Six Week Introduction to Pottery
with Luke Hamel-Cooke
4:30-6:45pm each week. Summer Term 2025 Course Dates:
April -June course
29 April
6, 13, 20, 27 May
3 June
June - July course
10, 17, 24 June
1, 8, 15 July
Six Week Introduction to Pottery
This course is perfect for beginners. Students will learn how to throw on the potters wheel, how to trim to achieve a finished result and how to glaze. Students will leave with finished useable pieces. Most people are surprised at how well they do. Completion of this course can lead into a subsequent course to further improve skills. The tutor is an experienced thrower who will guide the students in their journey with clay.
Small groups allow plenty of individual attention to each student.
You should complete the course with several small pieces finished.
The course fee is inclusive of all materials except a small charge for firing.
Course Programme
Week 1: Introduction to Materials and Basic Techniques
• Objective: Familiarize students with clay and basic throwing techniques.
• Activities:
• Introduction: Overview of tools, materials, and workspace safety.
• Clay Prep: Demonstrate proper wedging techniques to remove air bubbles.
• Centering on the Wheel: Introduce centering, the foundation of throwing.
• Practice: Students practice centering clay on the wheel.
• Goal: Get comfortable with the feel of the clay and centering.
Week 2: Pulling Up Walls and Creating Cylinders
• Objective: Learn to pull up walls and make basic cylindrical shapes.
• Activities:
• Review: Quick recap of wedging and centering.
• Demonstration: Show techniques for pulling up walls to create height.
• Cylinder Throwing: Teach how to create simple cylinder shapes.
• Practice: Students make multiple small cylinders.
• Goal: Create a basic cylinder with even walls, focusing on height and thickness.
Week 3: Shaping and Forming Bowls
• Objective: Introduce shaping techniques to form bowls.
• Activities:
• Review: Centering and cylinder basics.
• Demonstration: Show how to open up the clay wider and shape it into a bowl.
• Trimming Basics: Introduce basic trimming techniques for foot rings.
• Practice: Students make small bowls, focusing on creating smooth, rounded forms.
• Goal: Shape a balanced bowl and add a simple foot, if possible.
Week 4: Trimming, Surface Design, and Texture
• Objective: Learn to refine shapes and add surface textures and designs.
• Activities:
• Review: Trimming basics and centering on trimming bats.
• Demonstration: Advanced trimming to refine forms and create smooth foot rings.
• Surface Decoration: Introduce textures, carving, slip application, or other decorative techniques.
• Practice: Students trim previous pieces and add decorative elements.
• Goal: Refine thrown pieces and add unique surface designs.
Week 5: Surface Decoration and Glazing Techniques
Objective: Learn how to add surface decoration and basic glazing techniques.
Activities:
• Introduction to different surface decoration techniques: carving, slip decoration, underglazes, and stamping
• Demonstration on how to apply glazes and basic glazing methods
• Hands-on practice with applying texture and surface design to your pieces
• Glazing demo: choosing glaze colors and understanding glaze application
Week 6: Final Touches and Glazing Firing
Objective: Finalize your pieces and understand the firing process.
Activities:
• Review the entire pottery-making process: from wedging clay to glazing
• Final discussion on firing techniques: bisque firing vs. glaze firing
• Final chance for students to trim, decorate, or touch up pieces
• Overview of how to prepare and fire work in the kiln
Key Takeaways and Final Review
Each week builds on foundational skills. By the end of this course, students will have completed several pieces, including cylinders, bowls, and mugs, and will have hands-on experience with shaping, trimming, decorating, and glazing