What you'll need

Pottery Starter Kit from noah
Plastic sheet or cling film
Protective clothing
Latex gloves (if sensitive to clay)
Plant pot (for shaping)

Shop the kit

How to make it

8 steps

Step 1 Knead the clay

Knead the clay for around 1 minute to align the particles and make it easier to work with.

Step 2 Make a ball

Roll the clay into a ball and smooth out any major crevasses or cracks. For a small 8cm diameter plant pot, we’d suggest using around half of a bag of clay (around 500g).

Step 3 Create pinchpot

Drive your thumb into the centre of the ball to form the start of the vessel. Start pinching the walls upwards to form the base shape using your chosen plant pot as a template while you work. Resist the urge to go too thin so the finished piece is a secure home for your plant.

Step 4 Build it up

If you don’t have enough clay to get your pinchpot to the perfect size, we can switch to coils to keep on adding height. Roll out coils and attach them (not forgetting to slip and score!) until you get to the desired height. Smooth out the coils so you have a nice surface.

Step 5 Add feet

We’re going to add a bit of character to our pot with some feet. This is your opportunity to go wild though - add a face for a tiki-inspired planter, cleavage for the ever-popular boob pot, or add legs and features to craft an animal body for your plant to live in. In this case, to create the feet, simply cut three equal triangles from a clay slab and attach them at even intervals around the base of the upside down vessel.

Step 6 Refine

The stage professional potters call ‘fettling’ - even out the rim with a loop tool, smooth back and bumps and lumps with a damp sponge and generally get everything looking beautiful ready for painting and varnishing.

Step 7 Paint & varnish

After leaving the piece to dry for a couple of days (you can tell it’s dry when the clay turns white), it’s time to paint and varnish the piece. Paint in several thin layers, letting each coat dry for around 15 minutes.

Step 8 Move the plant into its new home

Once the varnish is dry, it’s move in day! Let your plant luxuriate in its funky new surroundings. Bear in mind: although the paint and varnish adds strength and water resistance, the pot isn’t fully waterproof.

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