Intermediate Pottery Wheel

This class is designed for those with prior experience on the wheel or completion of Intro to Pottery Wheel.

Students will build on foundational skills of wedging, centering, and raising walls to create vases and serving bowls.

In this pottery class, students will cover the step-by-step process of throwing larger, taller forms, adding variation to cylinders and serving bowls, making handles, and shaping vases and vessels. We'll explore underglaze techniques like relief, scraffito, and various glaze combinations. Students will build on their knowledge of centering to throw taller containers and larger bowls with thinner walls. 

Pre-requisite: Ability to center 3 lbs. of clay (most of the time), throw small bowls, or completion of Intro to Pottery Wheel.

Pottery Class Structure:

• Duration: Four weekly class sessions, each lasting two hours (a total of 8 hours of guided instruction). Class meets for two hours at the same time for 4 consecutive weeks.
• Studio Access: Enrollment includes unlimited access to our pottery studio (excluding designated class times) for the duration of the course. See our Open Studio page for more details.

What You'll Learn: By the end of Intermediate Pottery Wheel students will be able to throw cylinders at least 6" tall; create vases and vessels with varied form; attach handles to smaller forms; and apply more intricate surface decoration and glazing techniques. Students will center 5 pounds of clay and throw 6" tall cylinders in this pottery class.

Pottery Class Outline:

• Week 1: Review of centering and basic shaping, introduction to larger forms, and understanding wall thickness, centering larger amounts of clay.
• Week 2: Throwing techniques for large bowls and cylinders, exploring form and function, techniques for raising more clay.
• Week 3: Advanced trimming techniques, adding handles, and surface decoration methods like carving and stamping.
• Week 4: Glazing techniques for more complex pieces, scraffito, underglaze techniques, final demonstrations, and individual project time.

Materials Included:

• Each student receives 25 pounds of clay for use during the course.
• Use of aprons, tools, and glazes is included with registration.
• Students receive keycode access to the studio on the first day of class.
• Students can access the studio any time another pottery class is not in session at Denver Pottery Studio.
• Please see the Open Studio page for exact times.

Join us at Denver Pottery Studio to take the next step of throwing larger forms on the pottery wheel.