Throwdown: Basics of Throwing Clay on the Pottery Wheel
Instructor: Stephen Snell
Duration: 4 weeks
Schedule: Tuesdays in May, 6:00 – 8:30 PM
Location: Lander Art Center Clay Studio
Class Overview:
Jump into ceramics with local potter Stephen Snell and turn mud into your new favorite vessel, be it a mug, a bowl, a vase, or anything you can imagine. Whether you're completely new or revisiting the fundamentals, you'll build confidence and skill through targeted practice at the wheel. Each session will focus on one part of the life-cycle of making ceramics on a pottery wheel: throwing, trimming, and glazing. Each student will come away with a deep understanding of the texture, timing, and techniques used to make pottery and the confidence to do it on their own.
Weekly Breakdown (recognizing that there is a fair amount of flexibility as each student learns and grows independently and we work the wheel over the course sessions) :
Week 1: Throwing
Understand clay’s consistency, composition, and moisture content
Mastering wedging to ensure even consistency
Learn to center, open, and pull the walls up on your piece
Week 2: Trimming (and more throwing)
Learn about the tools and techniques used to finalize a piece’s shape
Understand when a piece is dry enough to trim
Practice decorating with carving and stamp tools
Week 3: Glazing
Learn to dip, brush, or use other methods to glaze pottery
Familiarize yourself with tools like wax resist and underglaze
Week 4: Round-up
Finish up previous weeks’ work and dive deep into question
What you'll learn
Understanding clay’s consistency through its life cycle from wet to glaze-fired
Proper wedging and clay preparation
Techniques for centering, opening, and pulling walls
The fundamentals and tools used to trim and finalize a piece’s shape
Decorative shaping techniques
Applying and understanding glazes
Studio Confidence: Leave with a working knowledge of the full pottery process and the confidence to keep throwing on your own
