Forming vessels and figures with clay coils is one of the oldest and most universally practiced ceramic crafting techniques. Roll well-kneaded clay into long tubular shapes between the hands. Roll out larger coils on a flat, solid surface. Coil the clay tubes over a round, flat, slab base in a generally cylindrical shape. Score the inside of the pot with a sharp tool, moisten and smooth it with the hands or a flat tool to bond the coils.
Pinching is a rudimentary technique for making ceramic crafts and pottery. Roll a mass of clay into a ball with the hands. Push the thumb into the middle of the ball and open up a hole. Turn the pot as the walls are pinched to a uniform thickness between the thumb and fingers. Shape the pot by pushing outward with the thumbs. Flatten the bottom of the vessel so it will sit upright. The coiling and pinching methods can be combined to make sculpture or pottery.
Both small and large scale pots, sculptures and constructions can be built with the slab technique. After removing all air bubbles by wedging or kneading, roll the clay out into flat slabs of uniform thickness with a rolling pin. "Throw" a slab by by tossing the clay down hard until it flattens into a slab. Cut the slabs to the proper size and shape. Join the slabs by scoring the edges with a criss-cross pattern and bonding with slip, or watery clay solution.
Making or "throwing" pots on a potter's wheel requires more skill and practice than hand-building techniques. Slam a ball of clay into the middle of the potter's wheel. Center the clay with both hands by pushing down until the clay rotates smoothly. Insert the thumbs to open a hole in the clay. Raise the clay walls by drawing the clay upward using both hands. The potter's goals are thin, even walls for a light-weight vessel.