Coil Pot Construction (Part 3)

Practice coil building in this art lesson: coil pot construction (part 3).

🎨 Studio Brief #24

Build a pot by rolling long coils of clay and stacking them in rings.

🎯 Your mission

Make something that fits in your palm — perfectly.

⚡ The twist

Build it bigger than feels comfortable.

What you'll learn

Build a pot by rolling long coils of clay and stacking them in rings. Coil building allows you to create much larger forms than pinch pots.

Get ready

Techniques you'll practise

coil buildingslab constructionsurface texture

Modeling toolsCardboardWire (thin gauge)

Step 1 of 3

Roll a flat disc of clay for the base, about 1/4 inch thick.

Step 2 of 3

Roll long, even coils of clay, each about the thickness of your finger.

Step 3 of 3

Place the first coil on the edge of the base and press gently. Stack coils on top, slightly overlapping.

Did you know?

🤯 Mind = Blown

🤯 Clay shrinks about 10% when it dries. Plan for it.

🌟 Artist Spotlight

🎨 The Terracotta Army has 8,000 clay soldiers — every face is different.

You did it!

🎯

We'll pick an art project that matches exactly where your skills are right now.

✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this: Pots, cups, sinks, statues — anything you can hold started as squishy stuff.

🏆 Try this week: Make a tiny clay creature. Give it a name and a story.

👨‍👩‍👧 At dinner: “Tell me about the part of your sculpture you're proudest of.”

Send it to a parent looking for a 15-minute screen-free creative win.