Pottery Course: Beginners

Brisbane Pottery Course

Ready to take your love of pottery a little more seriously?

The Artisan Avenue Beginner Pottery Clay course, held in the Brisbane suburb of Albion, will arm you with the pottery basics and leave you with unique pots to take home after the course. Jude will guide you through week by week, explaining the basics of pottery from wedging the clay, creating intricate designs and colouring your clay.

This course runs for six weeks with classes on Wednesday mornings from 10am - 1pm and Wednesday evenings from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm.

At the end of this course you will leave with nine pieces of pottery that are bisque and glaze fired, finished and ready to take home. 

What you'll take home

• Trinket bowl mould and two dishes, garlic shredder, in-scent burner, spoon rest, air plant holder etc.
• Two plates made from a wooden or clay mould with texture
  
• Textured colourful medium bowl with a foot to raise it from the table
  
• Two unique cylinders, coffee mug, jug, utensils holder, vase, oil burner, lidded container,
• A large platter for the centre of your table.
• Knowledge to glaze your pieces of art, the icing on your cake.

What to expect in the Beginners Pottery Course

Week one: It's time to get more familiar with clay! Jude will show you how to make your own mould from found objects which you can create ready to be set for another class. Don't worry, you'll still get your hands dirty... in this class, you'll create 2 smallish shallow bowls (eg) spoon rest, in-scents burner, garlic shredder, ring holder, etc. etc. Attaching different styles of feet to elevate your creation from the table

Week two: This week you'll be learning about press moulds. You'll use a mould made from wood or clay to create two dishes (up to 28cm wide). You'll have the choice of circle, square, oval or rectangle and of course your own choice of designs. You'll also be guided on how to create your own pattern template to use in the future. Adding rims to these pieces can create a totally different feel to your creation so we will be learning rim treatments to add to your arsenal.

Week three: It's the week to level up your creativity! We're making stamps and a medium sized bowl this week. You'll create your own unique stamps that you'll use to add texture and design to your creation. Importantly, you'll need to make a special stamp with your signature on it so you can let the world know it's your design; and all pots MUST have your signature on them before they're fired so we can all recognise which pot belongs to you because they can look very different after firing! You'll then use these stamps to make a beautiful platter covered in your different textures. We will be trying to incorporate handles into your bowl design this week.

Week four: We will be getting colourful in week four. This week we'll be learning more about colour and slips. You'll create your own slip colour for your designs but don't worry, you won't be limited - Jude has a vast array of colour slips already created for you to use. This week you'll create a humble cylinder or two, most articles start from this shape eg. mug, jug, Utensil Holder, oil burner, lidded container, flask, oil bottle, vase, stein. etc. etc.

Week five: Lets be game whilst we have many hands to help us achieve a larger mass of clay Platter, it's heavier and more awkward than you may think. This week, you'll build a serving platter and learn the intricacies of joining a foot or why not to. You'll use your slip knowledge and skills learnt so far to colour, texture your platter. Maybe you will choose to use your own stamps. Having a photo or drawing of what has inspired you for your platter prior to this night is important so as to have all necessary moulds and equipment in readiness. Discussions need to be had prior to the event. There is never just one way to achieve something - the possibilities are endless!

While your platter is setting up, you can work on a smaller project using the same theme as your platter - working on two different items in one class will be easy!


Week six: We're almost at the end of our beginner pottery journey. In our final week together, you'll learn basic knowledge of glazing, preparing your creations, cleaning, waxing, spraying, brushing, dipping, all the way up to placement in the kiln. We have found this to be a much needed addition to the Course and as firing of your pieces is basically the most expensive area it has been decided to include Raw Glazing or once firing into the mix. We are aiming to have your pieces all bisque fired for this night, weather permitting, so you will be glazing all of your own pots ready to be glaze fired the next week. This lesson is most important to further your endless journey into the wonderful world of Ceramics or Pottery, there is no end to what you can achieve.

Congratulations, you have totally made your own collection of pottery, what a great achievement!

Please bring your mask to this class even though we will be working outside.

Note: For safety: you must be 15 years or over to attend any of our classes.

Please note: Public dates for this course require at least 4 guests to run. In the unlikely event that we don't reach this number, we'll cancel the course; in this case we'll inform you and allow you to get a refund or reschedule, so please watch your email/SMS one day prior to the class.

A previous experience with pottery would be helpful to get the most out of this course and so the pace of the learning for the group can be consistent. One of our plate or trinket clay workshops is an ideal introduction!

Class notes 

• Tea, coffee and light snacks are provided (but Fonzie Abbott is right across the road, so feel free to take that up!). BYO is accepted for all evening classes
• Wear old clothes and even bring an apron, you will get wonderfully messy
• Tie long hair back to avoid getting clay in your hair 
• Remove jewellery as you'll be working with your hands... and clay!
• Must wear closed-toe, comfortable shoes
• Your pieces will be dishwasher, microwave, ovenproof and food safe
• For safety, you must be 15 years or over to attend any of our classes unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, except for school holiday workshops.

Things to bring

• A face mask (just in case)
• An apron (or wear old clothes)
• An ice-cream-sized container with a fitted lid to store your clay scraps
• A jam jar-sized container with a screw top to store your glue slip
• An old towel
• Optional: a 30 x 30cm or larger board/surface if you wish to take home and complete your creation. By doing this you will get a fantastic insight into how your clay project dries.

*Please note that while we love imperfections (wabi-sabi) we cannot be held responsible for any breakages of your pieces that happen as a result of the kiln firing. This is an organic, creative process and while all and every care is taken, there are no guarantees of a set result/outcome of your pieces.