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The Clay Hole University · Graduation Day

A 12-Point Method to Critique Your Own PotteryPrintable pottery guide

Do I like it is a dead end question. This is the paper version of what to ask instead: an honest look, a walkaround you can tick, and a log that turns every finished pot into the plan for the next one.

$10.005 guides, 1 free
  • Skill level: Intermediate
  • 18 printable pages
  • 3 video picks
  • 5-question quiz + answer key

Flip through the free sample
  • Instant download
  • Prints on any printer
  • The lesson stays free
The printable, at a glance

What is the A 12-Point Method to Critique Your Own Pottery printable guide?

It is the free “A 12-Point Method to Critique Your Own Pottery” lesson rebuilt for paper: why do I like it tells you nothing, how to set up an honest look at a finished pot, the twelve checks from silhouette to glaze, the ten-more question that writes your next session, and the six ways self critique goes wrong. Built to sit beside the pot you are judging, with a log to write in.

Prefer to read it online first? The “A 12-Point Method to Critique Your Own Pottery” lesson is free, and always will be.

  • 18printable pages, US Letter
  • 5quiz questions, with a full answer key
  • 3hand-picked videos, each with a QR code
  • 14glossary terms in plain language
  • 2workbook pages you fill in yourself
For the shelf full of pots you have never really looked at

Your best teacher is the pot you just made.

Every pot you finish is full of information about what to do differently next time, and most of us never collect it. We look at the shelf, feel a little proud or a little disappointed, and wedge up the next ball having learned almost nothing.

The guide swaps the useless question for a repeatable walkaround. It sets up an honest look first: a night’s wait if you can manage one, plain light, ten feet of distance, a black shape photo, and holding the pot last. Then it works through twelve checks, each answered in one specific sentence, never a grade.

The last check is the one that changes potters. If you made ten more of this exact pot, what one thing would you change? Write that sentence in the log and read it before you wedge. It is the cheapest skill upgrade in pottery, because the tuition is pots you already made.

Look inside

Real pages, for the pot in front of you

These are actual pages from the guide, shown here with the sample watermark.

  • Page 3 of the “A 12-Point Method to Critique Your Own Pottery” printable guide: before you begin, shown with the sample watermark
    Before you beginOne page before the first section: what you will learn, what you need, what is worth knowing, the common pitfalls and what a good result looks like.
  • Page 4 of the “A 12-Point Method to Critique Your Own Pottery” printable guide: the wrong question, shown with the sample watermark
    The wrong questionWhy do I like it is a dead end, what a specific observation sounds like, and the difference between critique, which lands on the pot, and criticism, which lands on the potter.
  • Page 8 of the “A 12-Point Method to Critique Your Own Pottery” printable guide: the six traps, shown with the sample watermark
    The six trapsThe kindness trap, the cruelty trap, the effort trap, the comparison trap, keeper bias and the sunk time trap, with the way out of each.
  • Page 12 of the “A 12-Point Method to Critique Your Own Pottery” printable guide: the critique log, shown with the sample watermark
    The critique logA log to write in: one line per pot with the date, the one thing that works, the ten-more answer and whether you tried it, plus two questions for reading the page back.
Flip through the free sampleTen pages, free, no email required.
Why this one belongs on paper

Judge the pot with the pot in your hands

A critique happens next to a pot, in plain light, with your phone put away. Paper stays where you set it down and asks for one sentence at a time.

  • A walkaround you can tick

    The twelve checks come with a box beside each one, in order from silhouette to the ten-more question, so you can work down the page with the pot turning in front of you.

  • The whole method on one sheet

    The setup, the twelve checks, the six traps and what to log, on one page you can keep beside the pot while you look.

  • A log you read before you wedge

    One line per pot, thirty seconds each. A run of pots on one page shows drift and progress that no single pot can.

  • Nothing to scroll past

    A page does not refresh, does not autoplay and does not know what anybody else made this week.

How this one is built

Rebuilt for paper, not printed from a web page

Every guide in the series is set from scratch for print. Here is what that meant for this one.

  • Video notes checked against the videos

    Every note was read against the video’s own description and chapter list. All three said something those do not bear out, and one of the three turned out to be a making demonstration rather than a critique, so all three were rewritten. The lesson itself was corrected to match.

  • A hero picture described as what it shows

    The lesson’s picture text described a potter turning a finished mug. The picture is an illustration of a potter leaning in with a pencil and a clipboard to study one tall glazed vase, so the text now says that.

  • A setup that adds up

    The lesson promised two minutes of setup above a list whose first step is to wait a day. The guide, and now the lesson, say a few minutes of setup plus a night’s wait if you can manage one.

  • Related lessons that match their cards

    We looked at all eight lessons this one points at and checked each against what its card promises. All eight matched, so none needed changing.

  • A search line for every video

    On paper a video cannot play, so each one carries its title and channel to search for, and a code that opens it.

  • Codes that keep working

    Every link is a short Clay Hole address. If a page moves, we repoint the address and your printed copy still goes to the right place.

Why the University is free

The lesson is free. It always will be.

All of the teaching in this guide comes from the free “A 12-Point Method to Critique Your Own Pottery” lesson, and that lesson is not going anywhere.

The smaller question is the one that works. If you made ten more of this exact pot, what one thing would you change? You do not need to know why it feels off. You only need to know what to try next.

Say it out loud, write it in one line, and read the line before you wedge. That is the whole habit, and it costs about thirty seconds a pot.

Dan Pearce, founder of The Clay Hole
The series

Build a little pottery library

Every printable guide in The Clay Hole University series takes one free lesson and rebuilds it for paper, with workbook pages, a glossary and a quiz with a worked answer key. Each one keeps its number for good, so a guide you buy today is the same guide in the same place next year.

Put any five printable guides in your cart and the cheapest one is on us. Put in nine and the two cheapest are on us. It happens automatically at checkout, no code to remember.

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Sits next to

Three lessons that pick up where this one leaves off

Each one is free to read online, and the codes in the guide take you straight there.

Questions

Good to know

How is this different from the free lesson?
The teaching is the same, and the free lesson is not going anywhere. The guide is that teaching rebuilt for paper: a learning dashboard at the front, the twelve checks with a box beside each, a critique log to write in, the whole method on one sheet, a glossary and a quiz with an answer key that explains every answer.
Do I need a finished pot to use it?
One finished pot is all it asks for. It is written to be worked through with a pot in front of you, and it pays back most once you are making the same form again, which is where the log earns its place.
Is this too early for me?
No. Any finished pot will do, including your first. Starting the log on your first pot is better than starting it on your fortieth.
Do the videos play on paper?
No, so each one carries its title, its channel and a code that opens it, and the note beside it says what the video actually covers so you can decide before you watch.
Do I need a fancy printer?
No. It is set for US Letter and prints on any home printer, single sided or double.
Does it print in black and white?
Yes. Color is used to organize the pages rather than to carry meaning, so nothing is lost in grayscale.
Can I print just part of it?
Yes. The critique log and the one page reference are the two most people print again, and the contents page tells you which page each one is on.
Can I use it on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It is a PDF, so it opens on a phone, a tablet or a computer as well as on paper. The tick boxes are meant for a printed copy.
How does delivery work?
The download arrives the moment you buy it.
What happens if the guide is updated?
Guides get corrected and improved over time and every edition carries its version number. The code on the last page always goes to the current one.
Can I share it?
It is licensed to you for your own use. Please do not forward, upload or resell it, or use it with a class, studio, school or group. If you would like to use a guide with a group, ask us about permission.

Ask the pot what it would do differently.

The guide gives you the look, the twelve checks and a log to keep the answers in, one line per pot, read before you wedge.

Get the guide · $10.00

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