Pottery & Ceramics
Pottery for beginners
A beginner pottery course covering hand-building, introductory wheel throwing, surface decoration, glazing and firing through demonstrations and tuition.
Choose a date before booking
Upcoming classes
1 class
About this course
Learners are introduced to core pottery processes through practical demonstrations, group tuition and individual guidance. The course explores hand-building methods including pinching, coiling, press moulding and slab building, alongside simple forms made on the potter’s wheel. It also covers surface decoration, glazing and the kiln-firing process. Learners review their ways of working and learning through self-reflection and group discussion.
What you'll learn
- Create simple pottery forms using pinching, coiling, slab building and press moulding.
- Produce simple forms on a potter’s wheel.
- Apply surface decoration techniques to clay forms.
- Glaze finished work.
- Explain how pottery is fired in a kiln.
Is this course right for you?
The course is designed for beginners and people new to clay. Sessions combine group and individual tuition with demonstrations, practical activity, self-reflection and group discussion. Learners should be able to follow straightforward written and spoken instructions, use numbers, and carry out simple measurements and calculations.
- Intended for newcomers to pottery.
- Requires participation in both group and individual tuition.
- Learners are expected to engage with health and safety information.
- Self-reflection and group discussion form part of the learning process.
Before you go
- Tools are available within the department for use; learners may choose to purchase their own tools after tutor advice.
- There is a safety restriction for people with pacemakers or internal defibrillators: they cannot work in the ceramics studio while the wheels are in use. The ceramics department should be contacted before enrolment to discuss this.