Pottery Course: Beginners

Brisbane Pottery Course

Ready to take your love of pottery a little more seriously?

The Artisan Avenue Beginner Pottery Clay course, held in the Brisbane suburb of Albion, will arm you with the pottery basics and leave you with unique pots to take home after the course. Jude will guide you through week by week, explaining the basics of pottery from wedging the clay, creating intricate designs and colouring your clay.

This course runs for six weeks with classes on Tuesday mornings from 9:30am - 12:30pm and Tuesday evenings from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm.

At the end of this course you will leave with nine pieces of pottery that are bisque and glaze fired, finished and ready to take home. 

What you'll take home

• Sushi plate mould and mini press mould 
• Two plates made from a wooden mould 
• Textured bowl  
• Vase (up to) 25cm tall
• Unique coffee mug 
• Lidded container  
• Textured trinket bowl *time/weather permitting

What to expect in the Advanced Pottery Course

Week One
It's time to get more familiar with clay! Jude will teach you how to make your own mould which you'll create ready to be set for another class. Don't worry, you'll still get your hands dirty... in this class, you'll create a sushi plate mould and a mini version of the plate mould, suitable for press forming a small sauce bowl.

Week Two
This week you'll be learning about press moulds. You'll use a mould made from wood to create two dishes (up to 28cm wide). You'll have the choice of circle, square, oval or rectangle and of course your own choice of designs. You'll also be guided on how to create your own pattern template to use in the next class.

Week Three
It's the week to level up your creativity! We're making stamps and a bowl this week. You'll create your own unique stamps that you'll use to add texture and design to your creation. Importantly, you'll need to make a special stamp with your signature on it so you can let the world know it's your design; and all pots MUST have your signature on them before they're fired so we can all recognise which pot belongs to you because they can look very different after firing!

You'll then use these stamps to make a beautiful bowl covered in different textures.

Week Four
We will be getting colourful in week four. This week we'll be learning more about colour and slips. You'll create your own colour for your designs but don't worry, you won't be limited - Jude has a vast array of colour slips already created for you to use. This week you'll create a vase using dowel to gain a seamless cylinder that will stand approximately 25cm tall. A gorgeous, bespoke structure that you can then add your colours to.

Week Five
Coffee or tea? This week, you'll build a mug and learn the intricacies of joining a foot and handle. You'll use your slip knowledge and skills from last week to colour your mug. Additionally, we'll look at handles... there are several different, easy ways to produce them. There is never just one way to achieve something - the possibilities are endless!

Week Six
We're almost at the end of our beginner pottery journey. In our final week together, you'll create a lidded container and use your stamps created in week three to decorate. You'll work on handles, knobs and lids, using all of the skills you learned throughout the course to craft the container.

While your container is setting, you can work on a small trinket bowl using your stamps to create unique patterns - working on two different items in one class will be easy!
Please note: this is ONLY if time and weather permits. With the course coming to an end, all of your pots will be fired by Jude and ready for collection in three to four weeks time.

Class notes 

• Tea, coffee and light snacks are provided (but Fonzie Abbott is right across the road, so feel free to take that up!). BYO is accepted for all evening classes
• Wear old clothes and even bring an apron, you will get wonderfully messy
• Tie long hair back to avoid getting clay in your hair 
• Remove jewellery as you'll be working with your hands... and clay!
• Must wear closed-toe, comfortable shoes
• Your pieces will be dishwasher, microwave, ovenproof and food safe
• For safety, you must be 15 years or over to attend any of our classes unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, except for school holiday workshops.

Things to bring

• A face mask (just in case)
• An apron (or wear old clothes)
• An ice-cream-sized container with a fitted lid to store your clay scraps
• A jam jar-sized container with a screw top to store your glue slip
• An old towel
• Optional: a 30 x 30cm or larger board/surface if you wish to take home and complete your creation. By doing this you will get a fantastic insight into how your clay project dries.

*Please note that while we love imperfections (wabi-sabi) we cannot be held responsible for any breakages of your pieces that happen as a result of the kiln firing. This is an organic, creative process and while all and every care is taken, there are no guarantees of a set result/outcome of your pieces.