Pottery courses at Brick Kiln Pottery: hand-building and wheel-throwing for beginners
At Brick Kiln Pottery, our longer pottery courses are designed for people who want to properly learn pottery over time, not just try it once.
These courses are suitable for complete beginners. You don’t need any previous experience, and everything is taught step by step in a supportive studio environment. The focus is on learning core skills, building confidence, and enjoying regular creative time without pressure.
All courses include materials, tools, glazing and firings.
6-week hand-building courses
Hand-building is one of the most accessible ways to work with clay and a great starting point if you’re new to ceramics.
Over six weekly sessions, you’ll learn the core hand-building techniques: pinching, coiling and slab building. Each session introduces a suggested project that focuses on a specific skill, helping you gradually build confidence and understanding of the material.
You’re free to work at your own pace. If you’d like to continue with a piece from a previous week rather than start something new, that’s absolutely fine. The structure is there to support learning, not to rush anyone through a set outcome.
Glazing is introduced as part of the course, giving you the chance to decorate and finish your pieces before they’re fired in the kiln.
What’s included
• 6 weekly sessions
• 2.5 hours per session
• All clay, tools, glazing and firings
This course suits anyone who enjoys hands-on making and wants to learn practical ceramic skills in a relaxed, friendly group.
Beginners’ pottery wheel courses
The pottery wheel can feel intimidating at first, which is why our beginners’ throwing courses are taught in small groups with plenty of guidance.
Across the course, you’ll learn how to prepare clay, centre it on the wheel and begin shaping simple forms. As the weeks progress, you’ll practise throwing regularly, learn how to trim your pots once they’ve dried, and develop better control and consistency.
The final session focuses on glazing, where you’ll finish your pots using a selection of dipping glazes before the final firing.
Mistakes are part of the process, and every session builds familiarity with the wheel. Most people are surprised by how quickly their confidence improves with regular practice.
What’s included
• 5 weekly sessions
• 2 hours per session
• All clay, tools, glazing and firings
This course is ideal if you’ve always wanted to try wheel throwing and would like a clear, structured introduction.
What to expect from our longer courses
These courses are about learning properly over time, rather than producing perfect results straight away.
Group sizes are kept small so everyone has space to work and access to guidance when they need it. There’s no expectation to keep up with others, and no pressure to produce a certain number of finished pieces.
You’ll gain a solid understanding of ceramic processes, practical skills you can build on, and finished work to take home at the end of the course.
If you’re deciding between hand-building and the wheel, both are beginner-friendly. Hand-building offers more flexibility and freedom of form, while the wheel focuses on repetition and technique. Many people start with one and move on to the other later.
What happens next
Many people start with one of our beginner courses simply to try something new. Quite a few discover they enjoy working with clay more than they expected.
If you find yourself wanting to keep going, there are clear next steps. We offer Improvers Classes se who’d like to build on the skills learned here, as well as pottery memberships for people who want regular access to the studio and more independent making time.
There’s no pressure to move on to anything else. But if clay becomes something you want to spend more time with, the options are there when you’re ready.
