Paper templates, Expert level

Twenty Expert slab pottery templates

Most of an afternoon at the table each, and some take a few sittings. The big ones print in two parts, and matching triangles line them up before you cut any clay. Lanterns that light, a wind chime that rings, game boards you can play on.

New: some of these haven’t been built yet

You can download any of them with confidence. So far every template built and every template in progress has come out 100 percent perfect, and the same will likely be true for the rest.

Every template starts out in my New Pattern Program, marked NEW, until someone builds it in clay and it checks out. Each one should be sound and work as drawn, so use them at your own discretion and be ready to adjust on the fly if a project needs it. Pivoting mid-build is part of the fun of pottery.

Members: be the first to show me one fully assembled and I’ll fire that piece free, with your name on its tile for good. See which templates are still up for grabs.

Made one? Text it to the studio or tag @theclayhole on Instagram.

Log in. Members get five free a month
For what you love

The Game Night Bundle

Chess, checkers, backgammon, Chinese checkers, mancala and tic tac toe, all in clay. Heavy enough that nobody flips the board when they lose.

Six templates, Expert to Insane.

$112$160saves $48

See what’s in it
Expert

Every Expert template

Every size is a fired size, at 12 percent shrinkage, and every one has a free sample to flip through before you buy.

Cards per row
A tall square pierced stoneware lantern lamp made from The Clay Hole paper template, glowing with dots of light Paper template 17 The Pierced Lantern Lamp A tall pierced lantern that throws a night sky of dots across the room.
  • Expert
  • four hours
  • 3 sheets, 8 pages
Requires extra hardware purchaseabout 16 15/16 in tall with the plinth, the tube 4 3/8 in square
A tall narrow stoneware canal house lantern made from The Clay Hole paper template, every window glowing Paper template 18 The Canal House Lantern A tall Amsterdam canal house with a stepped gable and five floors of windows that glow.
  • Expert
  • five hours
  • 4 sheets, 9 pages
Requires extra hardware purchase16 1/4 in tall, 4 3/8 in wide, 3 15/16 in deep
A tapered stoneware lighthouse lantern made from The Clay Hole paper template, its lantern room glowing Paper template 19 The Lighthouse Lantern A tapered lighthouse with a railed deck, a lantern room that glows and a roof that lifts off.
  • Expert
  • five hours
  • 4 sheets, 9 pages
Requires extra hardware purchaseabout 16 1/2 in tall, 4 3/8 in across the foot
A handmade 14 inch stoneware wall clock with raised indigo numbers, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 20 The Wall Clock A 14 inch wall clock with raised clay numbers that floats off the wall.
  • Expert
  • 4 hours, plus 2 weeks of slow drying
  • 4 sheets, 11 pages
Requires extra hardware purchasea 14 in face standing about 1 3/16 in off the wall
Dove gray stoneware origami elephant with pink ears beside a coffee mug and books, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 41 The Origami Elephant A standing elephant built from 68 flat slab facets, like a folded paper elephant, with fanned ears and a trunk that curls onto the table.
  • Expert
  • 10 hours, plus a slow dry
  • 20 sheets, 25 pages
12 3/8 in tall, 16 13/16 in long and 12 3/4 in across the ears
A stoneware spire tower birdhouse with eight stone-lined walls and a green spire roof, made from a Clay Hole paper template Paper template 44 The Spire Tower Birdhouse An eight-sided stone tower birdhouse with a tall spire that lifts off for the clean-out, built to the nest box numbers wrens and chickadees use.
  • Expert
  • 5 hours over two sittings, plus 2 weeks drying
  • 4 sheets, 10 pages
Requires extra hardware purchase15 3/8 in tall to the finial, 6 3/8 in across the base
A stoneware wind chime, blue glazed tubes under a cone roof with a round striker and a sail, from a Clay Hole paper template Paper template 45 The Five-Note Wind Chime Six stoneware tubes cut to a five-note scale, hung under a clay cone roof.
  • Expert
  • 6 hours over four sittings, plus drying and firing
  • 8 sheets, 16 pages
22 7/8 in from roof peak to sail tip, the roof 7 15/16 in across
A hanging teardrop stoneware birdhouse built from separate glazed clay staves, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 46 The Hanging Teardrop Birdhouse A wren house shaped like a teardrop, built from thirty-three separate clay staves and hung on two stainless chains.
  • Expert
  • 5 hours over two sittings, plus a slow dry
  • 4 sheets, 11 pages
Requires extra hardware purchase7 13/16 in tall, 6 1/2 in wide, 5 in deep
Faceted white stoneware origami swan with an orange bill beside a mug and books, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 61 The Origami Swan A swan built from 36 flat slab facets, like a folded paper swan, with an S-curved neck and two pleated wings raised over its back.
  • Expert
  • 8 hours, plus a slow dry
  • 7 sheets, 12 pages
10 3/8 in tall, 10 1/2 in long and 7 3/16 in across the wings
Faceted stoneware origami stag lying down, chestnut with cream antlers, on a mantel, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 62 The Origami Resting Stag A stag lying down, built from 40 flat slab facets like a folded paper deer, its forelegs folded forward and its antlers raised.
  • Expert
  • 9 hours, plus a slow dry
  • 5 sheets, 10 pages
10 1/2 in tall to the antler tips, 10 9/16 in long and 4 5/8 in wide
A sage green stoneware spice chest with five cream drawers, one open with star anise, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 80 The Spice Drawer Chest A small chest of five sliding drawers for whole spices, with a top that overhangs and a plinth set back underneath.
  • Expert
  • 6 hours in two sittings, then drying
  • 7 sheets, 15 pages
6 1/4 in tall, 7 1/16 in wide at the top, 5 in deep
A yellow stoneware mancala board shaped like a sunflower, a brown lid and clay seeds, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 90 The Sunflower Mancala Board A round mancala board shaped like a sunflower, with a lidded center bowl and forty-eight clay seeds to play with.
  • Expert
  • 7 hours over three sittings, plus a slow dry
  • 6 sheets, 13 pages
13 in across, 1 1/8 in tall
A stoneware Chinese checkers board with a colored star, six marble trays and marbles, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 91 The Chinese Checkers Board A stoneware board with the full 121-hole star and six marble trays.
  • Expert
  • 8 hours over several sittings, plus 2 weeks of slow drying
  • 3 sheets, 10 pages
Requires extra hardware purchasea 15 3/8 in hexagon, 1 1/8 in thick, 121 holes 7/8 in apart and six 3/4 in deep trays
A green stoneware mancala board with cream pits, colored pebbles and its lidded jar, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 92 The Classic Mancala Set A floating plank mancala board with twelve pits, two stores, 48 pebbles and a lidded jar to keep them in.
  • Expert
  • 7 hours, plus two weeks of drying
  • 4 sheets, 10 pages
a 17 1/4 in x 6 1/2 in board, 1 5/8 in tall, with 48 pebbles and a 2 5/8 in jar
A charcoal stoneware tic tac toe box with a raised grid, white X and orange O pieces, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 93 The Tic Tac Toe Set A square lidded box whose lid is the game board, with a raised grid and five X and five O pieces.
  • Expert
  • 5 hours over three sittings, plus a week of slow drying
  • 4 sheets, 11 pages
an 8 1/2 in square box, 2 7/16 in tall with its lid, and ten pieces 2 in across
Stoneware checkers board with six-sided cream and red checkers set up on an oak table, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 94 The Checkers Set The chess set's 19 1/2 inch board with 26 six-sided beveled checkers that stack into kings.
  • Expert
  • 9 hours over three sittings, plus a week of drying
  • 4 sheets, 10 pages
a 19 1/2 in board with 2 1/4 in squares, and 26 six-sided checkers 1 9/16 in across
Three twisted olive oil bottles in blue, green and plum stoneware glazes, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 114 The Twisted Olive Oil Bottle A six-sided olive oil bottle whose corners spiral a quarter turn, with a neck sized for a standard stainless bar pourer.
  • Expert
  • 4 hours over three sittings, plus drying
  • 2 sheets, 8 pages
Requires extra hardware purchaseholds about 21 oz, 11 in tall to the neck rim, 3 in across the flats
Five-story stoneware pagoda lantern, black roofs over glowing red walls, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 125 The Five-Story Pagoda A 16 inch Japanese five-story pagoda lantern in seven lift-off sections, glowing from a string of battery fairy lights inside.
  • Expert
  • 10 hours over three sittings, plus drying
  • 7 sheets, 14 pages
Requires extra hardware purchase16 in tall, the bottom roof 6 3/8 in across, the platform 6 in square
Charcoal twisted stoneware pitcher with a pointed corner spout and strap handle, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 127 The Twisted Pitcher A 3 quart six-sided pitcher with folded, spiraling faces, a spout made from its own pulled-out corner and a strap handle.
  • Expert
  • 6 hours over three sittings, plus a slow dry
  • 4 sheets, 9 pages
10 in tall and 5 1/2 in across the flats, about 3 quarts,
Burgundy twisted vinegar bottle beside its teal olive oil twin, both stoneware, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 132 The Twisted Vinegar Bottle The olive oil bottle's mirror twin: a six-sided vinegar bottle whose corners spiral a quarter turn the other way, with a neck for a standard bar pourer.
  • Expert
  • 4 hours over three sittings, plus drying
  • 2 sheets, 8 pages
Requires extra hardware purchaseholds about 21 oz, 11 in tall to the neck rim, 3 in across the flats
More bundles

Bundles that go with these

Each one is a handful of templates that belong together, for less than they cost one at a time.

A small stoneware tealight house with a blue roof, glowing from a candle inside, made from The Clay Hole paper template
A complete set

Houses That Glow Bundle

A tealight house, a canal house and a lighthouse, all lit from inside.

Three templates, Intermediate to Expert.

$54.60$78saves $23.40

See what’s in it
Every level

Somewhere to go next

Beginner16 templatesOne or two sheets, no lids to fit. Intermediate33 templatesParts that have to fit each other. Advanced35 templatesMore sheets, and sometimes hardware. Expert20 templates, this pageMost of an afternoon, or a few sittings. Insane30 templatesDozens of pieces that fit exactly. Legendary3 templatesWorld monuments, built in sections. Kiln furniture4 templatesRacks and trees for firing beads.

Every paper template · Every bundle · Every collection

Sent as download links by email the moment the order goes through. Already a member? Log in, and five templates a month are free, one at a time.

Sent as download links by email the moment the order goes through. Already a member? Log in and five templates a month are free.
How a template works

Print, check, roll, cut, build

A paper template does one thing: it puts the same shape on the slab every time, at a size that was decided before the clay came out of the bag. That is how a set of four tumblers matches, and how a lid fits the box it was cut with.

1

Print at 100 percent

Actual size, never Fit to page. Plain copy paper works. Card stock survives a wet slab and can be used again.

2

Check the print

Every sheet carries a 1 inch square and a 5 centimeter bar. A ruler on the square settles whether the print is right. A piece bigger than a sheet prints in parts: match the triangles and tape them first.

3

Roll the slab

Most packs are drawn for 1/4 inch, and the cover says when one needs thicker. Let the slab firm up to soft leather hard, so it holds an edge and still bends.

4

Cut the count, then build

Lay the paper on the slab, cut straight down just outside the edge, bevel where the hatching says, and follow the numbered steps.

A string around your finger

The final lap is yours

I drew these so the fiddly part is already solved. The seams line up, the lid fits, and the piece comes out the size the pack says. That’s my part. Everything after the last seam belongs to you.

Press a texture into the slab before you cut it. Carve or pierce it at leather hard. Give it feet, a knob or a handle I never drew. Glaze it in something I would never pick in a million years. Two people can build the same template side by side and walk away with pieces that look nothing alike, and that’s exactly how it should go.

  • Texture the slab first
  • Carve, pierce or stamp
  • Add feet, knobs or handles
  • Sprigs and slip trailing
  • Glaze it your way

One thing to keep in mind: leave the bones alone. Thinning a wall that carries weight, cutting through a seam or piling extra clay on a lid changes how the piece holds together in the kiln. Decorate the skin as much as you like.

Members

Free templates, every single month

Print one tonight and bring it to your next session. I’d love to see what you make. If you are not a member yet, a membership includes five free templates a month along with the classes, the kilns, the glaze wall and everything else in the studio.

Log in. Members get five free a month See what a membership includes