Why Study This Course?
Master the pottery wheel in this intensive, four-day beginner bootcamp. This course takes you step-by-step from raw clay to finished, functional pottery.
You will learn the core skills of the wheel, including easy centring, opening the clay, and pulling up smooth walls. With plenty of practice time and expert guidance, you will turn your ideas into everyday items like bowls, mugs, and vases.
This workshop focuses on building your confidence and muscle memory so you can throw clay with ease.
The Basics of Form
Morning: Cylinders | Centering, opening, and pulling vertical walls.
Afternoon: Bowls | Controlling centrifugal force and using ribs for curves.
Shaping and Shoulders
Morning: Collaring Techniques
Learning to "neck down" a cylinder without it collapsing.
Creating "waisted" forms and flared rims.
Throwing taller by using less water to maintain clay strength.
Afternoon: Vases and Shoulders
Shaping the "belly" of a pot from the inside out.
Creating defined shoulders (the curve at the top of a vase).
Focusing on aesthetic proportions and "line of beauty."
Jars, Jugs, and Attachments
Morning: Small Jars and Lids | Measuring galleries and throwing matching lids.
Afternoon: Jugs and Pouring Lips | Pulling spouts and attaching functional handles.
Finishing and Surface Design
Morning: Precision Trimming | Carving foot rings and refining the weight of all pieces.
Afternoon: Decorative Slip | Using sgraffito, stamps, and coloured slips for the final look.
By the end of the course, participants will:
•Control Clay Architecture: Easily centre, open, and pull vertical cylinders with uniform wall thickness.
•Manipulate Curved Forms: Use flexible ribs to shape wide bowls and expand the "belly" of vases from the inside out.
•Master Collaring & Narrowing: Successfully "neck down" clay to create narrow bottle necks and defined vase shoulders without structural collapses.
•Engineer Multi-Part Vessels: Throw matching galleries and lids that fit together precisely using callipers.
•Design Functional Pouring Pots: Hand-pull ergonomic handles and shape sharp, fluid-dynamic pouring lips on jugs.
•Throw Taller with Less Water: Apply dry-throwing techniques to preserve clay strength and achieve greater height.
•Execute Professional Finishing: Carve clean, lightweight foot rings and use slips, stamps, and sgraffito for striking surface designs.
To be eligible for this course you must be 19 or over on 31st August prior to the course start date.
Please bring with you any images that you would like to work from.
(PLPs, 1-2-1, Demos, Q&A)
If you require further course information or advice & guidance that is not answered in this outline, please email art@rhacc.ac.uk.
If you would like general information about the college, for example, fees & finance, funding, term dates or opening times please email info@rhacc.ac.uk or drop into our main reception area.