Do you need to get a kiln when you get a pottery wheel?

I know someone with two kilns and shes happy to let other people use them, for a small price. People into pottery know how expensive kilns are to run and normally don't fire a half full kiln so they put on other peoples things as well. There are also groups that use a shared kiln, know of one in Cork but that is professional and you need to be a member. Look around your area and ask around any artist that might know

Clay will typically dry out given enough time in the air...set in the sun like they used to, and still do in places, make bricks... what might be a more expensive option would be to use sculpey or super sculpey...the spinning wheel should have the same effect and you could bake it in the oven... tho with plasticine clay you cant really use it for anything other than decorative purposes

there is no different kind of clay which is suitable to use on a pottery wheel which does not require to be fired in a kiln. It has to be a water based clay (you have to be able to use non-toxic water as a lubricant). So you either get a kiln or you find a place which will fire your clay for you. They are usually not hard to find if you live at a reasonably large place. A different low tech option would be pit firing.

Paper and air drying clays are generally fibrous so can create problems on the surface through being overhandled on a potters wheel, they are not easy to use nor create the best results. I dont know of any suitable clay that won't need to be fired after, but it is possible to make your own raku or sawdust kiln pretty cheaply and as long as you have enough garden space. These are not to all tastes as both affect on the surface of the ceramic and can be unpredictable, but they do have the added advantage of being cheap to make if money is your concern. I add a couple of links below that give you a how-to on making these.