Clay Foundations: Hand-Building for Beginners - evenings
Master the ancient art of hand-building and claim your independence
in the pottery studio. Clay Foundations is a comprehensive, beginner friendly course designed to take you from curious to self-sufficient
clay creator. By focusing on the structural fundamentals of clay
without the pottery wheel, you will learn how to transform raw earth
into functional and sculptural masterpieces.
Dates: Oct 1, 8, 15 & 29
Time: 5:30-8:30 (29th done at 7:30)
Where: At the studio #26-7875 48 Ave. Red Deer
Cost: $180 per person + GST Includes a bag of clay
What You Will Learn
Studio Independence & Etiquette
--Navigate the space: Feel right at home in a professional ceramic
studio.
--Master clean-up: Learn the essential routines that keep the studio
safe and dust-free.
--Community care: Practice the golden rules of sharing space and
equipment with fellow makers.
The Anatomy of Clay Composition: Understand what
clay actually is and how it behaves.
-Composition, compression and shrinkage
-Moisture stages: Learn to read your clay from wet and plastic to
leather-hard, bone-dry, and fired.
The Potter's Toolkit
-Meet your basic hand-building tools, from ribs and needles to loop
tools and sponges.
-Proper usage: Discover how and when to use each tool to achieve
exact results.
Core Construction Methods
-Pinch pots: Shape form and control thickness using just your hands.
-Coil building: Stack and blend clay ropes to create organic or largescale vessels.
-Slab construction: Roll, cut, and join flat sheets of clay to build sharp,
geometric, or architectural forms.
Studio Odds & Ends
-Finishing touches: Master detailing, scoring, and slipping to ensure
your pieces stay together.
-The Damp Box: Learn how to slow down the drying process for
complex projects.
-Clay reclaim: Understand how the studio recycles scraps back into
usable clay.
The Magic of Glazing
-Surface decoration: Learn the rules of dipping, brushing, and pouring
glazes.
-Kiln prep: Master the art of waxing and wiping your bottoms so your
work doesn't stick to the kiln shelf.
This Class is perfect for absolute beginners with zero clay experience. By the end of this course, you will have a collection of finished, glazed pieces and the confidence to work independently during open studio hours
Master the ancient art of hand-building and claim your independence
in the pottery studio. Clay Foundations is a comprehensive, beginner friendly course designed to take you from curious to self-sufficient
clay creator. By focusing on the structural fundamentals of clay
without the pottery wheel, you will learn how to transform raw earth
into functional and sculptural masterpieces.
Dates: Oct 1, 8, 15 & 29
Time: 5:30-8:30 (29th done at 7:30)
Where: At the studio #26-7875 48 Ave. Red Deer
Cost: $180 per person + GST Includes a bag of clay
What You Will Learn
Studio Independence & Etiquette
--Navigate the space: Feel right at home in a professional ceramic
studio.
--Master clean-up: Learn the essential routines that keep the studio
safe and dust-free.
--Community care: Practice the golden rules of sharing space and
equipment with fellow makers.
The Anatomy of Clay Composition: Understand what
clay actually is and how it behaves.
-Composition, compression and shrinkage
-Moisture stages: Learn to read your clay from wet and plastic to
leather-hard, bone-dry, and fired.
The Potter's Toolkit
-Meet your basic hand-building tools, from ribs and needles to loop
tools and sponges.
-Proper usage: Discover how and when to use each tool to achieve
exact results.
Core Construction Methods
-Pinch pots: Shape form and control thickness using just your hands.
-Coil building: Stack and blend clay ropes to create organic or largescale vessels.
-Slab construction: Roll, cut, and join flat sheets of clay to build sharp,
geometric, or architectural forms.
Studio Odds & Ends
-Finishing touches: Master detailing, scoring, and slipping to ensure
your pieces stay together.
-The Damp Box: Learn how to slow down the drying process for
complex projects.
-Clay reclaim: Understand how the studio recycles scraps back into
usable clay.
The Magic of Glazing
-Surface decoration: Learn the rules of dipping, brushing, and pouring
glazes.
-Kiln prep: Master the art of waxing and wiping your bottoms so your
work doesn't stick to the kiln shelf.
This Class is perfect for absolute beginners with zero clay experience. By the end of this course, you will have a collection of finished, glazed pieces and the confidence to work independently during open studio hours