A faceted stoneware origami owl in honey amber with a cream face, on an oak bookshelf, made from The Clay Hole paper template

Paper template 59, a hand-building pattern

The Origami Owl

BETA: this template is still being tested

Every template keeps its BETA mark 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.

An upright owl built from 33 flat slab facets, like a folded paper owl, with ear tufts, folded wings and pressed eyes. Finished: 7 5/8 in tall to the ear tips, 4 11/16 in x 4 5/8 in across at 12 percent shrinkage.

Part of the Origami collection, all eleven together for $147.60.

  • Advanced
  • About 4 hours at the table, plus a slow dry
  • About 3 lb of clay
  • 3 template sheets, 8 pages
$12.00 one PDF, 8 pages, yours to print as often as you like

Flip through the free sample
What you will make

An upright owl in 33 crisp facets, built from flat slabs

A stoneware owl that looks folded from one sheet of paper, with ear tufts up and wings held just off its sides. It stands 7 5/8 in tall, small enough for a bookshelf, and it is the friendliest way into origami in clay.

33 slab pieces from 18 numbered templates, the biggest 3 5/16 in across, every edge lettered and beveled. Every piece is drawn at wet size for a 1/4 in slab, and the finished sizes are what comes out of the glaze kiln at 12 percent shrinkage, which is what most of the studio's stoneware does.

Height7 5/8 in to the ear tips
Footprint4 11/16 in x 4 5/8 in with the wings
Pieces33 flat facets
Jointsevery edge lettered
What is in the pack

8 pages. Every piece whole on its own sheet.

  • 3 template sheets, each piece printed whole at exact size, with a 1 inch check square and a 5 centimeter bar on every sheet so you can prove the print before you cut
  • A cover with the finished size drawn and labeled, so you know what you are building before you roll a slab
  • One page on printing, rolling, cutting and the seam method, the same on every template
  • Assembly in 10 numbered steps written for this piece, then drying, glazing, and the three things that go wrong and why
  • A size table at 10, 12 and 14 percent shrinkage, because 52 Buff, B-Mix and porcelain do not shrink the same

The pieces

  • 01 Floorcut 1
  • 02 Lower front, leftcut 1
  • 02 Lower front, rightcut 1
  • 03 Lower side, leftcut 1
  • 03 Lower side, rightcut 1
  • 04 Lower back, leftcut 1
  • 04 Lower back, rightcut 1
  • 05 Chest, leftcut 1
  • 05 Chest, rightcut 1
  • 06 Side, leftcut 1
  • 06 Side, rightcut 1
  • 07 Back, leftcut 1
  • 07 Back, rightcut 1
  • 08 Face, leftcut 1
  • 08 Face, rightcut 1
  • 09 Head side, leftcut 1
  • 09 Head side, rightcut 1
  • 10 Back of head, leftcut 1
  • 10 Back of head, rightcut 1
  • 11 Forehead, leftcut 1
  • 11 Forehead, rightcut 1
  • 12 Temple, leftcut 1
  • 12 Temple, rightcut 1
  • 13 Top of the back, leftcut 1
  • 13 Top of the back, rightcut 1
  • 14 Crown, leftcut 1
  • 14 Crown, rightcut 1
  • 15 Beakcut 1
  • 16 Wing, leftcut 1
  • 16 Wing, rightcut 1
  • 17 Ear tuft, leftcut 1
  • 17 Ear tuft, rightcut 1
  • 18 Tailcut 1
Cover page of The Origami Owl, a printable pottery paper template from The Clay Hole in Draper, Utah
The cover
The template sheets of The Origami Owl shown small, a hand-building pattern from The Clay Hole
The template sheets, shown small
Why it works

Worked out from the finished piece backward

My standard for these is spot on, not close. A template that is close is worse than no template, because you trust it. So every number in this pack comes from the finished size, through the slab thickness and the shrinkage, to the flat shape that makes it. Then the finished file was measured to prove the shapes landed at that size.

1

Exact scale, with a check

Every sheet carries a 1 inch square and a 5 centimeter bar. Print at 100 percent, measure the square, and the whole sheet is right. If it is not, the print is wrong and you reprint before cutting anything.

2

Seams and bevels planned

Each edge that needs a bevel is hatched on the template and the steps say which way it leans. Mitered corners come out square because all four pieces come from one outline.

3

Tapers cut as fans

A wall that flares is drawn as part of a ring, not a trapezoid, so it closes into a cone with no pleats. The curves are worked out from the exact rim and foot sizes.

4

Fits that are already solved

Lids, flanges, saucers and ridges carry the clearance built in, at wet size, so the parts still fit after they shrink together in the kiln.

MeasurementWet, on the template52 Buff, 10 percentMost stoneware, 12 percentPorcelain, 14 percent
Height to the ear tips8 11/16 in7 13/16 in7 5/8 in7 7/16 in
Front to back with the tail5 5/16 in4 13/16 in4 11/16 in4 9/16 in
Across the wings5 1/4 in4 11/16 in4 5/8 in4 1/2 in
How to use it

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

A ruler on the 1 inch square settles whether the sheet is right. Thirty seconds that saves a whole piece.

Roll 1/4 in

Every clearance assumes it. Let the slab firm up to soft leather hard before you cut, 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 10 steps. Score, slip, press, compress, every seam.

The set

The other paper templates

Ninety-six of them so far, from a first slab project to the ones that will test you. See all ninety-six on one page.

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for members A celadon green stoneware serving tray with slotted handles, crackers and cheese, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Twin Handle Serving Tray Intermediate, $8, free for members A cobalt blue wrapped stoneware oval baker of potato gratin and a matching salad bowl, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Wrapped Bowl and Oval Baker Intermediate, $8, free for members A sunflower yellow stoneware sponge caddy holding a blue sponge on its drip tray, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Sponge Caddy and Drip Tray Beginner, $5.50, free for members A charcoal stoneware water pitcher with a slotted fin handle and a folded spout, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Fin Handle Pitcher Advanced, $12, free for members Two charcoal and cream stoneware slow feeder pet bowls with swirl walls and kibble, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Slow Feeder Pet Bowls Advanced, $12, free for members A sea glass aqua stoneware wave rim bowl holding lemons and limes on a 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paper templateThe Rolled Scroll Bud Vases Beginner, $5.50, free for members A two-half stoneware backgammon board with cobalt and rust points on a walnut table, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Backgammon Set Insane, $30, free for members Three-tier stacking stoneware strawberry tower in a pale blue glaze on a porch deck, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Stacking Strawberry Tower Advanced, $12, free for members A yellow stoneware mancala board shaped like a sunflower, a brown lid and clay seeds, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Sunflower Mancala Board Expert, $20, free for members A stoneware Chinese checkers board with a colored star, six marble trays and marbles, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Chinese Checkers Board Expert, $20, free for members A green stoneware mancala board with cream pits, colored pebbles and its lidded jar, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Classic Mancala Set Expert, $20, free for members A charcoal stoneware tic tac toe box with a raised grid, white X and orange O pieces, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Tic Tac Toe Set Expert, $20, free for members Stoneware checkers board with six-sided cream and red checkers set up on an oak table, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Checkers Set Expert, $20, free for members Speckled cream oval stoneware soap dish with raised ridges holding a bar of soap, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Soap Dish Beginner, $5.50, free for members Faceted whale shark wall sculpture in a navy, teal and plum ombre with white spots, made from The Clay Hole paper templateThe Whale Shark Wall Sculpture Insane, $30, free for members
Or all ninety-six at once

The whole set for $705, half of what they cost one at a time

Every template on this site in one order, $705 instead of $1,410, sent as download links by email. See everything that is in it. Members: log in and they are all free, no bundle needed.

$705$1,410All 96 templates in one order: 96 PDFs, 979 pages, yours to print as often as you like.

Delivered as download links by email the moment the order goes through. A member: log in instead and every template is free.

Questions

The ones that come up

Do I need a membership to buy this

No. It is $12 for anyone. A membership makes every template free, along with everything else a membership includes.

How do members get it free

Log in on this page with the email your membership is under, and the download button appears in place of the price. No code, no checkout.

Can I make it bigger or smaller

Yes. Print every piece of the pack at the same percentage and the parts still fit each other. Anything over about 115 percent runs a piece off the page, so check the sheet before you cut.

Which clay

Any of the studio's stoneware. The template is drawn for a 1/4 in slab and the sizes assume 12 percent shrinkage. 52 Buff comes out a little bigger, porcelain a little smaller, and the size table in the pack covers both.

Can I sell what I make from it

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

What if a piece does not fit on my printer

Every piece sits whole on one letter sheet with a 3/8 inch margin, which every ordinary home and office printer reaches. Landscape sheets print landscape. Let the printer rotate the page rather than scaling it.

Members

Every template, free, every time

Ninety-six 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. I’d love to see what comes out of the kiln.

Log in to download it freeSee all ninety-six templates