Learn about the key handbuilding techniques and how to decorate your ceramic pieces with coloured decorative slips and underglaze colours.

  • Create your own handmade ceramic pieces.
  • Explore the process of transforming clay into a finished piece.
  • Learn different techniques to decorate your creations.

During this Handbuilding Ceramics taster course, you’ll be shown the hand making skills to create your own pieces from slab, coiling and pinching the clay, under the guidance and support of Louise Blois, Technical Demonstrator – Ceramics at Bath Spa University. You'll then put this into practise by making pieces that you can then decorate.

The facilities at Locksbrook Campus provide a wide range of coloured slips and underglazes, which will allow you to try mono printing, inlay and sgraffito to decorate your finished pieces.

By the end of the course, you’ll have produced a series of custom ceramic pieces, which will then be fired for you to collect three – four weeks later.

“Our Handbuilding Ceramics taster course is the perfect opportunity to switch off and discover a love of creating with clay."

Louise Blois, Technical Demonstrator - Ceramics, Bath Spa University

Overview

This course will take place at Locksbrook Campus, Bath, BA1 3EL.

The next course takes place Wednesday 18 June, 10am – 1pm.

Bookings for this course will close on the 9 June.

This course costs £60 per person. All materials, tools and equipment are included. This also includes the cost of firing your work made throughout the session.

Please bring along an apron or wear clothing you don’t mind being dirty and covered in clay.

Meet the team

Louise Blois is a ceramic artist inspired by her enduring fascination for the natural world and how to capture it creatively. This curiosity began when studying Ceramics at Camberwell School of Art, London and completing her master’s degree at University of Wales, Cardiff.

Louise has worked at BSU as Technical Demonstrator in Ceramics since April 2023 and is also the co-founder of Clay Shed studio in Bristol, a centre for ceramics practice founded in 2019. 

Terms and conditions

Read the terms and conditions for taking part in this short course.

Contact us

For more information about the course please email your enquiries to shortcourses@bathspa.ac.uk .

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