Ceramics, Pottery.. and what I know so far!
I began learning ceramics after a long time interest. Evenas a "newbie" ceramicist/potter I think I am hooked! Wikipedia says this about pottery:
"Pottery is one of the oldest human inventions, originating before the
Neolithic period, with ceramic objects like the Gravettian culture
Venus of Dolní Věstonice figurine discovered in the Czech Republic
dating back to 29,000–25,000 BC, [2] and pottery vessels that were
discovered in Jiangxi, China, which date back to 18,000 BC. Early
Neolithic and pre-Neolithic pottery artifacts have been found, in
Jōmon Japan (10,500 BC), [3] the Russian Far East (14,000 BC),[4]
Sub-Saharan Africa (9,400 BC), [5] South America (9,000s-7,000s BC),
[6] and the Middle East (7,000s-6,000s BC).
Pottery is made by forming a ceramic (often clay) body into objects of
a desired shape and heating them to high temperatures (600-1600 °C) in
a bonfire, pit or kiln and induces reactions that lead to permanent
changes including increasing the strength and rigidity of the object.
Much pottery is purely utilitarian, but much can also be regarded as
ceramic art. A clay body can be decorated before or after firing.
The cool thing about learning pottery techniques is that even though it can get a little messy, (first rule is always clean clay dust!) you don't need many tools to start. All you need is clay and your hands! Below are some basic tips.