What to expect in each lesson
with examples of students' work at each stage.
Lesson 1
The basics of centring clay
In this lesson we will demonstrate how to centre a small ball of clay and teach you the basics of making and shaping walls so that you can make a small bowl.
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Some examples of glazed student bowls are shown here.
Lesson 2
Making a cylinder.
Next, it's time to learn to collar in the walls of your clay so you can be more in control of the shape on the wheel head.
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The cylinder is the basic shape of all wheel-thrown objects and leads on to making larger, more elegant forms.
Lesson 3
shaping cylinders into cups
Now it's time to centre your clay, pull up into a cylinder, and learn the new skills of shaping the clay into a cup with a belly, waist and lip.
Lesson 4
pulling handles and glazing basics
In this lesson you learn how to pull and attach handles, plus the basics of glazing - hand-painting the bowl and cylinder you made in your first two lessons,
Lesson 5
Making repeat forms
The challenge in this lesson is to make the same form (shape) three times to make a set of matching small bowls. Now you're a proper potter!
Free glaze session
glazing your cup and bowls
Once your final bowls and cup have dried and been bisque-fired, you will be invited back to glaze your final items - free of charge!
Follow-on lessons
making larger, taller forms - vases and jugs
For those who want to go further, an additional follow-on courses are available. Here is some student work produced after a further 5 lessons.
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At this stage, you are welcome to book and use the studio facilities in your own time for a nominal fee.