Boob pot making demonstration

Thank you so much for choosing a pottery making kit! Please make sure to watch the demonstration video, and read the whole of this page before you start.

What’s in your kit:

• Hunk of soft clay

• Cheesewire (corks + fishing wire) for cutting clay

• Sharp clay knife

• Rolling pin

• Slurry / soggy clay

• Brush for applying slurry

• Modelling tools

* we’ve given you more clay than you will need so you don’t run out, please don’t go wild and make a million things - stick to what the kit is designed for.

Watch this video before you get started ⤵️

 It’s less than 30 minutes in total, and hopefully covers everything you need to know! We refer to plant pots and biscuit jars, but all the advice given is exactly the same when you’re making a boob pot. We’ve added specific tips further down the page, but do watch this video first.

If you were making in the studio last year we'd be buzzing around in the background, lending a hand when needed and adding more relevant hints and tips as your piece develops, but as you’re are getting your clay on at home, we’ve tried to load you up with as much guidance as one can fit onto a webpage to set you on the right track for great tits!

Time to get inspired

Think of this as a virtual version of rummaging through our folders of images, but instead you’re gliding through our Pinterest board. Sorry for the lack of male representation - every male torso looked like a greek god… Nevertheless go on, have a look at loads of titillating inspiration.

Now for the music! You’ve got to set the mood haven’t you, get that relaxing focus on, or perhaps you need some disco in your life to let your creativity run free. Here’s our offering for you - it’s the Spotify playlist we play in the studio, carefully chosen by our Anna. It covers everything from your classical bangers [The Nutcracker to make it feel as though your brush is practically dancing along the pottery],  to music to get your pulse racing [cue Jurassic Park theme].

Boob pot making TIPS

Plan first: I’d advise this no matter what you’re making, but it’s good to plan a shape, to work out how/where things attach, is it a hanging pot, does it need holes for a string handle added after firing? You might even make a little template for the body of the pot so you know what size you’re aiming for. Is your pot going to be rectangular (made with slabs), or have some curves (made with coils)? If you’re going for curvy and coils a template is even more important to keep track of your shape, compare the two after you add each coil and adjust as necessary.

Measure your plant pot: whether you’re making two small pots for baby cacti, or a medium pot, give it a measure before you start. Your piece will shrink by 10% when drying/firing so add on at least 1cm, but I generally am a bit cautious and add a bit more again. Your kit does include templates which you can use if you’d prefer.

Structure: because we’re planning on adding weight to one side of your pot, you’ll want to make sure your pot feels as even in thickness as possible, or you’ll be at risk of a thin section being not strong enough to support your goodies. In the video we suggest clay is as thick as a pencil and this is a good measure for boob pot too.

Coiling: if you decide to build your piece using coils, make sure to only use the gooey slip to attach your first coil to the base, after that blending will be enough to join your coils together. Adding extra moisture with slip will mean your pot needs even longer to dry out before adding on your details / being able to add more dramatic curves [see below].

Give you clay time to rest/firm up: patience is key here, before you start making additions make sure your clay feels firm. Perhaps plan to go for a wander for about 30 mins - 1hr (a snack break etc) to give your clay a chance to dry before you modelling, otherwise it might slump a little, plus who doesn’t love a snack break.

Plan the scale of your breasts: before you start modeling your breasts, sketch out lines with a pencil on the surface and mark where you will be sticking them on, this way you can get the scale right before you start sticking, and then realise they’re not quite right so chopping them off and starting to model them again. This isn’t to say you have to work to scale, they’re some gorgeous examples on pinterest of realistic chests, but also some much simpler, bordering illustrative interpretations.

Making boobs: again, this depends on the style you’re going for, but in general, if you’re going for semi symmetrical breasts I’d start with two balls of clay, similar to the sizes you’ve marked out, press them lightly on to the body, and check they look about right. Once you’re happy, take them off, score and slurry the place they are attaching to, then press them on firmly, and blend them in where you see fit (basically the same instructions as given in the video for adding decoration). Then it’s down to the modelling, if you’re going for semi realistic, think about how gravity affects a shape , which usually means flatter at the top of the chest, and with the weight hanging lower down. That’s probably the least enticing way you’ve heard boobs described, but hey ho.

Finishing your piece: once your clay as firmed up a little more and the edges of dried a little more you’ll be able to spend time refining and smoothing, or perhaps you’ll embrace it as a texture, who knows. But in general with clay, things look a bit messy to begin with, but as you carry on and the clay firms you can start to achieve a really nice finish. It’s all about patience and slowness, hence why we’ve suggested you allow about 3 hrs for this class.

Questions: do send me an email to hello@thepotteryexperience.co.uk / message on instagram if you have any questions after reading xoxo

EXTRA TIPS

Drying your pots: if you’re working from home, please don’t try to dry your pots out completely before returning them to us. Clay needs to dry slowly to reduce the chance of it cracking. If you need your clay to firm up a bit you can leave it somewhere warm ish for a short period of time but keep checking on it. You want it to ideally always look the same shade of grey all over, clay lightens as it dries.

If you need to take a long break while you’re making, cover your clay + pot with a plastic bag to stop it from drying out. If you pot starts to dry while you’re making flick some water at the area and use your finger to blend in any fine cracks.

Clay thickness: when you are modelling your add ons for your pots, please don’t make them thicker than about 1 inch (about the length of the top section of your thumb). If clay is too thick it the chances of there being air trapped is increased, and is hard for us to be 100% sure it is totally dried out before firing, which increases the chances it might explode when it goes through the kiln (aka your boobs might blow-up in the kiln).

❗️Trapped air continued: likewise as we mention in the video, trapped air also causes pots to explode. If you were to try and make a hollow ball (as a slightly ridiculous example) you’d need to have a hole somewhere in the surface of your ball for the air to escape through, otherwise it would definitely go bang. Small amounts of air are less dramatic and if you’re lucky they simply make the bit you stuck on fall off. The key is not to scrunch your scraps of clay together, and use them to make your boobs, that could be quite disastrous.

Returning your finished kit

1. Wash all used tools with warm soapy water and pat dry.

2. Once your pot(s) are firm enough to move round without changing the shape, make up the cardboard box in your kit and put your pots in. If you’re worried they might slide around you can pack out the box with our tea towel or any other scraps of fabric you have - just remember to take your fabric back when you reach the studio.

3. Use the checklist from the top of this page to make sure you pack everything back into the bag. Scraps of clay should be returned as they can be recycled. Used paper can be disposed of.

4. Return your kit and pottery to the studio before 5pm on Sunday. Take care to support the bottom of the box as the damp clay may make it a little soft. If you haven’t chosen what colours you’d like your pot painting, now is the time! [see colour chart below + email us your choice].

5. We’ll be in touch once your pottery is ready to collect, we’re aiming for 4-6 weeks.