How to Make Torn Raw Edges on Pottery
Raw edges on pottery can bring a rustic, organic touch to your pieces, enhancing their handcrafted appeal. It’s very similar to the live edge style found in woodworking. Whether you're a seasoned potter or just beginning your journey, this guide will walk you through each step to create stunning torn edges using high-quality pottery clay and other essential materials from Penguin Pottery.
Step 1: Prepare Your Clay
Before tearing the edges, it’s essential to properly prepare your pottery clay. Start by wedging it on a stable surface like the Penguin Pottery Portable Clay Wedging Board. This step removes air bubbles and ensures the clay is smooth and workable, making it ready for shaping and ideal for your pottery projects.
Step 2: Shape Your Piece
Once your clay is wedged, shape it into the form you desire. Whether you're throwing on the wheel with the Penguin Pottery Bat System, Penguin Pottery 12" Round Bats, and Penguin Pottery 12x18 Wedging Board, make what appeals to you. Feel free to experiment with different shapes to give each piece a unique character.
Step 3: Add Texture with Sodium Silicate
To enhance the torn effect, you can apply Penguin Pottery Sodium Silicate Solution to your work. Check out these step-by-step photos on the basics of how to use Sodium Silicate. This creates a textured, crackled look that adds depth to your pottery piece.
| Make a pot with thick straight walls |
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| Brush on Sodium Silicate |
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| Speed-dry the outside of the walls with a heat gun or hair dryer |
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| Push out from the inside to create texture |
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Step 4: Add Color with Underglaze
Now you can add color using Penguin Pottery Underglaze. Underglaze helps create beautiful contrasts between the textured edges and the smooth surfaces. Adding color enhances your creative expression while bringing out the natural beauty of the clay.
Potter’s secret: For your color to really pop with this texture, bisque fire first, then liberally apply underglaze to the surface and cracks of the texture. Wipe away the excess so the color stays in the cracks while the surface appears unglazed.
You can also use Penguin Pottery's Wax Resist here to block off parts that you want to leave without color. In addition to painting the bottoms of your pots with wax to protect them from glaze, you can use wax resist to design and decorate your work by focusing on the negative spaces you want to leave unglazed.
Step 5: Tear the Edges
Now comes the fun part—creating those beautifully torn edges. Using your fingers, gently pull and tear the clay along the edges. To achieve the natural wood live edge look, make sure to work with a thick rim before the leather-hard stage, while the clay is still pliable.
| Pinch the edges and gently lift up to form peaks |
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| Keep going around the rim for that torn-edge look |
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Potters Secret: Remember, the edges don’t have to be perfect—that’s the beauty of handmade pottery!
Step 6: Finish with a Clear Glaze
After bisque firing, apply Penguin Pottery Clear Glaze to the smooth, non-torn areas of your piece. This will give the smooth sections a glossy, protective finish while leaving the torn edges raw and textured for a beautiful contrast. This final step completes your pottery-making process, allowing you to showcase both matte and glossy surfaces in a single piece.