If you are looking at starting pottery and do not know how to set up a kiln in the space that you have you can opt for using self-hardening clay. Self-hardening clay can be used on the regular potter's wheel and you can use the same tools that you use on regular clay. You can buy self-hardening clay from the store or you can prepare one at home too. The one that you create at home will take about a day or two to harden itself to a level that does not need treating in a kiln.

The first thing that you should do is to think about the design that you are going to create. Doing this will help you use the right techniques when you start. Take off a considerable chunk of clay and roll it into a ball. Make sure that you take time to roll a complete ball. It might also be a good idea to knead the clay so that there are no bubbles left in the clay that you use for making the pottery.

The pinching technique is the easiest and you can use your thumb and forefinger to convert the clay into the design that you want. Making slabs is another way of creating pottery but there is a limit to the kind of designs that you can make. Some use the bowl and plate method to roll small clay balls into snakes that can be wrapped around. And obviously you can use the potter wheel that can be used to make almost any kind of design. Dry the piece for about 2 days and then you can embellish the pot in any way that you want.