Best Ceramic Art Books of 2025

Complete Pottery Techniques: Design, Form, Throw, Decorate and More, with Workshops from Professional Makers is the perfect guide for both beginners and experienced potters looking to expand their skills. The book covers every technique from throwing pottery to firing, glazing to sgraffito, with step-by-step photographs and expert tips to help you master each technique. What makes this book unique is its contemporary design and ideas, which enable the modern maker to unleash their creativity. Overall, this book is an excellent companion for pottery classes of any level or a go-to guide for potters looking to perfect their skills.

The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes is an essential studio guide for potters who glaze their pieces at mid-range temperatures. With hundreds of recipes, the book explores mixing, application, specific firing and cooling cycles, and all the factors that make glazes work. The author, John Britt, is a renowned glaze expert and a frequent contributor to leading ceramics publications. He explains complex concepts in simple terms, making this book accessible for potters of all levels. Overall, this book is a valuable resource for every potter's bookshelf, packed with information that will expand the frontiers of mid-range glazing.

Mastering Hand Building: Techniques, Tips, and Tricks for Slabs, Coils, and More (Mastering Ceramics) is a comprehensive guide for ceramic artists looking to improve their hand building skills. Sunshine Cobb covers everything from foundational techniques to advanced methods, including designing templates, using molds, and decorative techniques. The book also features inspiring galleries and work from top artists in the field. The expert insight, step-by-step photos, and compelling projects make this book a must-have for artists who never stop learning. Overall, Mastering Hand Building is a valuable resource that will help artists take their hand building skills and artwork to the next level.

Mastering the Potter's Wheel is a must-have book for potters who want to take their skills to the next level. It covers everything from the basics of wheel-throwing to advanced techniques for creating large objects, alterations, darting, and paddling. The book also features galleries of work from some of today's top artists, providing inspiration and insight into their creative processes. Written by Ben Carter and published by Voyageur Press, this book is a valuable addition to any potter's library. Overall, this book stands out for its comprehensive coverage of wheel-throwing techniques and its wealth of inspirational content.

The book "Wild Clay: Creating ceramics and glazes from natural and found resources" is a comprehensive guide for anyone interested in using wild clay for their pottery. The authors draw on their experience from the US and Japan to provide tips on how to locate, collect, assess, and process local clays. The book also explains how to adapt a clay's properties by blending appropriate materials to achieve the desired effect. The beautiful illustrations and technical descriptions make it easy to understand the formation of various clays and their unique properties. This book is an ideal starting point for both novice and experienced potters who want to create a closer bond between their art and their surroundings.

The Beginner's Guide to Hand Building is an essential read for anyone interested in ceramics. The book covers all the necessary fundamentals, including a thorough discussion of clay and helpful tips for keeping your body and mind in top shape. With sculptural and functional projects for all levels, the book provides a complete course of instruction that will enable even the most novice of ceramic sculpture artists to produce functional and decorative works. The conversational instructions and tips make it easy to follow, and the gallery work from some of today's top artists inspire potters of all levels. Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to explore and develop their hand-building skills in ceramics.

"Pottery for Beginners" by Kara Leigh Ford is an excellent guide for anyone interested in learning pottery. The book provides step-by-step instructions on hand building and throwing techniques, as well as glazing and firing processes. The author's approachable style and use of beautiful visuals make this book a great resource for both beginners and advanced potters. The projects are skillfully arranged to build on each other, making it easy to learn pottery's fundamentals. Overall, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in ceramics, and its practicality and insights make it stand out from other pottery books on the market."

Amazing Glaze Recipes and Combinations is a comprehensive resource for potters looking to expand their knowledge of pottery glazes. Gabriel Kline, founder of Odyssey Clayworks, provides a collection of well-tested recipes and electrifying combinations for low-fire, mid-range, and high-fire pottery. The book includes hundreds of photos and technically-edited recipes to ensure the best possible results. The author also shares multi-glaze combinations developed through years of trial and error. The book is a must-have for experienced ceramists looking to take their pottery to a higher level of artistry.

Mastering Kilns and Firing: Raku, Pit and Barrel, Wood Firing, and More is an excellent guide for potters who want to explore new atmospheric firing techniques. Lindsay Oesterritter takes a collaborative approach to introduce each type of firing, with inspiring examples of contemporary work by various artists. From raku to wood firing, this book covers the key techniques, tips, and tricks for alternative firing methods. The book also features top potters working today, providing insights into specialty techniques and traditional kilns in different cultures around the world. Overall, this book is a great resource for anyone looking to move beyond the electric kiln and explore the magic of firing pottery.

The Ceramics Bible Revised Edition is a comprehensive guide to making ceramics that has been updated to include new techniques, terms, images, and artist profiles. This book is a valuable tool for makers and artists of all levels, with step-by-step instructions and a visually-rich format. It also features a diverse array of contemporary artists and a comprehensive guide to the best ceramics galleries, suppliers, residencies, workshops, and studios all over the world. With gorgeous full-color photographs, this book is both beautiful to behold and easy to use. It's perfect for art and design students, makers, craftspeople, ceramics artists, and pottery enthusiasts. Overall, this revised edition captures the technological and social changes that have shaped the practices and products of working ceramics artists.