Throwing is making pottery on a spinning potter’s wheel by centring a lump of clay, opening it and pulling up the walls with your hands. It produces round, symmetrical forms such as mugs, bowls, plates and vases.
What Is Throwing?
The word comes from an Old English word meaning to twist or turn. A throwing session follows the same steps every time: wedge the clay, centre it on the wheel head, open it to make the base, compress the base, pull up the walls, then shape the form and finish the rim.
Learning to throw takes patience. Most beginners find centring the hardest part, then learning to pull even walls without collapsing the pot. Regular practice, steady hands braced against your body, and not using too much water make the biggest difference.
After throwing, the piece is cut off the wheel with a wire, left to firm up to leather hard, then trimmed to refine the base and carve a foot ring. Handles and other parts are added at this stage.
Throwing on the wheel is faster than hand building for round, repeatable forms, while hand building is better for irregular and sculptural shapes. Many potters enjoy combining both.
This pottery glossary entry from Le Studio Art Space is general educational content. Always follow the clay, glaze and kiln makers’ data for your own materials and equipment.