Geometric figure templates

Geometric figure sculpture templates for the people you love most

BETA: these templates are still being tested

Every template keeps its BETA mark 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.

Two lovers in an embrace, a mother holding her little one cheek to cheek, a dad with his kid up on his shoulders, and a mother-to-be with both hands around her belly. Four kneeling figures in crisp clay facets that stand beautifully on their own and even better side by side.

Get all four for $112See each template
Four teal faceted clay figures: lovers, mother and child, father and child and an expecting mother, by The Clay Hole
  • 4 templates
  • Insane
  • 79 pages
  • 50 template sheets
Every geometric figure template we add later, free

The bundle grows with the collection. Every new geometric figure template, and every update to one already in it, joins the downloads from your order at no charge.

$112$160All 4 geometric figure templates in one order: 4 PDFs, 79 pages, yours to print as often as you like.

This collection opens for purchase shortly. Until then each template is on its own page, and members logged in to a Clay Hole account already download all of them free.

Delivered as download links by email the moment the order goes through. Every geometric figure template we add later, and every update to one already in it, joins those downloads free. A member: log in instead and every template is free.

See each template on its own page
In this collection

Four geometric figure templates, each on its own page

Every one has a free sample to flip through. Sizes are what comes out of the glaze kiln at 12 percent shrinkage. New geometric figure templates join this collection the day they go live.

Teal faceted stoneware sculpture of two kneeling lovers embracing on an oak dresser, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 97, insane The Geometric Lovers Two lovers kneeling face to face in a tender embrace, in 62 folded slab pieces, her head on his chest. 13 5/8 in tall, 7 1/16 in x 10 7/16 in at the base 14 sheets, 21 pages$40 on its own Teal faceted stoneware sculpture of a kneeling mother holding her child cheek to cheek, from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 98, insane The Geometric Mother and Child A kneeling mother holding her small child cheek to cheek, in 54 folded slab pieces. 12 7/16 in tall, 9 1/16 in x 7 1/16 in at the base 11 sheets, 19 pages$40 on its own Teal faceted stoneware sculpture of a kneeling father with his child on his shoulders, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 99, insane The Geometric Father and Child A kneeling father with his child riding on his shoulders, in 56 folded slab pieces. 17 3/16 in tall, 10 3/16 in x 7 3/8 in at the base 15 sheets, 22 pages$40 on its own Teal faceted stoneware sculpture of a kneeling pregnant woman cradling her belly, made from The Clay Hole paper template Paper template 100, insane The Geometric Expecting Mother A kneeling expecting mother cradling her belly, head bowed toward it, in 35 folded slab pieces. 12 7/16 in tall, 9 in x 6 in at the base 10 sheets, 17 pages$40 on its own
How they go together

Plain shapes that still say everything

Every figure is built the same way. Each flat slab piece folds on its dashed lines, every edge is beveled to its printed angle, and the pieces join letter to letter until the whole sculpture closes like a cut gem. There are no faces and no fussy details. The pose does all the talking.

Every one of them kneels. Folding the legs under the body gives each sculpture one broad, low base, so the weight sits right over it and nothing thin has to hold anything up in the kiln.

These are Insane builds: 35 to 62 numbered pieces, fourteen to twenty hours over four sittings, and a map of where every piece goes, with closer views for the small ones. They fire hollow, with little vent holes, in the bisque at cone 05 and the glaze firing at cone 5½. A glaze that breaks on an edge shows off the facets.

What each one takes

How a template works

Print, check, roll, cut, build

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.

Measure the square

Every sheet carries a 1 inch square. A ruler on it settles whether the print is right before any clay is cut.

Roll the slab

Each pack names its slab thickness on the cover. Let the slab firm up to soft leather hard, so it holds an edge and still bends.

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. Score, slip, press, compress, every seam.

Every collection

More pottery template collections

Ten kitchen pieces made from pottery paper templates: a teapot, fin handle pitcher, spice drawer chest, honey pot and more Kitchen and Home 47 templates The faceted teal and cream dinnerware set made from paper templates: two plates, three bowls, a mug and a tumbler Dinnerware Set 8 templates Seven glowing pottery lamps and lanterns made from paper templates: a lighthouse, canal house, ginger jar lamp and more Lamps and Lanterns 7 templates Seven slab vases and planters made from paper templates: a twisted tower vase, fish planter, scroll bud vases and more Vases 7 templates Three ceramic birdhouses made from paper templates: a wren house, a spire tower and a hanging teardrop birdhouse Birdhouses 3 templates Three ceramic clocks made from paper templates: a tall clock tower, a wall clock with raised numbers and a mantel clock Clocks 3 templates Ten faceted origami pottery animals made from paper templates, from a dragon and a peacock to a sea turtle and a chameleon Origami 11 templates Pottery showpieces made from paper templates: a wall octopus, whale shark, marble run, fountain, wind chime and dice tower Showpieces 20 templates Kiln bead racks, a bead tree and a jewelry rack made from paper templates, loaded with glazed beads and pendants Bead Racks and Trees 4 templates Eight stoneware games made from paper templates: chess, checkers, backgammon, Chinese checkers, two mancala boards and more Games 8 templates

All of them side by side, with each bundle price, on the template collections page. Every template in one place, sorted by level, on the paper templates page.

Questions

The ones that come up

Which one should I start with

The expecting mother. She has the fewest pieces, 35, and one head instead of two. The other three run from 54 to 62 pieces, and the father and child stands tallest of all.

How big are they

Out of the glaze kiln at 12 percent shrinkage, the expecting mother and the mother and child stand about 12 7/16 inches tall, the lovers about 13 5/8 inches, and the father and child about 17 3/16 inches. Each pack names the kiln shelf and the height it needs.

Do they really work as a set

Yes. They share one style, one scale and the same kneeling base, so they look like a family side by side. Each one also stands perfectly well on its own.

Do I need to know origami

No. Each fold gets a V groove and bends in soft leather hard clay, and every angle is printed on the pattern. The skills are clean cutting, careful folding and patient seams.

What is in the bundle

All four geometric figure templates in this collection, $112 instead of $160. One PDF per template arrives by email the moment the order goes through, each one the whole pack: the template sheets, the steps, the notes and the size table.

What happens when a new geometric figure template comes out

It joins this collection and your downloads at no charge. The same goes for an update to any template already in it. You pay once, today's price, and the collection keeps growing for you.

Can I buy just one

Yes. Each template here has its own page at $40. The bundle is the four together for 30 percent less.

Do I need a membership to buy these

No. The bundle is $112 for anyone. Every template is free for members logged in to a Clay Hole account, so a member has nothing to buy.

Can I sell what I make

Yes. The pots are yours. The template files are for your own use and are not to be shared, which is the whole of the terms.

Members

Every template, free, every time

102 templates now and more as they are drawn, all free for current members of The Clay Hole. Print one tonight and bring it to your next session.

Log in to download them freeSee all 102 on one page