Pottery & Ceramics
Pottery: introduction to throwing and decoration
Beginner pottery course covering wheel throwing, turning, handles, lids and ceramic surface decoration through demonstrations and individual tuition.
Choose a date before booking
Upcoming classes
1 class
About this course
Participants learn to prepare clay and use the wheel to centre, throw and turn basic forms, including bowls, cylinders, jugs, vases and mugs. The course also introduces handles, fitted lids and assembling thrown forms into larger pieces. Teaching combines group and individual demonstrations with tuition, visual references, examples and handouts. Surface decoration covers slips, underglazes, oxides and glazes, alongside different application methods and firing temperatures.
What you'll learn
- Throw cylinders, bowls, vases and mugs
- Turn forms to create a finished foot
- Make and attach handles
- Measure and throw a lid to fit a pot
- Apply coloured slips and oxides using different techniques
- Experiment with altered forms, scale and assembled pieces
Is this course right for you?
The course is open to complete beginners as well as more experienced learners developing throwing and decoration skills. Teaching includes group and individual demonstrations, tuition and discussion. Participants should be able to follow written and verbal instructions, use handouts and safety information, and carry out simple measurements and calculations.
- Suitable for learners starting pottery as well as those extending existing throwing skills
- Requires engagement with self-reflection and reviewing personal ways of working
- Includes both group-based and individual teaching
Before you go
- Most ceramic materials are covered by the course fee.
- Departmental tools are available for use; learners may choose to purchase their own.
- Anyone with a pacemaker or internal defibrillator should contact the Ceramics Department before enrolling, as the potter’s wheels may pose a serious risk.