How I Make Ceramics at home
An artists’ studio has always intrigued me and has even aided in my own artistic practices, so I wanted to give you a peek into my home studio and share some of the tools I use, along with some tips for working with what you have in small spaces.
Let’s begin with some context
I work out of a 2-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, NY. It’s appx. 900 sq ft, with an attached balcony, and I share it with my partner and our three cats; Bijoux, Ron and Rita :)
Our second bedroom is used for our workspaces. I have a solid wood drafters desk (found for free, East Village, 2009) with six drawers and two pull-out tabletops and a few shelves above and below to help transform my space to work with clay, sew or design pretty easily. I also have a small bookshelf that I use to store and display pieces I’ve collected from fellow potters and things I can’t bring myself to let go of yet. I also use the balcony for cleaning, drying and making things and a bright corner in our bedroom for photoshoots.
The combined sq footage of my studio is appx. 60 sq ft. More space would be really nice. It can feel a bit like Tetris when I’m in there working and I’m often bumping into something or getting myself twisted up in whatever material I’m working with. But! we do with what we have and have a good time doing it :)
My Home Studio
I have a few areas in my home that I use to make ceramics and run my small business:
1 - Makers Bench This is where I create the most. I have a large desk with six deep drawers, a chair and shelving above and below for supplies.
2 - The Balcony I strung a line to dry towels and plastic bags on. I reclaim clay out there, clean off tools and make ceramics when it’s warm.
3 - Photo Studio In our bedroom, I have a stool next to a window with a mounted curtain rod for backdrops that can be swapped out easily.
Display It seems every potter has a special place for objects they collect and creations they can’t bring themselves to sell - mine hang out here, on a small bookshelf (also found for free, East Village, 2003)
1 - Makers Bench
A simple shoe rack (found for free, Brooklyn, 2022) on the wall behind my desk stores the majority of my ceramic supplies.
I try to utilize everything that comes into my home, so a lot of packaging is reused here! Things like foam inserts, paper towel rolls, plastic bags, boxes and various other padding material that I use for shipping and working with clay. A few old cutting boards serve as trays for work.
Larger boxes behind the shelf help with any splatter (I’m pretty clean though!) and can be pulled out to use as a portable work surface.
I keep my reclaim in some Encore Plastics 1 gal. buckets I picked up at the hardware store.
The far corner of my makers bench is where I store clean towels (in a bag/basket I found for free, Brooklyn, 2021) and a large ream of recycled void fill paper I use for shipping.
My Toolbox
I use a vintage bottle caddy to hold my tools. The cutout handles make it easy to move around and the compartments are so helpful to keep things organized.
What’s in the box?
- Cookie cutters
- Wire tool
- Scissors
- Spray bottle
- Black & White underglaze
- Sponges
- Paintbrushes
- Rib tools and similar (spoon, knife)
- Carving tools
- Pin tool and similar (X-Acto knives)
- Glaze test tiles
- Lonely Clay stamp and ink pad
- Hand lotion
- Clothespins
- Syringe (for glazing)
- Bag of random stuff (twine, rubber bands, a strainer? etc.)
2 - The Balcony
3 - Photo Studio
In my “Photo Studio” lol I mounted a curtain rod and pin materials to a curtain as needed.
A peek underneath this setup looks a lil different :)
From top to bottom: Butcher block from our kitchen (need to return) on top of a bin (IKEA) on top of a stool ((found for free, Financial District, 2008). Ta dah!
Display
Tips for small home studios:
Climb the walls with shelves, not yourself :)
I have a few IKEA shelves that I painted, assembled and mounted myself, as well as a few metal spice racks for smaller items.
Go below with the heavy stuff
Below my desk I keep all the heavy stuff in bins - clay, plaster molds, glazes, and all my sewing supplies. Sliding the bins (rather than lifting) is nicer on my body!Raid your kitchen for clay tools
Most kitchen tools are great for cutting, carving and molding clay. Silverware, bowls, plates, bread making tools, and twine have ended up in my studio.
Boxes you can never have too many…
Seriously though, boxes are great and they can look nice (IKEA) in case you can’t hide all of your supplies :)
Easy cleanup with inexpensive towels
Lay down a large towel or cardboard on your workspace to easily lift up clay bits and dust all at once. I use old bath towels and kitchen rags as preliminary surfaces anywhere I work.Reduce, reuse, recycle free money people
I’ve found many uses for the packaging I’ve received, not to mention it can all be "free* supplies for shipping your own ceramics out :)
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