Pottery Foundation Course – January 2026 – Wednesday Mornings
£305.00
8 Wednesday Mornings 10:00 – 12:30
Course duration: 14th January – 11th March 2026
20 hours
Tutor: Roberto Gagliano
Half term: 18th February
Pottery Foundation Course. Hand building techniques and Pottery Wheel – All Levels
Over eight weeks, Roberto will guide you through a well-rounded introduction to the world of ceramics, exploring three of pottery’s fundamental techniques, slab building, coil construction, and wheel throwing, alongside glazing and surface decoration.
This course is designed to give students a broad and hands-on experience of pottery, with a strong emphasis on handbuilding techniques.
Handbuilding allows you to shape clay using only your hands, simple tools, and your imagination, it’s a wonderfully intuitive and creative process that forms the foundation for understanding form, structure, and surface.
As the course progresses, you’ll also be introduced to the pottery wheel, adding the dynamic challenge of throwing to your growing skillset. The final weeks focus on glazing and finishing, giving you a complete view of the ceramic process from raw clay to finished piece.
Roberto’s teaching combines technical precision with warmth and encouragement, creating a supportive environment where students of all levels can grow in confidence and creativity. Each session includes clear demonstrations, personalised one-to-one guidance, and plenty of time to explore your own ideas.
By the end of the course, you’ll not only have a small collection of your own finished ceramics, you’ll also have a deeper understanding of pottery as a creative craft, and a solid foundation to build on.
Read the complete course description below.
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Description
Week 1 – Coil Building
We begin with the wonderfully tactile and meditative technique of coil building. You’ll learn how to roll and join coils to create hollow forms, giving you a strong feel for clay’s structure and potential.
Week 2 – Finishing Your Coil Pot
This week is dedicated to refining your coil-built piece. You’ll learn how to smooth and shape your form, adjust proportions, and add finishing touches like rims, handles, or textural details.
Week 3 – Slip Decoration & Sgraffito
Explore surface design through coloured slips and the sgraffito technique where patterns are carved into layers of coloured clay. Roberto will guide you in using brushes, tools, and your imagination to add expressive, layered decoration to your leather-hard pieces.
Week 4 – Introduction to the Pottery Wheel
Time to try your hand at wheel throwing! Roberto will introduce the core steps: centering, opening, and pulling up the walls, as you begin to form your very first pot on the wheel.
Week 5 – Trimming & Refining Your Wheel Work
With your wheel-thrown piece leather-hard, you’ll now learn to trim and refine it. Roberto will demonstrate how to create neat foot rings, adjust proportions, and achieve balanced, professional forms.
Week 6 – Slab Building Techniques
This session introduces slab building, a versatile handbuilding method. You’ll learn how to roll, cut, and assemble slabs into functional or sculptural pieces. Templates, texturing, and form-building strategies will be explored.
Week 7 – Completing Your Slab Project
Continue working on your slab-built piece, refining construction and adding decorative elements. Roberto will help you complete your project with structure, detail, and creativity.
Week 8 – Glazing & Finishing
In the final session, you’ll be introduced to glazing: dipping, pouring, and brushing techniques and learn how glaze interacts with form and surface. You’ll glaze your bisque-fired work, ready for its final transformation in the kiln.
What You’ll Take Home
By the end of the course, you’ll have a collection of handbuilt and wheel-thrown pieces to take home — each one a reflection of your creativity and growing skill. Finished work is priced at £12 per kilo.
No previous experience is required. Just bring your curiosity — everything else is provided.
We look forward to welcoming you into the studio!
Terms and Conditions
By placing a booking we will assume that you have read, understood and accepted these Terms and Conditions.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Agreement, please feel free to contact us at contact@potterygagliano.co.
Cancellations and Refunds
We understand that sometimes plans change. If the you are not able to attend the course, please inform us by email at least 2 days before the course start date.
If we are able to re-sell your space, you shall only be liable for an administration fee of £20.
If we are not able to re-sell your space, the following shall apply:
- Cancellations made within 10 days of the start date will be non-refundable.
- Cancellations made within 11-30 days of the start date will be refunded 50% of the Fee.
- Cancellations made more than 30 days in advance of the course start date will be charged £20 to cover administration charges and the balance of the Fee refunded.
Please note that missed portions of any multi-day Course cannot be carried over to any other Course.