Hand Building Techniques in Ceramics

4-Day Wheel Throwing Intensive

Learners will have one wheel each. This course covers all techniques including basic beginner-level skills such as clay preparation, centring, throwing to cylinder, making bowls and turning a foot ring. More advanced learners will be challenged with individual tasks such as making lids, spouts and plates, etc. There will be an opportunity to try the more challenging aspects of wheel throwing techniques such as cutting and joining. Learners will also have the opportunity to build on existing skills and to extend them.

Ceramics for Jewellery Design

This specialist short course which will focus on making ceramic beads for jewellery.
You will be guided through different techniques for making ceramic beads using specialist clays, coloured stains, and lustres. You will be taught about the different states of clay/ceramics including shrinkage, modelling techniques, marbling and glazing techniques using nichrome wire.
By the end of the three weeks you will have a small but unique collection of beads from which you can go onto to make earrings, necklaces and bracelets.

Ceramics on Saturday

This course will cover all the basic preparation and construction processes - pinching, coiling, slab building, wheel-throwing, press-moulding, surface decoration and glazing.

Tutor: Tana West

Ceramics Taster

On this single session, you will be introduced to wheel throwing techniques through practical demonstration and guidance and have a go at throwing your own ceramic pot.

Developing Ceramic Skills: Surface Treatments (Intermediate-Advanced Level)

The course will be self-directed but tutor led and is designed to build proficiency and confidence in handbuilding and/or wheel throwing. You'll produce quality work through a project-based assignment using a variety of surface treatments; using slips (applique, mishima, inlay, etc.), oxides, grogs & inclusions, textures, glazes etc. using contemporary and historical ceramics as a starting point.

Developing Ceramics Skills: Intermediate-Advanced

The course will be self-directed but tutor led and is designed to build proficiency and confidence in handbuilding and/or wheel throwing. You'll produce quality work through a project-based assignment (optional), using contemporary and historical ceramics for inspiration. Learners will be encouraged to be experimental with surface decoration and glazing.

Evening Ceramics (Monday)

This evening ceramics course introduces the basic hand building and wheel throwing techniques through practical demonstration and guidance. Learners will also gain skills in glazing.

Evening Ceramics (Thursday)

This course is designed to help learners build on existing skills and develop these further. Learner requests are encouraged for new techniques to be shown and/or recapped where appropriate.

Evening Ceramics (Tuesday)

This evening ceramics course introduces the basic handbuilding and wheel throwing techniques through practical demonstration and guidance. Learners will also gain skills in glazing.

Evening Ceramics (Wednesday)

This course is designed to help learners build on existing skills and develop these further. Learner requests are encouraged for new techniques to be shown and/or recapped where appropriate.

Glazing Workshop

This course is specifically for learners who have made work on the wheel intensive courses and wish to complete their work by glazing - NB - LEARNERS MUST HAVE A RANGE OF BISQUED FIRED WORK TO GLAZE

Introduction to Mould Making and Slip Casting

On this short course, you will be introduced to the processes of mould making and slip casting as well as a brief overview of more experimental approaches to using slip.

Introduction to Tile Design

This specialist short course focuses on the ceramic surface, with a specific attention given to working on your very own series of decorated tiles. You will be guided through a range of processes exploring repeated patterns and experimental printing techniques for your own tile designs. You will learn how to effectively apply your designs, illustrations or painterly surfaces to your tile forms using techniques such as mono-printing with clay slips, paper and fabric stencilling. You will also learn various techniques in refining and finishing your work.

Tutor Ella Porter, is a ceramic artist whose work displays a strong relationship between surface and form informed by a background in painting and printmaking at Glasgow school of art, and an MA in ceramics from The Royal College of Art.

Introduction to Wheel Throwing in Ceramics

This course covers the basic beginner-level wheel-throwing techniques such as clay preparation and wedging, centering, throwing a cylinder, making bowls and drinking vessels, turning a footring and adding handles. Learners will have one wheel each. Learners will also be able to try simple decoration techniques with slips and on the last session, to glaze some of their produced work.

Progress with Ceramics: Intermediate-Advanced

You will build your proficiency and confidence in handbuilding and/or wheel throwing. You'll produce quality work through a project-based assignment, using contemporary and historical ceramics for inspiration. Learners will be encouraged to be experimental with surface decoration and glazing.

Please note: This course will be tutor supported for half of each session (90 minutes). This course is aimed at learners who need studio access with limited guidance and feedback.

Raku

This course introduces learners to the raku firing process which is a low fire process. In raku, pottery is removed from the kiln when red hot.¿It is cooled rapidly, often in combustible material like sawdust or paper.¿Raku can be a very volatile and exciting firing process and produce work with a beautiful lustrous finish or a traditional ‘crackle’ glaze and learners will be able to craft a range of work and select a limited number of items for raku firing on the final session.