Discover the fundamentals of pottery in this relaxed and creative six-week course, designed for complete beginners and those looking to build confidence with clay. Unlike our Wheel Throwing Weekend Intensives, this course will explore a range of traditional hand-building techniques through achievable projects, learning how to shape, join, texture and decorate clay before progressing onto the pottery wheel.

By the end of the six weeks, you’ll have experienced a broad range of pottery techniques and gained a solid foundation for developing your skills further in our 6-Week Intermediate Pottery Course or in one of our weekly pottery clubs.  

What you’ll explore each week:

• Week 1 – Pinch Pots: Get to know clay while creating a decorative seed head, learning pinch-pot construction, joining, texture and surface details.
• Week 2 – Slab Building: Create a mug, vase or vessel using rolled slabs and a former, with an introduction to templates, handles and functional forms. 
• Week 3 – Coiling: Build a planter or vase using coils, exploring how to gradually shape a vessel and experiment with smooth or textured finishes. 
• Week 4 – Introduction to Wheel Throwing: Learn the fundamentals of wedging, centring, opening and pulling clay, working towards simple bowls and cylinders.
• Week 5 – Developing Your Wheel Skills: Build confidence on the wheel, developing greater control over height, thickness and form while being introduced to trimming.
• Week 6 – Throwing, Trimming & Finishing: Refine your forms and explore trimming and finishing techniques to give your pots a more polished result.  

Price: £265 per person. 

Age: 18+

What to bring: All tools and aprons are provided. 

What to wear:  Clay is messy, so we encourage casual dress when possible.  The stoneware clay used in this class will brush or wash off of most fabrics easily.  

Where we meet: 127 High Street, Henley-in-Arden B955AU

Accessibility: We pride ourselves in being accessible.  We have a ramped entrance for those with limited mobility and a ground floor toilet.  All of our pottery wheels can be operated by hand or foot.  We encourage you to contact us to discuss your specific needs prior to booking.