The Potters Class

I know many of us work with clay because we love the feeling that comes from making this amazing art form. From time to time we want to boost our creativity and learn a new technique or skill. This is what The Potters Class is all about- Helping you learn that new technique or skill. We want to help you spark your creativity, nurture your passion, and explore new things. We are gathering together amazing teachers that will help lead the way and share their knowledge with you. All classes will be available within 24 to 48 hours after the live event.

OUR LATEST CLASSES

Pinch Pot Animals with Susan Halls

Pinch pots are the unsung heroines of ceramics. Often dismissed as lumpy and limited, the pinch pot is actually a sophisticated form in disguise. Not at all like the pointless, wobbly result your first school clay encounter might have been! But Susan Halls elevates the pinch pot and creates amazing animals. In this class Susan will teach…

  • how simple shapes can be transformed into animals heads
  • how to make masks
  • how to combine simple shapes into more complex forms
  • how to add body parts like legs or necks and the like

Join the class for just $45 and get immediate access to the class!

Buy the class now by clicking HERE.
Class Members click HERE.

 

 

OUR PAST CLASSES

Susan Halls, the author of Animals & Figures, brings her 40 plus years of sculpting to The Potters Class and teaches us how to form beautiful and dynamic animals in a “sketch like” approach to sculpting. You won’t be needing any complicated armatures or years of sculpting experience. All you need is some scraps of clay, your hands, and some time to dream with your clay. And like magic you will be forming your own little creatures.

You will learn…

  • To be hands off while remaining fully in control
  • How to be intuitive with no sketching or pre-planning
  • How to have a speedy response to the growth of your animal
  • How to adapt this technique for making amazing relief tiles depicting animals, birds, and figures.
  • Three class PDFs

All this for just $45.

Buy the class now by clicking HERE.
Class Members click HERE.

 

Photography for Makers with Kim Taylor

The goal isn’t just taking photos of your work. It’s sharing your pieces while expressing your unique view and voice. It’s bringing your work to life. All of which doesn’t require expensive photography equipment or even fancy lighting. Kim Taylor is a potter with a passion for photography. In this class Kim will teach…

  • the value and use of natural light
  • how an iPhone can be used to create beautiful photos
  • the use of backdrops
  • what tools and accessories to use
  • editing tools for both the computer and iPhone

Buy the class now by clicking HERE.
Class Members click HERE.

The cylinder. It is the basis for so many forms in ceramics. Perhaps the two most repeated forms are the mug and the planter. So many sizes. So many shapes. And yet all starting from that humble cylinder. In this class Jeff shows us how versatile a well-built cylinder can be for mugs and planters using handbuilding methods of construction. Then Jeff will bring us through a study of the ever so important handle where he will demonstrate a few of his personal tried and true handles, as well as the handles of a few of his favorite potters. During this workshop Jeff will…

  • talk about rolling out clay
  • explain how to use a shipping tube for support
  • demonstrate how to skillfully join the seam of a cup.
  • give some best practices for adding a bottom
  • help us have a better understanding of “balancing” a cup with a handle
  • show us how to make consistent and repeatable forms
  • and much more!

Buy the class now by clicking HERE.
Class Members click HERE.

Helen Beard opens up and teaches us what she does to both draw on ceramics and then how to paint that work. In this class you be given the confidence to take your creativity to the next level.

Once you join the class you will get:

– Class material list
– How to put line drawings on ceramics
– Instruction on painting your work
– Access to the video forever to watch again and again
– The class recording is nearly 2 hours long

All this and more for just $45.

Buy the class now by clicking HERE.
Class Members click HERE.

 

 

Helen Beard is back with her second class to teach you more unique ways to mark out your story on clay.

In her heart, Helen is a storyteller using clay. She loves to illustrate, paint, and color her porcelain objects with a view to making a story. Working both on wheel thrown vessels and hand built objects, Helen decorates her artworks to create colorful and playful narratives about contemporary life.

What’s in this class:

  • Helen will demonstrate her processes of mark making on clay from the very intricate details to very expressive fluid lines.
  • Helen’s unique technique of relief print on to clay – this time using color!
  • Using stain impregnated paper to create delicate line drawings and washes of color to stain the clay body
  • Add texture and color to your vessels, using colored stains, glycerine and textured materials
  • Using liquid wax to create expressive and paintily marks contrasting with washes of coloured stains
  • Learn more about the art of storytelling on clay and how it has influenced Helen’s work today

Helen’s class is available to watch now. Click one of the links below to either buy the class or jump straight to the class if you are already a member.

Buy the class now by clicking HERE.
Class Members click HERE.

A yunomi is a special kind of tea cup. It was intended for the drinkers to enfold the cup with their hands and soak in the warmth of the tea through the vessel. Thus there is no handle. The yunomi is the most common type of Japanese tea cup that is used for informal tea drinking and is typically taller than it is wide and usually has a trimmed foot. In this class Shikha Joshi will not only be teaching us how to make this iconic tea cup, she helps us to get the cup set up to give it that beautiful aged look. And, from Shikha’s perspective, it is this foundation wet work that sets the cup up for that aged look.
Here is what Shikha will be teaching us:
  • How to throw yunomis on the wheel
  • How to create different kinds of facets on the yunomis
  • How to use slip to create texture
  • How to use sodium silicate to create a rustic look
  • How to incorporate crushed rock into slip to create texture
  • How to use dry clay bodies to create texture
  • How to hand trim the yunomi to create a nice foot

Get immediate access at the time of purchase.

You can join for $45

Buy now by clicking HERE
Class Members click HERE

The surface of a pot can make or break a piece so potters put a lot of time thinking about it. Terra sigillata can be that perfect fit for your work with it’s buttery smooth surface that can be used in lieu of glaze… or in combination! Rhonda Willers, author of Terra Sigillata: Contemporary Techniques, will show you what terra sigillata is. Plus you will learn how to make and blend base terra sigillata step by step.In this first class in Rhonda’s two-part series you will get…

  • a PDF with a list of material and tools and more
  • how to mix a base terra sigillatas
  • how to siphon check specific gravity
  • blending base terra sigillatas
  • opportunities to ask questions
  • and so much more

All this for $45.

Buy now by clicking HERE
Class Members click HERE

 

Oh that amazing surface of terra sigillata! And after learning how to actually make terra sigillata in Rhonda WIllers first class, she now takes us to the next level. In this class we will be led through the step by step process of mixing colors. Rhonda will also help us see some various firing options to further enhance the amazing surface treatment.

In this class you will get:

  • PDF for class
  • a 9-step colored terra sigillata line blend
  • how to make colors like blue, yellow, tans, and reds
  • what tools are needed
  • lots of opportunities to ask questions
  • and much more.

All this for $45

Buy now by clicking HERE

Class Members click HERE

In this workshop we will apply base terra sigillatas and colored terra sigillatas to bone dry test tiles/objects and/or other bone dry clay objects. We will go through the application process step by step and stop for questions throughout the presentation. I will show using wax to create a faux mishima surface with terra sigillatas. Rhonda will share a presentation and demonstrate applying flux washes and colored patinas to the surfaces.

 

In this class you will get:

  • a PDFs for class
  • be taught applying terra sigillata in layers
  • how carving through layers with different tools impacts the work
  • show examples of tools to use
  • how to use wax to create faux mishima
  • and much more.

All this for just $45.

Buy this class now by clicking HERE
Class members can click HERE

 

In this class Krista Coons teaches us her insights on how she makes spoons. This will give you a great springboard to launch into your own creativity and style as you use her amazing tips and tricks of what to do and what to avoid. Here is what you get get in her class:

  • PDF of supplies to be used in class
  • PDF of spoon templates (for examples and practice, but not to be imitated and sold)
  • 2 full hours of video
  • Some marketing ideas
  • Tips for presentation
  • Immediate access to the video for as long as The Potters Cast is around

All of this for just $45.

Buy it now by clicking HERE.
Class Members click HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are times when you make a surface design that is so cool and just vibes with your soul. Then the challenge is how do you repeat it and how do you make it look fresh each time? This is where Gelli Plate Printing can come to the rescue.

In this class Shawna will be teaching us how she makes beautiful prints that are simultaneously unique and repeatable with Gelli Printing. Shawna will teach you her insights on how she prints and transfers designs to her beautiful work. She will be demonstrating how she makes the screens for the repeatable images. Then she demonstrates how she transfers or prints onto ceramics. It is this final step that we end up making each piece unique. Taking her tips and tricks will give you great insights on how to take your creativity to the next level.

Here is what you get in her class:

PDF of supplies to be used in class.

Live attendance to the class with opportunities to ask questions

Access to the video for as long as The Potters Cast is around

All of this for just $45.

Buy it now by clicking HERE.
Class Members click HERE.

NOTE: This class has a supply list that you will purchase apart from The Potters Class.

So you’ve made your pot, it’s been fired for that first firing, and now you are staring at that cup and you are wanting it to be clothed with as much love and self-expression as your hands and heart put into the first creative steps of forming it. And here is the challenge… How to make it your own?

Especially when all you have at your disposal is commercial glazes! Sitting on the shelves before you is a host of those glazes that are the result of someone’s creative expression. They’ve been packaged and shipped out to thousands of potters around the world. Then you see that same glaze all over Instagram as other potters post pieces with your glaze.

Commercial glazes are great for a number of reasons: you don’t have to mess with mixing all those chemicals, they are convenient, and they come with directions telling you exactly how to glaze your work. The drawback is that they are common.

Best Selling Author, Jon Schmidt has found his way of taking common commercial glazes and making them his own. By using techniques like application thickness, layering, alternating, firing, and more, Jon has made commercial glazes his own expression of creativity.

In this class Jon will be giving us his insights on making commercial glazes your own. Here is what you will learn:

  • Basic glazing principles
  • Common mistakes while glazing and their solutions
  • Best practices for dipping pouring
  • Applying glazes with brushes and other applicators
  • Principles for layering glazes
  • Firing schedules
  • Why cooling schedules are important
  • Using shapes and textures to your glazing advantage
  • How to talk about glazes so they help sell your work

By the time you finish Jon’s course you will approach all your work with a renewed confidence that you can make any commercial glaze your own.

And you can learn his tips for just $45.

Buy it now by clicking HERE.
Class Members click HERE.

Osa Atoe’s class is going to be your gateway to creating the perfect coffee pour over set. In this class you’ll be shown the things to consider in design and tips on the sets construction.

Once you join the class you will get:

– Access to the class page
– Shown slip trailing techniques
– Instruction on sizing
– Access to the video forever to watch again and again

The class is now ready to watch and you will get immediate access.

And you can get this for just $45.

Buy the class now by clicking HERE.
Class Members click HERE.

 

 

We are so excited to have Jeremy Randal teach us how to make the classic teapot, but with his own twist. He will help you understand the basics of how to handbuild a teapot. In this class you will get:

the proper size for a teapot

how to bring a sense of proportion

handle placement

spout sizing

forever access to the class recording which is over two hours long!

and so much more for just $45.

Buy it now by clicking HERE.
Class Members click HERE.

We typically make our ceramics by pushing around, flattening, bending, and any manner of other forces to shape our pieces. Kurinuki is the art of removal and hallowing from a lump of clay. Supatra Marsh of @blankearth is going to lead us through the process of the art of Kurinuki. Though the techniques can be applied to any number of forms, she is going to be focusing on a tea set. Here is what you get in her class:

PDF of supplies for the class
PDF of step by step process
Live class and an opportunity to ask questions
“Forever” access to the class recording as long as The Potters Cast is around

All for just $45. We are really excited to have you join us.

Buy it now by clicking HERE.
Class Members click HERE