10 week Wheel throwing & hand building Course

Person shaping a ceramic vase on a pottery wheel, wearing a gray apron and sleeves rolled up, with clay-covered hands.

Want to learn pottery but not sure whether wheel throwing or hand building is for you? Our 10-Week Wheel Throwing & Hand Building Pottery Course gives you the chance to learn and enjoy both.

Perfect for complete beginners, this comprehensive course takes you through the essential techniques of working with clay. You’ll spend time learning to throw on the pottery wheel, developing skills in centring, shaping and trimming, alongside exploring a range of hand-building techniques including pinching, coiling and slab building.

As your confidence grows, you’ll create a variety of your own pieces and learn how to decorate, finish and glaze your work, taking your pots through the full ceramics process from a lump of clay to a finished piece.

With 10 weeks of expert tuition, small, supportive groups and plenty of hands-on studio time, you’ll have the opportunity to really develop your skills rather than simply scratching the surface.

By the end of the course, you’ll have experienced two of the main ways of making pottery, created a collection of your own ceramics and gained the skills and confidence to continue your pottery journey.

What could you make over the 10 weeks?

Across the course, you’ll create a varied collection of handmade pottery while developing skills in both wheel throwing and hand building.

You could make mugs, bowls, vases, jugs, plant pots and candle holders on the pottery wheel, alongside coiled vases, slab-built dishes, serving platters and decorative or sculptural pieces using hand-building techniques.

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

  • Prepare and wedge clay ready for making

  • Centre clay confidently on the pottery wheel

  • Throw basic forms including cylinders, bowls and small vessels

  • Trim and refine your wheel-thrown pots

  • Pull and attach handles to create mugs and jugs

  • Use pinch, coil and slab-building techniques

  • Join clay successfully using scoring and slipping

  • Create both functional and decorative ceramics

  • Use a range of surface decoration techniques

  • Glaze your finished pieces and understand the basic firing process

  • Understand the different properties of clay and how to work with it successfully

By the end of the 10 weeks, you’ll have a collection of finished ceramics and a solid foundation in both wheel throwing and hand building, giving you the confidence to continue making independently or progress onto further courses or studio membership.

Class Information

Class time: Thursday Evenings 18:30-21:00

October 2026 Start - Book Here

January 2027 Start - Book Here

Class fee: £330 per person. Includes all clay and glaze. Firing is included for up to 5kg of finished work. If you’re especially productive and would like to fire more, any additional work will be charged at just £2 per kg.