Classes

A perfect class for every skill level!

We have classes for every step in your pottery journey! Our studio provides an encouraging and inspirational atmosphere. Experienced teachers and patrons are always ready and willing to coach you on technique, give a hands-on demonstration, and provide meaningful and constructive feedback. Below is an outline of the classes and format we provide.

Class Outline

Basic to advanced...

Basic bowl shaped w/ plaster mold

Level 0 (Kids and Beginners)

  • Schedule:

    Available any time during business hours
    (Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm)

  • Duration:

    2 Hours

  • Included:

    Slab of clay to shap bowl
    Use of studio tools, aprons, etc.
    Brushes and a rainbow of glaze colors to paint your piece.

  • Price:

    $40 / student

  • Details:

    Have you always been curious about making pots on the wheel? If you're looking for something simple or to just give it a try, this class is perfect! We pre-made plaster molds the shape of a basic cereal bowl along with a brace to attach the mode securly in the center of the throwing wheel. We will provide you with a pre-rolled slab of clay that you simply drape over the mold and smooth into shape.

    Anyone (kids, teens, adults) can easily create a bowl shape this way and it only takes a few minutes. This will give you time to learn about the "trimming" process where you carve a foot-ring on the bottom of your bowl. Then we will tourch the clay for a few minutes to dry it out and you can begin decorating. We have a wide array of color choices, you can use the wheel to easily brush on the glaze for an even finish!.

    Your pot will be food/microwave safe and be a great keepsake of your first pottery experience!

Videos:

  • (Intro)
  • 1- Centering
  • 2- Opening
  • 3- Pulling Walls
  • 4- Shaping

Intro to Wheel Throwing

Level 1 (Beginners)

  • Schedule:

    Available any time during business hours
    (Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm)
    This is part 1 of a 3 part series.

  • Duration:

    2 Hours

  • Included:

    Recycled clay (as much as you need)
    Use of studio tools, aprons, etc.
    Glazing (painting) and firing of your favorite piece

  • Price:

    $40 for 1 night
    $30 for any subsequent classes

  • Details:

    This is a great way to get started! We’ll go over the basics of 1) centering a lump of clay, 2) opening the form, 3) pulling the walls, and 4) shaping the piece. Our instructors are focused on giving you a fun and successful experience! We begin with a start to finish demo, then coach you through each step. If you struggle along the way, your teacher can step in and get you right on track!

    This class requires no prior experience! The class is open to all ages (54” height requirement). Bring a date, a friend, or a co-worker! You’ll get to practice on the wheel for a little more than 1 hour. When you’re done, you have the choice to paint your pot and get it ready for firing, or you can wrap it up to start drying and have it ready for the 2nd night. During the second lesson, you will learn how to re-attach your pot to the wheel and trim a foot-ring and refine the shape.

    When you come back for the 3rd night/lesson, your piece(s) will be ready to glaze. We'll go over all the basics of glaze choices, styles, and application methods. Any pieces you finish in this class we will fire for you (requires purchase/attendace of all 3 nights).

    If you don't want to participate in the 2nd and 3rd classes, and don't have time to glaze your piece, you also have the option having a member of our staff glaze and fire your piece for you ($10 per piece). If your piece is ready to fire by the end of class, we'll fire 1 piece free of charge.

Videos:

  • (Intro)
  • 1- Centering
  • 2- Opening
  • 3- Pulling Walls
  • 4- Shaping

Open Studio

Level 1 (Beginners)

  • Schedule:

    Available any time during business hours
    (Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm)

  • Duration:

    Unlimited each day!

  • Included:

    Use of studio tools, aprons, etc.

  • Price:

    $20 / visit $99 for 8 punch pass (~$12/visit)

  • Details:

    Pottery is a great hobby! Learning the skills necessary to make quality pieces takes a lot of practice! At Pottery Night, we are very focused on the beginner experience! A Open Studio Pass gets you access to the space where you'll be surrounded by other students practicing and helpful staff who are always willing to help!

Videos:

  • (Intro)
  • 1- Centering
  • 2- Opening
  • 3- Pulling Walls
  • 4- Shaping

Intro to Glazing

Level 1 (Beginners)

  • Schedule:

    Available any time during business hours
    (Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm)

  • Duration:

    2 Hours

  • Included:

    Use of studio glazes, underglazes, brushes and tools

  • Price:

    $20 (or use an Open Studio visit)

  • Details:

    One of the things that sets our studio apart is our wide array of glazing options! We have a rainbow of colors to choose from, along with different types of glazes such as under-glaze, reactive glazes, gloss, and matte.

    Contrary to popular belief, ceramics DO NOT have to be bisque fired before glazing! At our studio we have our glazes mixed to a special formula to help them adhere to the greenware surface better. In this class we'll go over all the techniques to measure glaze consistency, prepare your piece for glazing, and how to avoid common pitfalls with the glazing process.

    We also offer a free glazing class to studio punch pass holders. It will be held the first Saturday of the month, Each and every month! There will be 3 hours of instruction going over various glazing techniques and questions & answers about how to avoid common glazing pitfalls and mistakes.

Videos:

  • (Intro)
  • 1- Centering
  • 2- Opening
  • 3- Pulling Walls
  • 4- Shaping

Mug Building Course

Level 2 (Beginners/Intermediate)

  • Schedule:

    Lesson 1: First week of the month
    Lesson 2: Second week of the month
    Lesson 3: Third Week of the month

    Available Tuesday, Wednesday, and/or Thursday Nights
    6:00pm - 8:00pm
    You're welcome to attend 1, 2, or all 3 nights.
    (One night a week is required to move to next lesson)

  • Duration:

    3 weeks
    Each class is 2 hours
    Attend extra nights for more practice!

  • Included:

    Recycled clay (as much as you need)
    Use of studio tools, aprons, etc.
    Kiln glaze firing of up to 3 mugs

  • Price:

    $150
    $99! on sale now!

  • Details:

    Our mug building class is a great choice for students looking to go to the next level of ceramics! Mugs are a small and popular choice for new potters looking to create a useful and expressive product. The mug building class is divided into 3 lessons:

    The first step is to create the basic shape of the mug. In this lesson we'll focus on the basics of creating a tall cylinder big enough to hold a decent cup of coffee (approx. 6 in.). After you've established a good height, we'll talk about the shaping of the piece from both the perspective of athstetic values of the form, and the practical functional elements for a good drinking vessel.

    Pre-requisites: In order to get the most of out the lesson, you should be able to consitently center a 2 lb. lump of clay. You should have some experience with pulling the walls of your pots with both hands (as opposed to pulling by pinching with a single hand). To acheive these pre-requisites, we recommend you take our Intro to Wheel Throwing class, and have about 10+ hours of practice (we recommend Open Studio to put in the practice time).

    The second part of building a mug is trimming the base form (that you made in lesson 1), and attaching a handle. In this lesson we'll focus on the basic techniques of trimming your pot (taking a leather-hard pot, putting it back on the wheel, and trimming away excess clay to refine the shape). We'll go over techniques to center the dry piece, how to handle the trimming tools, and the right moisture levels for this stage of the process.

    We'll also go over the steps of making a handle for your mug. We'll practice pulling a handle by hand, as well as discuss alternatives such as the extrusion tool or carving from a slab. It's important to match the same moisture level of the handle and the body so they dry evenly and prevent cracking. We'll also talk about techniques to get a strudy attachment and address cracking issues if they occur.

    Pre-requisites: For this lesson, you'll need at least 1 leather-hard mug body (created during lesson 1). We recommend that you have 1 or 2 extra mug bodies should you run into any issues during the trimming process.

    The last part of building a mug is to decorate it and/or glaze it. This lesson is meant to be an intro to the basics of glazing. We'll go through the process of choosing a glaze, mixing it to the right consistency, technique to dip the piece, and finally how to protect agaisnt defects. In the studio we have a supply of wax resist, brushes, sponges, air sprayer, and handleing tools. We also have a wide array of color choices and underglazes. We'll breifly talk about some of the possible decorating techniques and even demonstrate some of them as time permits. If you are looking for more in-depth instruction on any of the decoraing techniques, we recommend our Advanced Decorating course.

    Pre-requisites: For this lesson, you'll need at least 1 mug that is "bone dry" (left to dry in the open air for 24 hours). Contrary to popular belief, you can glaze greenware directly (as opposed to putting it through a bisque fire). We are one of the few studios that teaches glazing of greenware and our studio glazes are mixed to a lower water content to absorb into the greenware body effectively. As with other stages of the process, we recommend having more than 1 piece to practice with (ceramics is a fragile and delicate process).

Videos:

  • (Intro)
  • 1- Centering
  • 2- Opening
  • 3- Pulling Walls
  • 4- Shaping

Intermediate Wheel Throwing

Level 3 (Intermediate/Advanced)

  • Schedule:

    Lesson 1: First week of the month
    Lesson 2: Second week of the month
    Lesson 3: Third Week of the month

    Available Tuesday, Wednesday, and/or Thursday Nights: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
    You're welcome to attend 1, 2, or all 3 nights.
    (One night a week is required to move to next lesson)

  • Duration:

    3 weeks
    Each class is 2 hours
    Attend extra nights for more practice!

  • Included:

    Recycled clay (as much as you need)
    Use of studio tools, aprons, etc.
    Kiln glaze firing of 1 large piece or 3 small pieces

  • Price:

    $150

  • Details:

    Intermediate wheelthrowing is great for students looking to take their skills to the next level! We'll cover topics like narrowing a gooseneck opening, centering large lumps of clay, getting more height to the walls, and working with wide base vessels.

    When working on the wheel, collaring in the opening comes with a lot of nuance! When you go to form a shape where the neck is more narrow than the rest of the piece, how do you keep the walls an even thickness? How do you keep the walls from "buckleing" in and causing a ripple? In this class we'll review all the techniques to help you collar your pieces better!

    Pre-requisites: In order to get the most out of this lesson, you should be able to consitently center up to 5 lbs. of clay. You should be able to throw your walls to a minimum height of 8 inches. Your walls should be even in thickness at about 1/4" thick. To acheive these goals, we recommend the Mug Building Course and somewhere around 30+ hours of practice during Open Studio.

    When working with lumps larger than 5 lbs., cetering on the wheel can be very challenging. It's not necessary to muster brute strength to force the clay into the center. Instead you can adjust your centering techniques and be albe to create large vessels like fruit bowls, planter pots or large vases.

    Pre-requisites: For this lesson you should be able to consitently center 5 lbs. of clay within a 5 minute period. You should be able to pull your walls with even thickness to a height over 8 inches. Centering more than 5 lbs of clay requires 30+ hours of practice of basic centering tequniques on the wheel.

    One of the hardest skills to master on the wheel is pulling even walls to heights over 10 inches. There are many factors to acheiving success, such as properly wedging your clay, holding your grip even and steady, and observation of the wall stretch and how to respond to abnormalities.

    Pre-requisites: For this lesson you must be able to center your lump to perfection. You should have experience with various clay bodies, including those with high grog content. You should know the baisc techniques of "ram-head" wedging and/or "spiral" wedging. To learn these techniques, we recommend 30+ hours of practice time duing Open Studio.

Videos:

  • (Intro)
  • 1- Centering
  • 2- Opening
  • 3- Pulling Walls
  • 4- Shaping

Advanced Decorating Course

Level 3 (Intermediate/Advanced)

  • Schedule:

    Lesson 1: First week of the month
    Lesson 2: Second week of the month
    Lesson 3: Third Week of the month

    Available Thursday Nights
    6:00pm - 8:00pm

  • Duration:

    3 weeks
    Each class is 2 hours
    Open Studio included during course
    Come work on your pieces as much as you like!

  • Included:

    25 lbs of new clay -or-
    1 premade greenware piece of your choice
    Use of studio tools, aprons, etc.
    Kiln glaze firing of 1 piece

  • Price:

    $150

  • Details:

    Decorating ceramics is a world of endless possiblities! In this course, we'll indroduce basic underglazing, sgraffito technique, and mishima technique. The course is meant to introduce concepts - not to perfect them. However, we encourage you to repeat the course as much as you like to work with our decorating expert.

    Perhaps the most effective way to control the glazing process is to work with underglazes. Underglazes have no vitrious materials added, so they're effectively colored clay elements. These glazes brush on evenly in thin layers. You can bisque fire the piece with the underglaze applied and if it's too thick, the excess can easily be brushed away. After you're happy with the design, you can spray on a coat of clear glaze to "seal" the underglaze and give it a glossy finish that make the colors bright and bold!

    Slip trailing is the process of applying thick amounts of colored slip (mud) to the surface of your pot. This is a great way to add texture and gives a unique design. The slip is applied using a large needle with a rubber bulb to squeeze out the right amount of slip.

    Pre-requisites: Painting with underglaze requires a basic knowledge of painting with brushes. You don't necessarily need to make your own pot, you can purchase un-finished pieces from the studio.

    Sgraffito (in Italian "to scratch") is a decorating pottery technique produced by applying layers of color or colors (underglazes or colored slips) to leather hard pottery and then scratching off parts of the layer(s) to create contrasting images, patterns and texture and reveal the clay color underneath.

    Pre-requisites: For this lesson you'll need a leather-hard piece to work on. We have them for sale if you don't want to bring your own. This technique requires some drawing skill. We have an asortment of carving tools, but you're not carving as deep as you might with a bas relief technique.

    Mishima is a ceramic technique that involves inlaying slip, clay, or underglaze into a contrasting clay body to create intricate designs with sharp edges. The name comes from the Japanese island of Mishima, but the technique originated in Korea in the 16th century. The technique involves a similar approach to sgraffito, but then a masking layer is applied (usually with paint lacquer). This mask protects the designs already applied so you can fill the carved portions with slip.

    Pre-requisites: This is a very involved process. It takes a lot of creativity and patience. It is recommended that you have a fair amount of practice with the sgraffito technique, but not necessarily required. As with the other lessons in this course, a vision of your design and/or reference material for tracing would certainly be helpful!

Videos:

  • (Intro)
  • 1- Centering
  • 2- Opening
  • 3- Pulling Walls
  • 4- Shaping