Whenever you are joining pieces of clay, use these 4 steps to make sure your pieces stay together.
SCORE = make scratches into both surfaces that are to be joined
SLIP = add water / liquid clay on top of the scoring
PRESS = use pressure to push the two surfaces together
BLEND = use a smoothing tool or your finger to make the joins seamless
Don't make your clay too thin. Nothing should be thinner than your little finger!
Also, anything that is too thick, might need a hole in it to allow the water to escape / evaporate. This prevents your work from 'popping' when it is fired in the kiln.
The first video shows how to make a clay rhinoceros using solid pieces.
The second video shows how to build an elephant using a modified pinch pot for the main body.Â
The third video shows how to build a hedgehog using two hollow hemispheres.
Simple techniques to build a cardboard house or a boat
More advanced techniques use to construct and architectural model