Introduction to Clay:
Adult Beginners’ Handbuilding Courses
These courses are designed to give a good understanding of basic hand-building and decorating techniques. Create functional pieces from start to finish: make with a range of different clays, experiment with exciting textures and colourful surface decoration, and glaze the fired pieces.
“Kayley is very friendly, easy going, and an excellent and experienced teacher. This was a brilliant beginners' course, which covered a lot of the basics in a clear and informative way. Also, it had a fun, inclusive group atmosphere. Highly recommended!”
— Delia [May 2022]
If you're new to ceramics and like the sound of spending a weekend playing with clay, book yourself onto one my upcoming courses.
Looking for a gift? Reserve a place for a friend and receive a PDF gift voucher.
January 2025: 25th & 26th (10am-5pm)
February 2025: 15th & 16th (10am-5pm)
March 2025: 29th & 30th (Mother’s Day) (10am-5pm)
The course consists of 12 hours’ tuition over two days, plus entry to one three-hour Intermediate Workshop to glaze the work completed on the course (usual fee for the workshop is £36, included in this course). There are 10 spaces available for each course. The course fee is £275 per person - all materials and firings are included. Book a space using the form on the contact page. Payment by bank transfer upon booking.
Course Format
Saturday 10am-1pm: Session 1 - Press Mould and Slip Decorate
Roll perfectly even slabs of clay and press them into a plaster mould to create a shallow dish or bowl. Explore the decorative possibilities of decorating slips (coloured liquid clays). Use newspaper, slip trailers, a range of brushes and wooden tools to create exciting surface decoration.
Saturday 2pm-5pm: Session 2 - Pinch and Texturise
Follow your instincts and experiment with the simplest way to manipulate clay – I said simplest, not easiest! Pinch the clay between finger and thumb and practise controlling the form to create functional objects. Play with tools to texturise the surface and add handles, foot rings and lips to determine the function of your piece.
Sunday 10am-1pm: Session 3 - Coil
Learn how to roll the perfect coil, build a pot from the bottom up, fix the coils together so they never come apart and experiment with form by placing the coils in different formations. Work into the piece with a range of scraping tools to refine the form and create your desired surface quality.
Sunday 2pm-5pm: Session 4 - Slab-build
Roll beautiful slabs, add texture and learn how to stick them together to create vessels with curved and flat sides. Think outside the box- slabs don’t have to be square! Build pieces with interesting shapes to create truly unique vessels.
Extra Information
There will be 10 spaces per course.
Please bring your own apron - these are not provided.
Lunch will be 1pm-2pm each day. Lunch is not provided but there will be copious amounts of tea, coffee and biscuits on offer :)
The studio is in the church without a spire at 2 Parkhurst Road, N7 0SF. If you have any queries, please call me on 07731 984598.
Cancellation Policy
Refunds are only available if cancellations are made with good notice. Cancellations within 48 hours of the course start date will not receive a refund.
Not for you, but looking for a last-minute gift? Why not buy a voucher for the course for a loved one?
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