Beginners Throwing Course
£245.00 per person
What's included?
The course runs over five sessions, each lasting 2 hours. Booking is flexible, so you will not need to commit to a schedule, although ideally you should be able to commit to one session per week, two weeks at the most (there is only so long that clay can be held in its 'leather hard' stage to be able to further work on the piece before it becomes too dry).
Below is an idea of what to expect, and how the sessions are structured - but often people have their own ideas and things they would like to try (tiles, bonsai pots, pots embossed with fossils, botanical imprints..) - in which case, bring your inspiration and we'll roll with it!
Session 1 - An introduction to throwing pots on the wheel and a demonstration of how to pull up a cylinder - the basic form. We then swap over for you to throw your first pieces, with guidance, support and encouragement
Session 2 - Learning about leather- hard clay. The pieces from last time will have been kept for you to return to in their leather hard (not wet, but not fully dry) state. This is the time to refine the work and bring it to life. It might involve trimming the work, taking the weight out, refining the curves - or faceting, scalloping, fluting, trimming in the foot. For those interested, we may also explore other forms of mark-making such as scraffito, underglazing, or decorating with slip. We then return to the wheel with fresh clay and hopefully throw some mug bodies to which we will mount handles next time.
Session 3 - Handles and attachments.. We will take the pieces that we made in the last session, and explore some different ways to make handles, and how to mount them, with the intention of finishing at least one mug!
Session 4 - Bottle and vase forms - by this time, hopefully we are able to pull the clay a little taller, and explore the technique of collaring (narrowing) the clay to form the necks of bottles and vases, giving rise to countless variations in form
Session 5 - Glazing! Arranged when all of the pieces have been through their first (bisque) firing - we will discuss what glazing is all about - what it is, how to do it, and of course, choosing glazes and glazing your pieces made during the previous sessions!
What do I need?
Please wear sensible clothes and flat shoes. Please make sure that long hair is tied back and bear in mind that nails need to be a sensible length for working on the pottery wheel. You need your fingertips! You may wish to bring an apron though it's not essential.
Please email info@saltydogpotterystudio.co.uk to book.
What's next? Upon completion of the course, you can consider yourself a SaltyDog studio member, and if you've 'got the bug' for pottery and would like to pursue it further, you are welcome to use the member's only booking page to book ad-hoc sessions, and enjoy a 10% discount on our occasional workshops (raku firing, glaze-making, throwing taller, throwing teapots etc..)
