This book was interesting, but not what I was expecting. The artist's approach in the Body and Mind section at the beginning was a bit negative, and didn't bring a great vibe for the rest of the book. The technical information was helpful and accurate to what I had learned in my college ceramics classes many years ago. I appreciated the refresher and this part will be the most helpful to beginners. I found the artist's style rough and ready, and her examples and tutorials didn't inspire me with my own ideas. I liked that there are some pages with creations from other artists, and the variety helped showcase a wider range of styles.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A very cool book about crafts that you can create with clay.

This book has so many great crafts to do! I am so bad at pottery so I won't be trying these, but I like looking at everything that was made in here!

This book is fabulous, one of the better ones for both beginners and those with some experience. Not only does the book start off with some health and safety (which seems to be lacking in some pottery books), information on how to set up a space and finally some hand stretches and relaxation.
The instructions that follow are step by step and after each technique, with project, there is a glossary of item for examples. The photos are very useful and very easy to understand and the project are not only a lot of fun but useful as well.
Love this book .Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DRC

This was a "selfish" read, as I just started a beginner's pottery class - but I think we will purchase a copy for the library as our pottery texts are very lacking. Great and easy to read.

4.5*

What a fun book and a great way to dive into the world of hand building ceramics. As a potter that started only a few years back, I wish I had a book like this available to me when I started- but even now it still seems relevant with its collection of cute projects and tips and tricks that have been collected over years of experience that Sunshine Cobb shares with her readers. Reading this books feels like sitting down with a friend who explains her method in a conversational style that is non-intimidating and makes ceramics feel entirely accessible to anyone who wants to try. The book starts off talking about everything from studio space to hand stretches and getting into the mindset for creativity. It is a very organic and "come-as-you-are" approach to pottery. Then the book goes on to talk about techniques with clay, glazing, tools and foundational skills. From there, readers get a chance to see both functional and sculptural projects to make and also see different artists that Cobb has highlighted in her book. The projects are easy to follow along and super cute. Overall, there are many valuable tips and tricks to be discovered in this extremely approachable book about pottery. Highly recommended to anyone who is just starting in ceramics or anyone looking to learn a little extra from a really fun author.

*Thanks to Netgalley and Sunshine Cobb for providing me an ARC of this book. My review is honest and freely provided*

The Beginner's Guide to Hand Building Functional and Sculptural Projects for the Home Potter by Sunshine Cobb is a valuable addition to the beginning potter’s reference shelf. This book presents the material in such a way as to make clay approachable for anyone.

I especially appreciated the emphasis on healthy work/clay habits and overall wellness, which can easily be overlooked by a beginning potter. The stretching exercises were particularly helpful from a functional perspective and also as a reminder to take care of your body in the practice of this sometimes strenuous art.

I liked the layout and progression of the book which reviewed not only the types of clay but explained the states of clay as it moves through making to finished product. The gallery of photos ignite one’s own creativity and the templates offer a solid resource. (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.). This book is an excellent resource for a beginning potter looking to develop and expand their handbuilding skills.

Very thorough, including information on setting up a studio. I loved the range of projects and the galleries of other artists’ work. Some of the projects really appealed to me like the match striker (brilliant and gorgeous), the citrus reamer and the funky soap dishes. Some of the inspiration in the gallery also made me wish I could go make them. Recommended.

The Beginners Guide to Hand Building is a fantastic guide filled with fun and pretty projects. I highly recommend it! The book is filled with inspiring ideas and shows proper tools techniques and finished projects. Super fun and refreshing.

This is an excellent introduction to handbuilding that includes a good variety of interesting projects that are both doable for beginners and will inspire those with more experience. I especially appreciate Cobb's encouragement to do research and find images and ideas to work from, as well as her discussion of how to use those ideas to make the projects your own. Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for an advance copy.

This is a solid guide for handbuilding ceramics, with a number of fun, creative projects to try out. Good photos and clear directions. This is a good book for inspiration when you are looking for ideas. Good for someone that has done some handbuilding and is familiar with it.

Thanks for my earc of this book.
I only use air drying clay so this wasn’t 100% relevant for me in terms of firing etc but it was lovely to read and included handy tips as well as project ideas!

When I was in elementary school, I was lucky enough to have an art teacher that explored all forms of art. We did traditional drawing and painting, but plenty of other things too! We had an expert come in to teach us about batik. One year we made paper by hand. But my most favorite projects were always anything to do with clay. I was never the most gifted artist. Drawing and painting often left me feeling less talented than my classmates. But no matter what the end results were of my clay-based projects, I loved them.

As an adult, I've wanted to get back into making things. I want to have a creative hobby that I don't have to be good at. This book stood out to me as a great way to get back into an art form that I loved in a non-intimidating way. And boy did it deliver!

Sunshine Cobb does an excellent job of going over the basics of hand building without making things seem to overwhelming. There is a ton of affirmative, nonjudgemental language. I adored that she spent time speaking about feeling comfortable and safe in your creative space before addressing anything else. The projects were presented with clarity. Detailed instructions and tons of pictures for newbies like me to rely on! And even some pre-made templates in the back!

I loved this book and am definitely going to grab a hard copy so that I can use it more extensively as the basis for my new hobby :)

Fantastic intro to Hand Building for adults. I've got a BFA in ceramics, and have been making pots for around 20 years and I would absolutely recommend this book to beginning artists. I will be sending this link to the local pottery studio to use as a class guide!
Honestly, it takes years to learn what you think you should know before you ever put your hands in clay. The important part is to actually just put your hands in the clay! I agree with Sunshine--not all of us want to be clay body scientists. There is so much room for creativity using commercial clay and glazes. Familiarizing oneself with the tools and processes in this book will have you well on your way to making pots that make you happy in a short amount of time.
Of course, once you find yourself drawn to a certain process or step of the journey, find an artist or book that focuses on that specific skill and master it! As far as an easy guide to hand building, Cobb has done a great job clearly demonstrating each step, defining terms, and showcasing a beautiful gallery of established artist.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I will be adding this book to my bookshelf!
I just reviewed The Beginner's Guide to Hand Building by Sunshine Cobb. #TheBeginnersGuidetoHandBuilding #NetGalley

The Beginner's Guide to Hand Building
4 Stars

One of my favorite things about hand building is how calming it is. It helps me find my zen place. Throughout the years, I have found myself returning to build with clay when life gets stressful.

My favorite section is the functional projects. The scoop and citrus reamer would make a really lovely gift. I've stepped away from this hobby a few times due to lack of space to store anymore "said projects." Some projects inspired me to want to create, while the more abstract projects didn't appeal to me at all, but I appreciated the variety of projects offered.

I enjoyed Cobb's laid back conversation-style instructions, tips, and step-by-step tutorial. I loved the many photos throughout this book; they definitely inspired me to try a few of these projects for myself. The instructions are good, making this book suitable for a beginner or an intermediate level. Thank you, NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group, for providing me with an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

An instructional guide to hand building various clay projects. Great for intermediate crafters. Contains plenty of ideas for projects.

I love art and craft books that contain functional projects and this book has some really cute ones! I like in particular the scoop and the citrus reamer. Would have loved to make them, if only my place is suitable for clay projects. Some of the other projects did not quite appeal to me, but there are also galleries of other creations for inspiration.

The step-by-step pictorials and instructions are good, making this suitable for a beginner.

A 4-star from me.

4 Stars!! Good book with tons of helpful and useful information. This book has 3 main sections - ‘Welcome to the Studio’ is first where the author goes through everything you could possibly need or want to know - and than some! Tools needed with an explanation on why and how to use it. Clay - what types there are and which one you’ll want to use. Terms and concepts are explained along with the foundation of skills needed for hand building. Plenty of pictures and ideas are included and I loved that! So helpful!
The next section is called ‘Sculptural Projects’ which is basically a step by step on hand building sculptural objects such as flowers/plants, wall hangings/tiles, a soap dish, a candle holder and more!
Finally we have the last section labeled ‘Functional Projects’ and that includes step by step instructions on how to create functional items such as a citrus reamer, a butter box, tapas plates and that’s just the first 3 projects! Also comes with a gallery of photos for ideas and inspiration. The end wraps up with templates for the projects and a resources page so you can check out some really cool and helpful websites.
I loved this book and would definitely recommend! The only negatives I have about this book are that there was a lot of info to read through and I wish it had been condensed a bit more as I tended to skim through some of it. Also I wouldn’t have minded some air dry clay information which I sadly didn’t find any info on in this book. That being said - I can’t wait to try some of these projects out!
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*