A faceted antique gold clay leopard 42 in tall seated in an entryway corner, made from The Clay Hole paper template
Sections of a faceted clay leopard lifted apart beside a console to show the fit, made from The Clay Hole paper template
A gold faceted clay leopard sitting beside its matching faceted hound in an entryway, made from The Clay Hole paper template
Back of a faceted gold clay leopard, its tail curling round to the front paws, made from The Clay Hole paper template
Left side of a seated faceted clay leopard beside a walnut console table, made from The Clay Hole paper template
Right side of a seated faceted clay leopard, head turned, beside a console, made from The Clay Hole paper template
A faceted gold clay leopard seen from above, tail curled round its paws, made from The Clay Hole paper template
Head of a faceted antique gold clay leopard beside a white mug, made from The Clay Hole paper template
A faceted gold clay leopard sitting beside a black front door on a porch, made from The Clay Hole paper template
Numbered section map of the Geometric Leopard template, S1 to S4, made from The Clay Hole paper template

Legendary paper template 166, a Legendary showpiece

The Geometric Leopard

New: nobody has built this one yet

You can download this one with confidence. Every template has been audited at least three times for accuracy. So far every template built and every template in progress has come out 100 percent perfect, and the same will likely be true for this one.

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

Members: be the first to show me this 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 this one? Text it to the studio or tag @theclayhole on Instagram.

A seated faceted leopard 42 in tall, in four kiln-sized slab sections joined after firing. Clean planes and sharp ridges, the head turned a little to its left and the tail curled round to its paws.

Part of Legendary Showpieces, the Legendary level, sold on its own and never in a bundle.

  • Legendary
  • 4 sections
  • About 70 hours at the table
  • About 91 lb of clay
  • 204 pages
  • Requires extra purchases

You will need epoxy putty and a slow-setting epoxy for the joints, and a flat display board at least 22 x 24 in, bought separately. The guide lists every tool and material.

Kiln: Every section fits a kiln at least 28 in across and 27 in deep inside, such as a Skutt KM-1227.

$225.00 one PDF, 204 pages, yours to print as often as you like

Buy any three Legendary templates and the fourth is on me. The cheapest of the four comes off at checkout by itself.

Flip through the free sample
  • Members get five templates free every month, and a Legendary one uses five of them. Log in to claim this one.
  • Not a member yet: see what a membership includes.
  • Delivered as a download link by email the moment the order goes through.
What you will make

The Geometric Leopard, 42 in tall and 18 1/2 x 19 7/8 in with its tail

A long neck held high, the head turned a little to its left, straight front legs with the paws together, and the tail curled round to the right front paw. Spots or no spots, the shape alone already says leopard.

The hard part is the folding, and the patterns do it for you. The skin is cut into big nets of facets. You roll each one as a single slab, cut it to the printed outline and fold it on the printed lines, so every angle comes from the pattern instead of your eye. Every seam is numbered on both edges, and each section drops onto the one below on a collar, so they line up the same way every time. It comes to 123 clay pieces, each from its own pattern.

I left the spots off the patterns on purpose. Plain facets look sharp under a metallic glaze, and a leopard covered in rosettes looks sharp too. The guide has a page of ideas for the spots, the eyes, the nose and whiskers, and the toes. The photos show antique gold. Glaze yours however you like.

Finished42 in tall and 18 1/2 x 19 7/8 in with its tail
Sections4, each fired on its own
Heaviest sectionAbout 31 lb wet
ClayAbout 91 lb, 4 bags of 25 lb
At the tableAbout 70 hours, over 6 to 8 weeks
Drying3 to 4 weeks, slowly
Display baseA flat board at least 22 x 24 in
Built in sections

Four sections that each fit a kiln, joined for good at the end

Every section fits a kiln at least 28 in across and 27 in deep inside, such as a Skutt KM-1227. Each section dries, bisques and glazes on its own, then the joints close with epoxy putty once the last firing is done.

SectionWhat it isWet, across x tallWet weight
S1Haunches, legs and paws22.5 x 14.0 inAbout 31 lb
S2Chest and shoulders18.7 x 15.6 inAbout 19 lb
S3Neck and head14.7 x 21.3 inAbout 18 lb
S4The tail23.0 x 3.6 inAbout 5 lb

Sizes include each section's shrink slab, the clay disc it fires on. Fired, everything comes out about 12 percent smaller.

Section map of the Geometric Leopard pottery template: four numbered sections, haunches, chest, head and tail
The section map, S1 at the bottom
What is in the pack

A 33 page guide and every pattern piece, 204 pages in one PDF

  • The guide: tools and materials, clay, building every section step by step, keeping clay workable for weeks, drying in a dry, average or humid room, joints, firing, glazing, assembly, and what to do when something goes wrong
  • Every one of the 123 pieces, cut from 123 patterns, on 170 Letter pages. The big ones print as tiles with overlap strips, tape lines, matching marks and a tile map
  • A private link to the same patterns on 13 large sheets, 24 x 36 in, for a copy shop, with every piece whole. It is the easier way to print
  • A 4 in check bar on every Letter page and a 10 in bar on every large sheet, so you prove the print before you cut
  • A numbered section map, a checklist for every section, every joint lettered on both of its edges, and a page of ideas for your own carving
Cover page of The Geometric Leopard, a Legendary pottery paper template from The Clay Hole
The cover

Want to see how it reads before you commit to a month of evenings? The free sample has the contents, the first pages of the guide and a pattern page.

Flip through the free sample
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.

More big builds

The other Legendary templates, and the Insane builds

Pieces with dozens of numbered parts that fire whole in one kiln. Or see every template by level.

White marble-glazed Leaning Tower of Pisa in clay, 42 in tall beside a dining chair, made from The Clay Hole paper templateLegendary The Leaning Tower of Pisa $200(Free for members) Cream clay Arc de Triomphe, 40 in tall, on a gravel garden path among hydrangeas, made from The Clay Hole paper templateLegendary The Arc de Triomphe $280(Free for members) Clay El Castillo pyramid on a backyard flagstone patio beside a weathered chair, made from The Clay Hole paper templateLegendary El Castillo at Chichén Itzá $250(Free for members) A clay Colosseum 42 in long beside a wooden chair, its four-storey north wall, made from The Clay Hole paper templateLegendary The Colosseum $275(Free for members)
Questions

The ones that come up

What size kiln do I need

Every section fits a kiln at least 28 in across and 27 in deep inside, such as a Skutt KM-1227. That is measured with room to spare from the walls and the lid, at the wet size, which is the biggest a section ever is. A smaller kiln will not take the widest sections.

Which clay

One grogged stoneware that fires between cone 5 and cone 6, the same clay for every section, shrink slab and prop, so everything shrinks together. You need about 91 lb, which is 4 bags of 25 lb, spare clay included.

How do I print the big patterns

Take the large-format link from the guide to a copy shop and ask for 13 sheets at 24 x 36 in, printed at 100 percent. Or print the 170 Letter pages at home and tape the tiles together; the marks line up and a check bar on every page proves the size.

Do I need a membership to buy this

No. It is $225 for anyone. Current members can claim it free, and a Legendary template uses five of the month’s free picks.

Is it part of a bundle

No. Legendary templates are sold on their own and are never part of any bundle.

Can I sell what I make from it

Yes. What you make is yours to keep, give or sell. The pattern file is for your own use and is not to be shared.

Members

A whole month of free picks, spent on one leopard

Current members of The Clay Hole pick five templates free every month, and a Legendary one takes five of them. If you build it, bring it in. I would love to see it standing.

Log in to claim it freeSee the Legendary Showpieces