Handbuilding Workshop
Course with Wendy Yates
Price: £145
Date to be confirmed • 10:00am – 6:00pm
Only 6 places available to ensure plenty of individual guidance and a relaxed, creative atmosphere.
📍 Location: Clay n Glaze Studio
📞 +44 79 4634 4615
Create Beautiful Ceramics with Clay Slabs
Discover the freedom and creativity of handbuilding with clay slabs in this inspiring full-day pottery workshop.
Using flat sheets of clay, you’ll learn how to design and construct both functional and decorative ceramic pieces — from elegant plates, platters, bowls, and soap dishes to sculptural vessels, textured containers, bonsai planters, utensil holders, ceramic houses, clocks, and more.
With expert guidance throughout the day, you’ll explore how simple slabs of clay can be transformed into unique and highly personal forms using texture, pattern, structure, and imagination.
This workshop is ideal for complete beginners as well as those wishing to expand their handbuilding skills in a relaxed and supportive studio environment.
By the end of the day, you’ll leave with:
- Your own handcrafted ceramic piece
- A strong introduction to slab-building techniques
- Practical construction and design knowledge
- Confidence working creatively with clay slabs
- Ideas and inspiration for future projects
What You’ll Explore
- Working with rolled clay slabs
- Constructing functional and sculptural forms
- Building plates, bowls, vessels, and containers
- Designing with shape and structure
- Creating textured and patterned surfaces
- Using sprigs and raised decorative elements
- Joining, reinforcing, and finishing techniques
- Planning larger or more ambitious slab-built forms
You’ll be encouraged to develop your own ideas while receiving individual support and demonstrations throughout the day.
What’s Included
- All clay, materials, tools, and aprons
- Demonstrations and guided tuition
- Texture tools and decorative sprigs
- Firing of your finished work
- Full refreshments and a delicious lunch
Your finished piece may be:
- Collected after firing, or
- Glazed during an optional 2-hour glazing session arranged separately
Workshop Schedule
10:00am — Arrival, coffee & welcome
10:30am — Demonstration & preparation
- Introduction to slab-building techniques
- Planning and designing forms
- Texture and decoration demonstrations
1:00pm — Lunch – A home-cooked meal by Master Chef John is included in the price.
1:45pm — Hands-on construction session
- Building and assembling your ceramic piece
- Individual guidance and creative development
4:00pm — Afternoon tea & biscuits
5:00–6:00pm — Finishing & completion
Give yourself a full day of making, creativity, and clay — and leave with a beautiful handmade ceramic piece of your own.
