How to Make a Large Oval Bonsai Pot Slab Pottery Tutorial.

Hey there! Today I'm going to guide you through the construction of a large rounded oval pot, or if you prefer, one with a convex profile. We'll be getting your hands dirty with some clay, but we'll also dabble in a bit of geometry. Now don't be fooled, it might seem like a simple straight walled pot at first, but trust me, the game changes, and things get a little more And as always, I'll be sprinkling in a few nifty tips and tricks along the way. Ready? Let's dive in! Yep, we're gonna craft a brand new pot. Well, actually I'm going to make a new pot. You can stay, observe, learn, and most importantly, keep it chill. What am I doing? I'm creating a large oval pot, it's a special order for our forest. How do you make an oval? Don't worry, plenty of folks don't know, I'll walk you through it. All right, most folks freehand their ovals, drawing a curve that's more or less even, and it doesn't always turn out perfectly. There are several ways to draw an oval, and the freehand method comes in handy when you want an oval that's not perfectly regular. You know, something between a rectangle and a true oval, or maybe a more tapered shape. No need to sketch under your chip, cut out a quarter of an oval from a piece of cardboard. Be careful with the cutter, accidents can happen quickly. It's especially handy when tackling a sizeable pot without the hassle of creating an oversized template. Regardless of the method you choose, begin by lightly sketching 90 degree lines at the center of your slab. This step is crucial for what comes next, I'll show you why later on. Another way to create an oval is a geometric method. Start by drawing a diamond shape. Extend the sides of the diamond to the opposite sides. With a compass, draw a quarter circle at points A and C, extending to the diagonals. Next, draw a quarter circle at points B and D, connecting to the previous quarter circles. This way, you can sketch a natural oval on a piece of cardboard to create a reusable template for cutting your clay. By varying the proportion of the initial diamond, you also vary the proportion of your oval. The third way to do it, it's what I call the MacGyver manner, or Bob the Builder for the youngers. For this approach, you need some nails, a bit of string, and a small wooden baton. And of course with the nails, be careful not to injure your... That's enough, you're out. And watch out for... Drive two nails at the end of the baton and tie a knot to close the string. The ratio between the spacing of the nails and the length of the string will vary the proportion of your oval. Technically, it's an ellipse, but that doesn't make much difference. It's not the most precise way if you have specific oval dimensions to meet, but otherwise, it's a pretty enjoyable technique. Et voila! The beginning of crafting this pot is quite similar to another large oval pot I made in 2020. You can find the link to that video in the description. The significant difference here is that, for this pot, I have to work with a flexible clay slab to be able to deform and curve the wall. When creating a pot with a straight profile, it's easier to work with hard dried or leather hard slabs. In the 2020 pot, I joined the edges of the pot and the base by overlapping the slabs. Nowadays, I hardly use this technique, opting to cut all my slabs at 45° angle. I'll explain why in more detail in the first video of my new series, Novice to Master, which is currently in preparation. In each video of this series, I'll beat one or more pots, increasing the difficulty with each episode. I'll sprinkle in practical advice, tricks and a few trade secrets, but I won't reveal too much. The first episode is coming soon, so make sure to subscribe to not miss a thing. To prevent the wall from curving too much towards the inside of the pot, I gently slap the slab to slightly deform it into an arc and give the wall a subtle outward inclination. As you can see, the clay is quite pliable. It might not be evident, but it can be quite challenging to handle, especially for those not accustomed to it. Ok, we've reached the slightly trickier part where I'll be shaping the pot's wall using a flexible rive. This is a step I always find challenging with this kind of pot. It's not a simple mechanical process where perfect cutting or positioning is enough. Unlike a more upright pot, even with careful execution, success is not guaranteed. But I still try incorporate some mechanical aspects into my movements, ensuring I apply consistent pressure everywhere and keep my actions as similar as possible across the entire pot. I place my hand on the outside of the pot, not just to support and guide the wall, but also, and most importantly, to feel the pressure of the rive and the form the clay is taking. Because everything here is about sensation, the feeling in my palm must remain consistent throughout the process. Periodically, I pause to examine the profile and compare it all around the pot. It requires a keen eye. In French we say avoir le compas dans l'oeil, have a compass in your eyes. I must ensure the shape is uniform everywhere, and also, as the pot will be trimmed later, envision the final form by abstracting what I remove later on. Once I'm reasonably satisfied with the form, I trim the excess clay from the top of the pot. Making a pot taller than the final height is a habit I've developed for many pot designs. It allows me to achieve a consistent height by eliminating any deformations that occurred during the preceding work, and this holds especially true for this type of pottery, where deformation is quite significant. Even though this tool is quite handy, I need to be cautious because the clay is still very fresh. Ideally, I would cut later and wait for the clay to firm up, but for the next steps, I need the clay to be soft. Regarding my tools, I often receive messages asking where they can be found, so many of the somewhat unusual tools you see in my videos are ones I've created and crafted myself to meet specific needs in my workflow. You can find them on my website. I've made a limited quantity available for sale until stock runs out. Nowadays, I always use this tool, but of course, if you don't have one, you can proceed differently. I've already demonstrated how to achieve the same result using slats or with a piece of rigid form. For this pot that is meant to remain subtle, I don't add any rim, neither on the exterior nor the interior, as I sometimes do to give the pot more presence. Instead, I choose to round the rim to soften it and visually make it finer. This way, despite its size, the pot will remain understated and light. I use a very flexible silicone rib that I bend. I firmly press the clay into the concave part of the rib in several places until the edge becomes perfectly smooth and rounded. It's important to take one's time to avoid shifting or collapsing the wall. Another thing I'm often asked about is how I work on the bottom of the pottery without deforming it once I flip it over. Well, it's not really mysterious, and I've shown it in other videos. I simply place a rigid slab inside the pot before flipping it, and I adjust the height with some clay supports. For my usual pots, I have some rigid form slabs or wooden boards of different sizes that I reuse. For these wine time pots, I'll use a piece of disposable cardboard since it will absorb some of the clay's moisture and won't be usable afterward. But for a one-time use, it'll do just fine. Here we are. Remember that mark I made at the beginning of the video? Well, now it's going to come in handy. As you approach the finishing stages and it's time to place feet, drainage holes or anything else, it's challenging to position everything solely based on intuition. So, where do you think the front of the pot is exactly? Here? Here? There? Not easy without reference points. In fact, it's right here. Did you get it? Well done! But you won't always be that lucky. Luck or intuition might work sometimes, but it's better not to rely on chance. If you want to do good work, paying attention to detail is crucial. If you anticipate the steps in your process, you won't have these kinds of surprises, and you won't have to rely on chance. The ruler I use, which you can see in almost all of my recent videos, is originally a sewing ruler. Many of the tools I use come from different domains repurposed from my needs. Its transparency and numerous markings allow me to easily place references on the pots. Once the pot is finished, it will dry slowly, very slowly, because, as I can stress enough, the drying process is the crucial step to prevent cracking or warping, especially for larger pieces. In some time, it will undergo the first firing at 950 degrees, then it will be glazed, and finally it will undergo a second firing at 1040 degrees. But that's another story...