean that the mouth must be finely designed in all cases, because organic, unrefined mouths are suitable for many forms, but it is important that the mouth is in harmony with the function of the product.