8-Week Wheel Throwing + Hand-Building Clay Class 5/5 - 6/23

This 8-week class is a wild combination of wheel throwing and hand building for all levels! Our goal in this class is to give you the best possible clay education while keeping the vibe and atmosphere fun and inviting. Specifically, for wheel you'll learn centering via coning up and down, opening the form, pulling the walls of the clay pot, trimming your pots (carving and finishing the bottoms), and glazing them (the top coat). In the hand-building sessions, we will cover slabs, coils, attachments, and textures. Advanced students will be given room to explore and will be guided towards their goals. This 8-week course will meet every Tuesday evening beginning May 5th, with the final class being held on June 23rd. 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 4-week intro pottery classes and 1-day pottery workshops, all listed now through the end of April! Visit our events page for a full list of 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: We jump right in! First, you'll learn how to cut, weigh, and wedge the clay. Next, you'll be guided through posture, breathing techniques, and operating your wheel. The exciting part - we throw! You'll be taught how to center the clay by coming up and down, opening the form's interior shape, and pulling the walls of the pot. The goal today is to understand this new world - not to make a finished piece :) - though props if you do!

Info: Week 2: A recap of the first lesson and practice centering and throwing. There is a heavy emphasis on posture, breathwork, and centering today. Ideally, by the end of this class, you would have crafted a couple of pieces. Additionally, we will go over the difference between throwing a bowl, a cup, and a plate.

Info: Week 3: Trimming! When pieces are made on the potter's wheel, they need time to slowly dry to a halfway state called "leather-hard" before being trimmed. Once the pieces are dry enough to handle, they're flipped upside down, placed back on the wheel, and cleaned up on the bottom, officially finishing the basic form. Alterations and attachments will be hinted at today.

Info: Week 4: Coils, Handles, and Attachments! We will cover the different types of coils, how to roll cymetrical ones, different styles of handles, and the proper way to attach any 2 pieces of clay. This class will show hand-building techniques that can be used to elevate your pottery or used to create unique pieces on their own.

Info: Week 5: Slabs + Textures! Today, you will learn how to roll a slab with the rolling pin and the slab roller, proper thickness, dry times, and more tips. Utilizing textures, stamps, sprigs, and engravings will be the fun design portion of this session! With the slabs, you'll learn how to use hump and slump molds as well as free-form creation.

Info: Week 6: Free day! You get to decide if you want to throw on the wheel, hand build, or work more on an existing project. Everyone in class will be guided through their projects and concerns / questions.

Info: Week 7: This is the last day to trim and make any alterations or additions to existing pieces. Once dry, the pieces will be bisque-fired in the kiln for next week's final lesson - glazing!

Info: Week 8: 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. *NOTE: None of our glazes has 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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