Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Given the choice of three things to see, a potter’s notebook, their studio and the actual work they create, I’ll pick the first two options every time. The finalised ceramics are the endpoint, they’re the culmination of years, often decades of a singular purpose and direction, yet what’s more interesting, normally, is what’s going on behind the scenes: a clay encrusted sketchbook, messy notes detailing experiments and a studio cluttered with parts of one’s mind unfurled into a three-dimensional space.
This week, I'm discussing how I draw and design the pottery I create, I'll be showing you my favourite pens, the notebook used, I'll be running you through some drills I do to help loosen my hand and get the bloody flowing when I'm feeling rusty and finally I'll take you through how I draw a couple of pieces.
These aren't meant to be photorealistic illustrations of pots, rather, they're drawn as a means of getting my ideas out on paper, so that I can visualise them properly. I also find it quicker and more efficient to roughly fill a page up with sloppy sketches where I explore the same shape with say, many different proportions, before settling on my favourite form and making that in clay. You can only test so many ideas so quickly on the wheel when actually throwing and trimming everything and thus, this initial step helps to weed out the good and bad ideas.
I know this weekend's video is a little different but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Thanks so much for watching!
Yorkshire Sculpture Park x Florian Gadsby prints:
yspshop.org.uk/products/florian-gadsby-mini-prints
Affiliate links, (I earn a few pennies from purchases you make via these links):
Pigma Micron pens:
(UK) amzn.to/4brGKoY
(USA) amzn.to/3NwtOGl
Uni-ball pens:
(UK) amzn.to/40wv13n
(USA) amzn.to/3NmL68D
Thanks so much for watching!
📖 • ORDER MY BOOK: geni.us/bymyhands
🏺 • You may also be interested in my 'A Beginner's Guide' series, which you can find here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2WJhtTF0eGhQwf8g2LHcom_KrvJpH_JT
Timecodes:
0:00 - Introduction (showing my drawings)
4:29 - The pens I use
5:30 - Two drills, exercises I do, to help with my line-work
8:11 - A common issue I see
11:25 - Why I think drawing is a useful skill
12:41 - How to draw handles more carefully
14:05 - How I draw cross sections & why I find them useful
•
Find out much more via the link below!
https://linktr.ee/floriangadsby
•
Get in touch here: floriangadsby.com/contact
Sign up to my newsletter here: floriangadsby.com/newsletter
Given the choice of three things to see, a potter’s notebook, their studio and the actual work they create, I’ll pick the first two options every time. The finalised ceramics are the endpoint, they’re the culmination of years, often decades of a singular purpose and direction, yet what’s more interesting, normally, is what’s going on behind the scenes: a clay encrusted sketchbook, messy notes detailing experiments and a studio cluttered with parts of one’s mind unfurled into a three-dimensional space.
This week, I'm discussing how I draw and design the pottery I create, I'll be showing you my favourite pens, the notebook used, I'll be running you through some drills I do to help loosen my hand and get the bloody flowing when I'm feeling rusty and finally I'll take you through how I draw a couple of pieces.
These aren't meant to be photorealistic illustrations of pots, rather, they're drawn as a means of getting my ideas out on paper, so that I can visualise them properly. I also find it quicker and more efficient to roughly fill a page up with sloppy sketches where I explore the same shape with say, many different proportions, before settling on my favourite form and making that in clay. You can only test so many ideas so quickly on the wheel when actually throwing and trimming everything and thus, this initial step helps to weed out the good and bad ideas.
I know this weekend's video is a little different but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Thanks so much for watching!
Yorkshire Sculpture Park x Florian Gadsby prints:
yspshop.org.uk/products/florian-gadsby-mini-prints
Affiliate links, (I earn a few pennies from purchases you make via these links):
Pigma Micron pens:
(UK) amzn.to/4brGKoY
(USA) amzn.to/3NwtOGl
Uni-ball pens:
(UK) amzn.to/40wv13n
(USA) amzn.to/3NmL68D
Thanks so much for watching!
📖 • ORDER MY BOOK: geni.us/bymyhands
🏺 • You may also be interested in my 'A Beginner's Guide' series, which you can find here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2WJhtTF0eGhQwf8g2LHcom_KrvJpH_JT
Timecodes:
0:00 - Introduction (showing my drawings)
4:29 - The pens I use
5:30 - Two drills, exercises I do, to help with my line-work
8:11 - A common issue I see
11:25 - Why I think drawing is a useful skill
12:41 - How to draw handles more carefully
14:05 - How I draw cross sections & why I find them useful
•
Find out much more via the link below!
https://linktr.ee/floriangadsby
•
Get in touch here: floriangadsby.com/contact
Sign up to my newsletter here: floriangadsby.com/newsletter
