Active Fine Art Posts

How To: Wedge clay before throwing it

This is a slow and and detailed how-to video on wedging your clay before throwing it on the wheel. This is especially good because doing this allows you to get rid of the air bubbles in your clay. This instructional video will teach you how to wedge your clay before throwing it in order to get the best results.

How To: Throw a bowl

Watch this three-part tutorial video to learn how to throw a bowl out of clay using your pottery wheel. This how-to video offers detailed instructions on throwing a bowl that will have you creating beautiful pottery in no time.

How To: Throw a vase neck

Watch this ceramics tutorial video to learn how to throw a vase neck using clay and a pottery wheel. This how-to video is not for beginners as it assumes a certain degree of skill. You'll be throwing vase necks like a pro using the tips offered in this instructional video.

How To: Attach a vase neck to a pot

For more complicated pottery pieces, it's not possible to make the entire pot at once, but rather make two pieces to be attached later. This video pottery making tutorial shows how to attach a vase neck onto a pot. See as the two pieces are scored and sewn together. Learn how to attach a neck onto pot made out of ceramic clay by watching this instructional video.

How To: Reuse clay scrap

This video pottery making tutorial shows how to go about reusing trimmings and slop from the clay forming process. Once clay has been fired, it can't be made workable clay again, but slip and clay trimmings can. Learn how to reuse clay scarp by watching this instructional tutorial.

How To: Make and mix glazes for ceramic pottery

This video ceramic design tutorial offers a very basic introduction to ceramic pottery glazes and glaze mixing methods. Glazes are a glass paint that are applied onto a piece of pottery to provide a beautiful finish, color, and shine to the ceramic project. Learn how to make and mix glazes for ceramic pottery at home by watching this instructional video.

How To: Mix your own clay at home

This video tutorial shows how to mix your own clay body. Covered are the basic types of clay, fluxes, and fillers. When testing clay body mixtures, make 1000 gram batches dry, then add water to that. This way a percentage recipe can be taken and just by moving the decimal point can convert it to grams (25% = 25 grams or 250 grams, etc). Here is a clay-body recipe is as follows for those of who might care. Also, much of the mixture of a clay body is designed to match the glazes. It needs to me...

How To: Decorate bisque pottery with red iron oxide

This is a video tutorial of decorating bisque with red iron oxide. Red iron oxide can be layered, fired, watered-down, and used in many ways to add a finish to a piece of bisque pottery. Bisqueware absorbs the color easily, so the two materials work well together. Pick up some new ideas for how to decorate bisque pottery with red iron oxide by watching this video ceramic design tutorial.

How To: Mount your Chinese painting or sumi-e ink drawing

Since sumi-e ink paintings or any sort of painting on rice paper warp the surface and create waves, they can be quite complicated to frame. The fragility of the paper is also something to take into consideration, and requires a special technique that won't tear the painting. Learn how to mount a Chinese painting or sumi-e ink drawing by watching this video framing tutorial.

How To: Paint shrimp with sumi-e ink

This video painting tutorial shows how to paint a shrimp in Sumi-e ink. The Sumi-e ink painting process is a traditional Japanese painting technique from the Niigata prefecture, demonstrated here with a stone ink well. Learn how to paint a shrimp by watching this instructional video.

How To: Paint Bodhidharma with Sumi-e ink

This video painting tutorial shows how to paint Bodhidharma in Sumi-e ink. The Sumi-e ink painting process is a traditional Japanese painting technique from the Niigata prefecture, demonstrated here with a stone ink well. This particular style of painting complements this Buddhist drawing. Learn how to paint Bodhidharma by watching this instructional video.

How To: Paint cows and bulls in sumi-e ink

This video painting tutorial shows how to paint cows and bulls in Sumi-e ink. The Sumi-e ink painting process is a traditional Japanese painting technique from the Niigata prefecture, demonstrated here with a stone ink well. Learn how to paint cows and bulls by watching this instructional video.

How To: Paint Mt. Fuji with sumi-e ink

This video painting tutorial shows how to paint Mount Fuji in Sumi-e ink. The Sumi-e ink painting process is a traditional Japanese painting technique from the Niigata prefecture, demonstrated here with a stone ink well. Learn how to paint Mount Fuji by watching this instructional video.

How To: Paint a koi carp in Sumi-e ink

This video painting tutorial shows how to paint a koi carp in Sumi-e ink. The Sumi-e ink painting process is a traditional Japanese painting technique from the Niigata prefecture, demonstrated here with a stone ink well. Learn how to paint a koi carp fish by watching this instructional video.

How To: Appreciate sculpture

LX.TV host Lowell Pettit offers advice on the proper techniques to engage, understand, and appreciate sculpture at the Sculpture Center. Learn how to get more out of the next trip to a museum or fine art gallery by watching this video art appreciation tutorial.

How To: Draft a lower torso or skirt sloper

This video tutorial demonstrates the steps for drafting a sloper that shows the exact shape of an individual's body between the waist and the hips. It can be used to create skirts for women, the top of pants for men and women, and body doubles (aka Dress Forms). Learn how to draft a lower torso sloper by watching this video fashion design tutorial.