Description
*** This is a combined Beginners and Intermediate Wheel Throwing Class. Both beginners and intermediate students with be guided by Adele through seperate curriculum and learning goals alongside each other. This is also the perfect class for students not quite ready for Intermediate but want to progress their beginners skills.***
Beginners Students
In this six week course you will learn the fundamental skills of wheel throwing. This will include centering clay on the wheel, throwing cylinder and bowl forms, and turning/trimming the bases of your work. Students will also be introduced to a range of decorative techniques, including liquid underglaze colours, tissue transfers and glazes.
Course Guide
Week 1 – Overview of the course, introduction to clay and the ceramic process, main tools and their uses, clay preparation techniques (wedging), demonstrations on centring clay on the wheel, students practising centring clay on the wheel with guidance from the tutor.
Week 2 – Refresher on wedging clay and centring clay on the wheel, demonstrations on ‘opening out’ and ‘pulling up’, compressing bases – to create cylindrical forms on the wheel. Students create cylindrical forms on the wheel with guidance from the tutor.
Week 3 – Discussion and demonstration on turning/trimming leather hard pots, students turn/trim their forms, students continue to make cylindrical forms on the wheel. Demonstration of throwing bowls on the wheel, students practice throwing bowl forms on the wheel.
Week 4 – Students continuing to practice and create more cylinder and bowls forms on the wheel and turn/trim leather hard work.
Week 5 – Turning/trimming of all cylinder and bowl forms. Learning about and applying decorative techniques, liquid underglaze colours and tissue transfers. All work is finished this session and ready for bisque firing (the first firing).
Week 6 – Discussion of glazes and glaze application, glaze demonstrations (dipping, pouring), students apply glazes to all their work for final firing.
Intermediate Students
After the completion of at least one Beginners Wheel Throwing courses (or the equivalent from other schools) students can move over to Intermediate and build on from cylinders and bowls to handles, attachments and galleries – such as milk jugs, sugar bowls and cups.
Course Guide
Please note that this is a rough guide for the intermediate course. To accomodate to different student interests and abilities the tutor may change the class structure to meet the needs of the class. Bonus skills my include throwing off the hump, throwing bowl sets or advanced decorating techniques.
Week 1 – Your tutor will provide an overview of the course structure and demonstrate their throwing technique to you. Revision on centering the clay, opening up and producing vessels with even wall thickness. Production of beakers that would be used as jugs, cups, mugs. Aiming to generate a small group of similar shaped objects.
Week 2 – Neaten or turn the base of the vessels made in week one. Tutor to demonstrate handle making-rolling / pulling and how to apply these to the wares made last week. Throw some more forms.
Week 3 – Turn ware from last week . Tutor to demonstrate how to make a gallery for a lidded container. Students will make containers and several lids per container, learning how to measure lid and gallery distances. Tutor will demonstrate how to throw/add a knob to the lid that suits the overall shape of the ware. Galleries and lids are demonstrated this week.
Week 4 – Turning and fitting lids to galleries so that they fit, making more work.
Week 5 – Finishing off lidded containers and any additions to vessels. Decorate work using underglazes and tissue transfers. All work to be ready for bisque firing. Any pieces not left on the class shelves uncovered will not be fired in time for glaze week.
Week 6 – Discussion of glazes and glaze application, glaze demonstrations (dipping, pouring), students apply glazes to all their work for final firing.
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The cost of this course includes one bag of clay, use of wheel and tools, firing, and all materials for decorating and glazing. Our pottery supply shop stocks a wide variety of products should you wish to explore further, and staff are always happy to help guide you.
Please bring along your own towel and apron. Covered shoes are essential.
Course work will take approximately 3-4 weeks to fire after class finishes; students have up to month to collect their work. The Education Co-ordinator will send an email when work is ready to collect, however please be aware our emails do sometimes end up in spam folders.
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