
Bisqueware - This is clay that has been fired once at a fairly low temperature to dry the clay completely. It is less fragile than greenware but will still break quite easily where the clay is thinnest. Depending on the original nature of the clay, bisqueware can be reddish like a brick (as in the picture) or pure white like chalk (porcelain, for example). In the example on the left, the flowers were painted with a mixture of water and white clay before the dish was bisque fired.
Glazed ware - This is clay that has been fired at a high temperature and undergone molecular changes which make it extremely hard and durable. A glaze - either clear and colourless or coloured - was usually added to it before it was fired, and a it may look very different from its original state, for example, it may be bright and glossy or have a matt patina almost like old metal, or even patches of clumped glaze that give it a beaded appearance.
Glaze - a combination of various metallic oxides and clay which melts in the kiln and coats the clay body to give it various kinds of finishes.
Slip - a mixture of clay and water which can be used in various ways. Slip acts like a gum for joining two pieces of clay but thick slip can also be painted on to a wet or dry clay piece that has not been fired in the kiln yet.
Handbuilding - a general term for working with clay without using a wheel.
Pinching - the most basic way of making a pot. Start with a ball of clay, make a hole in the centre and pinch the sides round and round the hole until you get a simple bowl or pot. Watch a video here.
Slab-building - roll clay into sheets (a pastry rolling pin works fine) that can be cut and joined to make various shapes. Watch a video here
Throwing - working clay on a wheel to make a pot. Watch a video here
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