This short course is the perfect introduction to ceramics with such in-depth teaching that even experienced potters will find great new tips. The best course to s​tart on if you have just caught the pottery bug, are looking for a more comprehensive grounding in technique or would like to join our regular evening classes.

The course is for adults and takes place over 6 weekly 2.5 hour sessions on weekday or Sunday evenings from 6-8.30pm. The price of £280 includes all the materials and firing for your work. Completing this course gives you access to regular classes all year round where you can work on your own designs.

Each week your tutor will lead you through a new technique in a short project. The course is varied, so you'll cover all the basics and discover your favourite methods to develop. By the end of the course you will have mugs, plates, bowls and sculptures to take home. Read on for more details of the projects:

Handbuilding: We’ll start our course with the simplest techniques, using your hands for building and sculpting dishes. You’ll begin with pinch pots, which are great for little hand sized objects, and move on to coiling: blending together sausages of clay in layers to build yourself a bowl.

Slabbing: Next we’ll introduce you to slabbing - rolling out and shaping sheets of clay. Slabbing is particularly satisfying for beginners, who are often surprised at how neat their finished pieces are!

Your first project will be making a plate with a plaster mould, then using some different decorating techniques with slips (coloured liquid clays) which are wonderful for crisp, vibrant designs. The next class will give you a chance to make a more complex form with slabs: a cylinder shape which can be adapted for mugs, vases, pencil pots, jugs, oil burners and more.

Sculpting Learn how to use some simple potter's hacks to help you create lifelike sculptures. These techniques help to demystify the sculpting process and leave you free to enjoy a particularly therapeutic way of using clay.

Projects The last two weeks will start with shorter demonstrations of new techniques, while the rest of the class will be about coaching you to start on designs and projects of your own based on the techniques you've tried so far:

Glazing This beautiful but tricky stage of the ceramic process needs practice for consistent results. This demo will give you a chance to see what's involved and have a go by glazing the plates you make in week 3.

Throwing Roll your sleeves up! The next step is to introduce you to the wonderfully messy and compulsive skill of throwing on the wheel. It takes practice to train your muscles to get really good, but with some one-on-one help from a tutor, even a complete beginner can get some lovely dishes first time out. The class will start with a demonstration and then you'll have the option to have a go yourself at some point during the rest of the session.

Moving on: Once the course is complete, you’ll have the option of continuing with regular evening classes, with access to all the studio facilities and tutors on hand to help you pursue your own designs.

THINGS TO REMEMBER
The course is held in a dedicated ceramics studio with professional facilities and materials. It's a lovely, open, comfortable space in both winter and summer, and we never over-crowd the studio as we want to make sure everyone has the space and teaching time to relax and get good results.

You'll have everything you need waiting for you here, including refreshments, lockers for your possessions and room to change. It's best to wear clothes you don't mind getting clay on (it washes out without difficulty) and trimming your nails makes the projects easier.

Please note that, while the course fee includes the cost of materials, we are expecting your project pieces to be no larger than a vase or plate. You can go bigger if you like! But we'll need to charge you an extra fee.