Learn to Throw

Beginner Learn to Throw Pottery COURSES

2024 COURSE DATES:

30 MAR – 20 APRSATURDAY MORNINGS 9AM – 11:30AM

1 JUN – 22 JUN – SATURDAY MORNINGS 9AM – 11:30AM

29 JUN – 20 JUL – SATURDAY MORNINGS 9AM – 11:30AM

10 – 31 AUGUST – SATURDAY MORNINGS 9AM – 11:30AM

7 – 28 SEP – SATURDAY MORNINGS 9AM – 11:30AM

** PLEASE NOTE: COURSES ARE 4 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS **

Come along and learn to throw on the pottery wheel, make your own dinnerware, design, paint & glaze your very own pot. Be prepared to get messy, meet new friends, have a few laughs and best of all – learn a new skill!

Cost

$320+GST for Beginners Course of 4 Classes, 2.5hrs each class. Price includes use of all tools, equipment, clay, glazes & firings. You will take up to 8 completed pieces home with you after your 4th class. See class schedule below on what’s involved in your 4 classes.

Please see class schedule tab for more information.

When

Check availability calendar below. The BLUE sessions are Beginner Classes.

Book NOW! See ‘HOW TO BOOK’ tab below.

Where

Home based studio (garage)
39b Clifton Road, Clifton Beach QLD 4879 – House in Middle

Location & Parking

39b Clifton Road, Clifton Beach.

Workshops are run out of my home garage. When you arrive you’ll notice it is a shared driveway with three houses using the same driveway. I am the house in the middle.  You are welcome to drive all the way down the driveway (Please don’t park along the actual driveway or block access for our neighbours to get out).

If you drive down the driveway, PLEASE DRIVE ALL THE WAY AROUND THE TURNING CIRCLE & PARK ON OUR DRIVEWAY IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE or on the Grassy Area in Backyard. If you need to leave early, please park out the back on the grass area so we don’t have to shuffle cars around.

Class Schedule

It takes 4 sessions to complete a piece from scratch to completion.  Below is a  guide on what to expect, however pottery is self paced, so I encourage you to take your time and enjoy the process.

If you enjoy the 4 beginner sessions and would like to continue you can book a Wheel Time session to continue practicing on your own without guidance, or return to do the beginners course again.

The Beginner Learn to Throw Sessions:

A Maximum of 8 pieces will be fired per person so you can practice making as many pieces as you like in the time frame, however only your best 8 pieces will be fired and glazed, the rest will be recycled.


  • Class 1: Learn the basics of throwing on the pottery wheel: centering & pulling.  Practice pulling cylinders.

  • Class 2: Throwing – keep on practicing, practice, practice & throw your first pot, a bowl or small vase on the pottery wheel.

  • Class 3: Trimming / Turning – trim your pots, carve or decorate, add handles to mugs, make your mark & shape your bottoms.

  • Class 4: Hand paint & apply glazes to your bisque fired pots. Your pot will then have a second firing in the kiln and you can return to collect your finished pieces at a later date.

What you’ll make

Initially we will be centering and pulling cylinders. Beginners will start with small cylinders which you can form into mugs, jugs or vases, and pull and attach your own handles.

You can make (*with the exception of below) whatever your heart desires…. Bowls, vases, mugs, jugs, candle holders…  Come along and create what you like, enjoy spending time with new friends who have a passion for pottery.

* We don’t make plates: The main reason is plates take up too much space and unfortunately there is not enough space on the storage shelves or in the kiln to make plates. We can usually fit 7 mugs in the same space one plate takes up in the kiln. Also, plates tend to crack easily if they are not thrown evenly, trimmed carefully & dried very slowly.

Number of pieces you will make

During the 4 class beginners sessions, you are welcome to throw as many pieces as you like while you are practicing, however only your best 8 pieces will be fired & glazed, the rest will be recycled. & yes once you have completed 4 beginner classes you can take your finished pottery pieces home!

Collecting your pieces

You can collect your pieces ONE WEEK AFTER your final class. Eg. Your last class is on a Saturday – you can pick up the following Saturday. You can collect your pieces during class times only. Which are Wednesday nights 6-9pm or Saturdays 9-11:30 and 2-5pm. Please do not text ‘are my pieces ready?’ or ask to pick up outside of class times. I work full time and don’t have time to arrange different pickup times with every student outside of these class times.

BRING A BOX – please bring a shoe box or small box & newspaper or wrapping to take your pieces home.

Clay used

All of the clay used in our studio is Mid Fire Cone 6 (fired to 1220 degrees Celsius).

How many people in each class

There are 8 pottery wheels, however each session has 1 wheel reserved for me to demonstrate on, so maximum 7 people in a beginners class. 

What to bring / What NOT to bring

  • Wear comfy clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.
  • Don’t bring or wear a watch, rings or bracelets. It is best to keep your arms bare from elbows down.
  • Keep your fingernails short. Please DON’T BOOK if you have acrylic fingernails – sorry they make it very difficult and you won’t enjoy it.
  • A hair tie or headband or cap if you have long hair to keep hair out of your face while you’re bent over the wheel.
  • You are welcome to bring any of your own tools if you have them (marked with your name), but not necessary as all items will be supplied.
  • Bring a jumper or long sleeve T-shirt (in winter months), it can get cool in the studio as we sit outside, especially night classes and your hands will be in water most of the class.
  • There is Tea & Coffee available.
  • There is cold water, however most people like to bring their own water bottle or snacks.
  • BYO sparkly beverages!

Can Children Attend Classes?

No sorry, children cannot attend the beginner wheel throwing classes.

are you Left handed?

Just a warning, the pottery wheels only spin one way which is best suited to right handed people. Unfortunately every left handed person I’ve had attend classes previously has found it quite difficult. You are still most welcome to attend, however please keep in mind throwing on the wheel is not easy. Youtube and Instagram make it look quite simple when it is not. Please only book if you are determined to work very hard at it.

challenges to be aware of

Please keep in mind throwing on the pottery wheel is not easy. You Tube and Instagram make it look super easy – but it’s not! Please only book classes if you are determined to work very hard at it. Below are some challenges you need to be aware of:

Left Handed – please see point above

False or Acrylic Nails – please don’t book if you have false or acrylic nails. You need short fingernails. Your hands will be stuck in clay while it is spinning on the wheel. Long fingernails will cut into the clay and make it very difficult – you won’t enjoy it & neither will I.

Environment – classes are held outdoors (under-cover) – it is hot in summer, wet in the wet season, cold in winter. There is no air-conditioning. It is a fairly rough dirty dusty environment. You will get dirty. DON’T wear good clothes or good shoes.

Seating & Comfort – we sit on hard metal chairs. The classes are 2 & half hours long, so it’s a long time to be seated on a hard metal chair. If you have back issues or need extra support you may like to bring your own cushion to sit on. You are most welcome to get up and walk around & stretch whenever you can, but please keep in mind it is not super comfortable.

Physical Strength – physically it is quite tiring when you start out as a beginner. You will be leant over a wheel with your foot holding down a foot peddle the entire time. You need quite a fair bit of physical body strength to center the clay which can become quite tiring. Generally I have found most elderly ladies (not all) and also small framed people struggle to center the clay. Please remember to take your time, rest, get up and stretch, take breaks. Most elderly ladies prefer hand building instead of the wheel, so please consider this before booking into this course (or before booking your mum in).

How to Book

FIRST ** If you haven’t booked with us before you will need to click onto the ‘Create an Account’ button below, it will turn blue when you click on it, then fill out your details, name, email, etc. and then click the smaller ‘register’ button underneath. The screen will refresh/reload once you have logged in.

If you have booked a class with us before you need to click onto the ‘Login’ blue button first, enter your details and then click the smaller ‘login’ button underneath.

SECOND: Click onto any BLUE class time on the calendar. You only need to click onto one Blue Beginners Class, eg. if you click onto Class 1, this will automatically book you into the full course which is 4 classes. The session times you have selected will appear below the calendar. The small number on the calendar indicates how many spaces are left available in each course. If the box is a lighter shade & it has a zero ‘0’ it means the course is fully booked and you won’t be able to click on it. Use arrows at top of calendar to scroll to up-coming weeks until you see the next Class 1 with availability.

THIRD: After you have selected BLUE Beginners Course of 4 classes. Select how many people are coming, then click ‘Book Now’.

FOURTH: A message will appear, then click ‘View Cart’. On the cart page, check your booking, scroll to bottom then click ‘Proceed to Checkout’. (If you see ‘Ajax error’. please ignore and proceed to view cart).

NOT WORKING?

  • It won’t let me click on the time or add a session to my cart? – The class is probably full already. Full classes wont let you add to cart. Check the tiny number to see how many spaces are available. Zero ‘0’ means the class is full.
  • I can’t see my Cart? – If you’ve added session and clicked ‘Book Now’ but you can’t see your Cart, click up the top main menu > My Account > My Cart.
  • My booking’s not in my cart? If you’ve clicked Book Now but your booking is not in your cart you may need to refresh your browser or clear your cache, or go back to the top main menu > My Account > My Cart. OR the class might be full already! It won’t let you add to cart if the session is full already.
  • Still not working? Samsung devices tend to have issues. But if you’re not on a Samsung and it’s still not working – please try a desktop computer.
  • STILL Still not working? If you’ve tried all of the above and it’s still not working. Send me an EMAIL with your contact details, full name, phone, email, address, and how many people you would like to book in, and the dates you would like to book, and I can book it for you. Please don’t text, DM, instagram or facebook message, I lose those messages quickly and I’ll forget to book you in.

STudio rules

  • PLEASE DON’T COME TOO EARLY.No more than 5 mins before a session starts please.
  • PLEASE DRIVE ALL THE WAY AROUND THE ROUND ABOUT & PARK ON THE ROUNDABOUT or in the backyard.
  • Apron, Towel & Tools are provided for BEGINNER Classes. If you would like to continue coming to pottery after the 4 beginner classes, please read the Studio Rules on the Wheel Time & Studio Time Pages as you need to bring your own supplies.
  • BRING A BOX at the end of your 4 classes to take any completed pieces home with you.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST! If you would like to discuss anything with me or have a suggestion of what you would like to see happen here, or any ideas, or if you’re not happy about something – Please let me know, I want to hear your feedback!

Thanks so much for your support and co-operation for for making our small potting community so wonderful!

Everyone is creating such great work & I can’t wait to see what you make next!

Please Note: The small number indicates how many spaces are left available in each time slot. If the box is a lighter shade & it has a zero ‘0’ it means the class is fully booked and you won’t be able to click on it. Click on the ‘How to Book’ tab above for instructions.

Blue = Beginners Learn to Throw on the Pottery Wheel Classes

Pink = Beginners Hand Building Pottery Classes (Click here for more info)

Green = Wheel Time (Click here for more info)

Orange = Studio Time (Click here for more info)

Pick an event on the calendar:
Participant #1