July-August 2025 Handbuilding Class Syllabus
Class Structure
10: 00 Set up your materials and Individual Qs
10:15 Glaze Show & Tell and Announcements
10:30 Main Demonstration
11:15 Individual Questions answered and WorkTime
1:00 Class officially concludes but you can stay for open studio until 5:30 pm.
10: 00 Set up your materials and Individual Qs
10:15 Glaze Show & Tell and Announcements
10:30 Main Demonstration
11:15 Individual Questions answered and WorkTime
1:00 Class officially concludes but you can stay for open studio until 5:30 pm.
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Hand building
Mondays & Tuesdays 10 am-1 pm July -August 2025 Objectives for this Session: Focus on Returning To Basics. Hand building techniques include pinch, coil, extruding, slabs, plus glazing Week 1 - 7/1 (6/30 Juliana)
KEY: (N) - Novice - project accessible to all (AV) - Advanced Project - May need more experience to succeed (N-AV) - Means that there is an easy version and an advanced version |
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My Teaching philosophy:
Creativity- This class is ultimately a space of creativity. I hope to provide new projects, or new ways of seeing old techniques, so that you learn at least one thing weekly. I want you to be brave with your clay, resilient with failures and proud of successes. I welcome your ideas for demos; if I don’t do one it may be because I don’t have that skill set yet or we have covered it recently.
Collaboration- The knowledge in this studio and class is immeasurably larger than just one instructor. I want you to offer and ask each other for support, encouragement, and advice- especially when I’m not available. This is why we start with Glaze Show & Tell: to impart your hard-earned glaze wisdom (and of course, to share your wins); this is also why I love hearing about how you approach something differently. Remember the joke I start each session with? How many potters does it take to change a lightbulb? 101. One to change the bulb, and a hundred to say "that's not how I would have done it" :)
Community- I see this studio and my class as an oasis from the “real world.” When we are here, we all should feel safe, at ease, and like we have the opportunity to make & keep friends. It’s also why we have group announcements- so the entire community of Austin Pottery is on the same page with the use of equipment, shared space, and such. If you miss them, please remind me to share the sheet with you if I forget. Clay is inherently a community based art. Whether it's getting help with someone else mixing clays for you, making your tools, sharing knowledge, running the kilns, mixing glazes, or recycling clay, this craft is best when done as a group.
Flexibility- Whether your clay routine is 20 years or 2 weeks old, we all need to be willing to accept the compromises required within our shared space. There are lots of things we can control, but lots we can't. Sometimes it's needing to find a different space or tool to work with; sometimes it's knowing that the Kiln Gods were feistier than usual at the last firing. Clay is a lot like baking: substitutions will inevitably alter the final outcome of your creation but it can still be delicious! Mastering exact techniques & outcomes takes time and dedication; appreciating the uniqueness of each piece/situation will result in more learning and a happier clay experience. One of my favorite mantras on hard clay days "this is what I do for fun".
Collaboration- The knowledge in this studio and class is immeasurably larger than just one instructor. I want you to offer and ask each other for support, encouragement, and advice- especially when I’m not available. This is why we start with Glaze Show & Tell: to impart your hard-earned glaze wisdom (and of course, to share your wins); this is also why I love hearing about how you approach something differently. Remember the joke I start each session with? How many potters does it take to change a lightbulb? 101. One to change the bulb, and a hundred to say "that's not how I would have done it" :)
Community- I see this studio and my class as an oasis from the “real world.” When we are here, we all should feel safe, at ease, and like we have the opportunity to make & keep friends. It’s also why we have group announcements- so the entire community of Austin Pottery is on the same page with the use of equipment, shared space, and such. If you miss them, please remind me to share the sheet with you if I forget. Clay is inherently a community based art. Whether it's getting help with someone else mixing clays for you, making your tools, sharing knowledge, running the kilns, mixing glazes, or recycling clay, this craft is best when done as a group.
Flexibility- Whether your clay routine is 20 years or 2 weeks old, we all need to be willing to accept the compromises required within our shared space. There are lots of things we can control, but lots we can't. Sometimes it's needing to find a different space or tool to work with; sometimes it's knowing that the Kiln Gods were feistier than usual at the last firing. Clay is a lot like baking: substitutions will inevitably alter the final outcome of your creation but it can still be delicious! Mastering exact techniques & outcomes takes time and dedication; appreciating the uniqueness of each piece/situation will result in more learning and a happier clay experience. One of my favorite mantras on hard clay days "this is what I do for fun".
CLAY WISDOM:
- Learning about clay is actually mastering the manipulation of water content. From trying to figure out at what stage you can do certain things, to avoiding cracks/breaks, you are at the mercy of the water. Plastic slows down drying. Air/heat speeds it up. There are many, many variables so this takes the longest to learn. The Stages of Clay (handout) is a good place to start.
- Clay gets fired twice: Work can be turned back into clay (reclaimed) UNTIL it is bisque fired (first firing at Cone 06 1000º C/1855ºF when the chemical water is expelled - it will shrink a little). Bisqued clay is still porous until it is taken up to its highest temperature in the Glaze Firing (second firing at Cone 10 1300º C/ 2381ºF when clay becomes Glazed/Glassy aka vitrified and shrinks some more)
- Never Ending Possibilities: There truly are endless processes, materials and firing possibilities in the clay world…but not all can be achieved in your studio or they may have pre-requisite skills. Enjoy where you are and know that social media doesn’t always tell the whole story in art either.
- Water gets trapped in air compartments (think bubbles/ hollow balls) therefore there must be a hole to allow steam to escape so it doesn’t break while expanding in heat (kiln).
- SCRATCH to ATTACH - Scoring is boring but it is required to have enough surface area to to join two pieces together. Water fools you into thinking it’s attached. It’s not unless you scored.
- Rule of Thumb: keep clay no thicker than your thumb. Trim it, hollow it, add holes, etc to keep it thinner.
- Multiples - Make 2-3 pieces at a time. It will take pressure off succeeding the first time (failure is common!) and it allows time for clay to rest/dry as you work with others.
- Consistent Clay is more successful. Wedge clay to remove air bubbles, achieve uniform consistency, and to line up the clay particles. Aim to have same thickness throughout work.
- Clay must be fully dry before being fired. You can estimate 5 days of drying time per 1/4”
- Nothing but uncolored clay on the bottom will keep kiln shelves clean (glaze will stick, colorant will stain/transfer).
- Everything is an experiment. Learn from each failure. Try, Try again.
- When faced with a new decision in the studio, aim to say NO to the following two questions:
- Will what I am doing ruin/damage/break the studio stuff?
- Will what I am doing make life harder on the studio techs?
Inspirational Links:
How To Links and PDFS:Sculpting Lesson Plan:
Intro to clay
Advanced Handouts
Darting Handouts:
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Products I like:
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Inspirational Artist Links:
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Older Links
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Older SyllabusApril -June 2025
Week 1 - 4/22
Week 2 - 4/29
Week 3 -5/6
Week 4 - 5/13
Week 5 - 5/20
Week 6 - 5/27
Week 7 - 6/3
Week 8 - 6/10
Feb 24/25, 2025 - April 7/8, 2025 MONDAYS or TUESDAYS at 10AM Week 1 - 2/24 or 2/25
Week 2 - 3/3 or 3/4
Week 3 - 3/10 or 3/11
Week 4 - 3/17 or 3/18
Week 5 - 3/24 or 3/25
Week 6 - 3/31 or 4/1
Week 7 - 4/7 or 4/8
Week 8 - 4/14 or 4/15
October 21, 2024 - December 10, 24 MONDAYS or TUESDAYS at 10AM Week 1 - 10/21 or 10/22
Week 2 - 10/28 or 10/29
Week 3 - 11/4 or 11/5 ELECTION DAY
SAVE THE DATES: November 9 & November 10 Austin Studio Tour stop & Smoke Firing 11am - 5pm (*Smoke firing 11am loading on Sat, 11am unloading Sun) In Ashley's yard: 2602 La Ronde Street Week 4 - 11/11 or 11/12
Week 5 - 11/18 or 11/19
August 26, 2024 - October 15, 24 Week 1 - 8/26 or 8/27
(AV) - Advanced Project - May need more experience to succeed (N-AV) - Means that there is an easy version and an advanced version July 1, 2024 - August 20, 2024 MONDAYS or TUESDAYS at 10AM Week 1 - 7/1 or 7/2
Older Combo syllabusWeek 1 - 1/2/24
Week 4 - 1/24/24
Week 1 - 10/24
Week 4 - 11/14
Skill suggestion: N - Novice/Intermediate AV - Advanced Aug - Oct 2023 Class Syllabus Week 1 - 8/29
January-February 2023 Class Syllabus
Theme: Fruits, Vegetables and Flowers Objectives: Handbuilding techniques include pinching, darting, extruding, slabs, templates, attachments. Throwing techniques include basic cylinders, trimming, throwing off the hump. Plus glazing. Week 1 - 1/3
Finishing, Glazing and Potluck Party Using a dish you made (if you have one) **Challenge MONDAY Hand Building Class VS. TUESDAY COMBO Class Exhibition! Fruits and Vegetables and Flowers, oh my! We will fill up a shelf to present to the studio with your favorite themed work for positive feedback. Week 1 - 2/28
Finishing, Glazing and Potluck Party Using Pottery you made (if you have one) |
(Older syllabus)
April - June 2023 ICE CREAM SOCIAL! Objectives for this Session: Hand building techniques include pinch, extruding, slabs, templates, attachments. Throwing techniques include basic bowls, trimming, throwing off hump. Plus glazing. Week 1 - 4/25Studio Welcome
Week 2 - 5/2
Week 3 - 5/9
Week 4 - 5/16
Week 1 - 7/4
Week 2 - 7/11
Week 3 - 7/18
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