Are you a left-handed ceramics enthusiast just starting out in pottery? You’re not alone! Although most potter’s wheels and techniques are designed for right-handers, that doesn’t mean you can’t make beautiful ceramics as a lefty. In this article, we’ll discuss how throwing for left-handers differs from right-handers and we give you some helpful tips to get you started.
Advantages to trying it the right-handed way
Right-handed people in the west make their potter’s wheel turn counterclockwise, left-handed people often do it the other way around. Yet as a left-hander, you don’t necessarily have to learn to throw differently than how others do it. In the throwing process, both hands are important, and you must be able to rely on both hands. Aster, instructor of our course ‘Learning to throw on the potter’s wheel’ recommends that as a lefty, you should still try to throw as a right-hander first. The reason is that there are many more right-handed ceramicists and teachers. In lessons and online videos, everything is explained and demonstrated right-handed much more often than the other way around. If you manage to learn how to throw the same way, you won’t have to make the translation and you won’t always have to mentally “mirror” what you see.
Unfortunately, this does not work for everyone. Because even though, as a left-hander, you can learn the techniques right-handed, your reflexes are automatically left-handed. Because of this intuitive action, things can sometimes go wrong. But be sure to try it out, who knows.
There are a bunch of left-handers who throw their shapes counterclockwise, but then when trimming, they work as left-handers and make the wheel turn in the other direction. When trimming, you work with a tool in your dominant hand, and your other hand plays much less of a role. So for many left-handers, it is “truer” to hold their tool in the left hand and let the potter’s wheel turn clockwise.
How does trimming differ for left-handed people?
As a left-handed potter, you will find that there are some important differences compared to right-handed potters:
- Direction of rotation: Most potter’s wheels rotate counterclockwise by default, which is ideal for right-handed people. Fortunately, you can change the direction of the wheel. And where a right-hander works on the right side of the wheel, you handle the clay on the left side.
- Hand position: Right-handers usually use their right hand for shaping the clay and their left hand for support. As a left-hander, this is reversed.
- Body position: You may need to position your body differently relative to the wheel to work comfortably.
Tips for left-handed beginners
Here are some tips to get you started in pottery as a lefty:
- Experiment with the wheel’s direction: First try it like a right-hander. Give it a few goes. Then try the wheel the left-handed way, and see if this feels better. Beware, learning to throw is difficult, and it will remain difficult for quite a while. So try hard to figure out if it is difficult because you are working with your “wrong” hand, or because you are just still learning. Then choose a side and stick with it.
- Adjust your technique: What you see from teachers and in videos you should “mirror”: use your left hand as your dominant hand for shaping the clay and your right hand for support.
- Practice patience: You may have more difficulty with certain techniques in the beginning. Don’t give up! With enough practice, you will definitely succeed.
- Adapt tools: Some tools are specifically designed for left-handers. Consider investing in these if you find that standard tools don’t work comfortably.
Being left-handed does not have to be a barrier to making ceramics. With some adjustments and practice, you can – of course – become just as skilled as right-handed potters. Remember that the most important thing is to have fun in the creative process. Experiment, be patient with yourself and before you know it, you will be throwing the most beautiful pots!
As a left-handed potter, do you have any other tips? Share them with us.
