4-Week Hand-Building Clay Class! May 7th - 28th

Hand-building is the oldest form of clay manipulation and can be categorized as either coil, slab, pinch, combination, or sculpture. This class is specially designed to teach you the following (please see agenda for a full breakdown of each week and details on each technique):

• Slab-Building + textures
• Coil Building + pinch
• Combinations + beginner sculpture tips
• The last class is glazing*
  Our goal in this class is to expand your clay education by elevating your ceramic pieces while keeping the vibe and atmosphere fun and inviting. This class is perfect for beginners with 0 experience or anyone who has had at least one beginner wheel-throwing pottery class, hand-building class, or some combination of the two, and is interested in exploring texture and finish. Whether you primarily wheel throw or hand build, this class will teach you plenty of techniques to transform your work! This 4-week course will meet every Thursday in May (7th - 28th) from 6:30-9 pm. There is one make-up session per person per class if you are sick or life gets in the way. Please email us if you need to reschedule and we will coordinate with you! :)

Check out the agenda section next for a breakdown of what we have planned for each week. Additionally, we have multiple specialty 4-week classes, an 8-week beginner pottery class, and 1-day pottery workshops. Visit our events page for a full list of summer happenings :)

All classes and workshops are open to anyone over the age of 10 years old (unless otherwise stated), and any person under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Note: Shahane will be the instructor! She has taught pottery since 2016, got her BFA in ceramic arts in 2015 with a double minor in art history and psychology, and owns Pudgy's Place with her husband Phillip :)

Address: Pudgy's Place, 119R Foster St. Bldg. 13 Unit 1E, Peabody MA, 01960

Info: Week 1: Slab-Building + Textures! Think of a slab as a giant flat piece of clay - almost like a sheet of gingerbread. You will be taught how to use a slab roller, a rolling pin, and the toss method to create large even slabs that you can then use to make simple projects, functional wares (cups, bowls, plates), platters, or grandiose projects like large planters or sculptures. Once you learn how to make a slab you'll be taught how to impress different textures into them and when is the right time to carve into them or make additions/alterations to the clay piece.

Info: Week 2: Coil Building + the pinch method! Think of coils as little worms or large snakes made out of clay. We will build on the foundation built when discussing slab building in week 1 by learning how to roll a proper coil and use the extruder. You can utilize this skill to create more secure bonds in your pottery, build complex sculptures, and combine objects, or functional wares. You'll also be taught how to pinch pots and pieces for added complexity and knowlege.

Info: Week 3: Combinations + beginner sculpture tips! Today is when we finish up the projects that were started in the first 2 classes or make a unique hybrid piece combining all the techniques learned in the previous classes. You'll each have unique guidance based on your projects.

Info: Week 4: The final day of this session - glaze, glaze, glaze it all! We will go over the basics of glazing and some cool alterations and tricks. Glaze is the top coat on pottery that makes it functional for everyday use :) *NOTE: none of our glazes have toxic or dangerous minerals. If you'd like to continue taking classes we encourage you to visit our events page or website to see our current offerings! If you'd like to continue independently join our multimedia studio Pudgy's Place as a member! :) *Pieces glazed today will have to be picked up the following week or can be shipped to you for an additional fee.

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