Pottery Classes Manchester

Pottery Classes Manchester The Best Pottery Lessons in Manchester Chapters7Spot Pottery StudioSeven Limes PotteryPottery Lessons at the Clay StudioIt must be said that Mancunians lack for little when it comes to entertainment: music, film, outdoor activities...We in Manchester love our sports; Man UTD and Man City are constant sources of pride. Our record for champion boxers is sterling and our Old Trafford cricket ground is world-famous.Museums and art galleries, a vibrant nightlife and our unique Madchester vibe make our city one of the most attractive; to wit, ours is the third-most visited UK city after London and Edinburgh.With all of the noise and hustle, it might be nice to take things down a notch; that could be why there is a renewed interest in pottery in Manchester.There is something so soothing about working with clay, seeing your artistic vision take shape beneath your hands. Knowing you are working with the most elemental materials: water and earth, and forming it to become an expression of your inner landscape.Could you see yourself transforming raw clay into earthenware dishes or a clay sculpture for your garden? What about learning the different clays and what they are best suited for?Maybe you’re unsure of whether making pottery would even be your thing. Perhaps you would like to try it out first, before committing yourself completely to pottery-making.If that’s the case, you’ll appreciate all of the short pottery classes and taster sessions we found in and around Manchester. CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60 /h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors7Spot Pottery Studio You can learn how to make such a cup and more in pottery classes Image by Somchai Chitprathak from PixabayPottery artists make working a pottery wheel look easy: they sit still, cupping clay in their hands until it miraculously takes shape.In spite of the seeming ease that ceramic artists demonstrate in plying their craft, there is a certain amount of skill and technique that goes into using a pottery wheel.That is why, if you have never worked clay on a wheel before, it would be a really good idea to take a wheel throwing course.Technically, that term encompasses everything from the initial centring of clay on the pottery wheel to the piece being ready for its first firing.That is the focus of 7Spot’s 6-week class, targeted to beginners. Their intent is not to produce pottery â€" although, of course, there will be production.They are more interested in making sure you master the fundamentals of throwing:Wedging: preparing the clay to be workedThrowing forms: unique pieces, as oppo sed to ‘throwing off the mound’ or creating a mass production of the same pieceTrimming: removing excess clay after your piece is formedHandle-making: incorporating a handle to your design â€" a skill in itself!Glazing: the final step, rendering your design waterproofGlazing can also serve to colour or decorate your workClasses are held either Mondays or Tuesdays, in the evening, from 6:30 to 9:00; the course costs £165, which covers the cost of materials and studio usage.They recommend that you bring an apron and towel for cleanup at the end of each class; working with clay can be quite messy!Pottery classes in London also recommend you bring your own clean-up towelette...If you’re uncertain about trying your hand at a pottery wheel or if you’re busy on Monday and Tuesday evenings, you might try their handbuilding classes, which is held on Wednesdays.Handbuilding gets closer to the origins of pottery, to the time before the invention of the wheel.In these courses, you woul d learn techniques such as coiling, pinch-forming and press-moulding.Working from a clay slab, you can learn to sculpt figurines or make cylinder forms, such as those used to make drinking mugs. Naturally, glazing is a part of the process.The cost for this course is £100 including tools and materials. If this six-week long a course still doesn’t feel quite right, you might try one of the many taster sessions and workshops they have on offer.Unfortunately, they only offer adult classes; this is a working studio with many artists renting space. If you were looking for kids’ classes or parent and child classes, we have to direct you elsewhere.Birmingham has some great pottery classes for children! In pottery and building arts, lime means something quite different than this Image by Robert-Owen-Wahl from PixabaySeven Limes PotteryWe’re not sure why the number seven is invoked in reference to pottery in Manchester; oddly, two of the most prominent course offerings are at pottery studios with that number in their name.While the first ‘seven’ studio runs a rather tight ship, this one adds a dash of fun into the mix â€" not the kind of fun that small children can partake of but fun nevertheless.First up on their list of courses are tasters. They generally take place on Saturdays, last around two hours (and 30 minutes for cleanup), and allow for hands-on experience with a pottery wheel.These taster classes cost £50 and you get to keep what you make... after the professional artists glaze it and fire it for you.If that’s not quite enough time at the potter’s wheel to suit you, you might select their intensive weekend workshop.During this time, you will learn many more skil ls such as decorating your vessel, throwing cylinders and bowls and turning the underside of your pieces.Have you ever wondered how your stoneware plates get that nifty ring on the underside and, more importantly, why there are notches in them?You can learn all about that and more during this focused clay pottery seminar; a lot of education for £160.Finally, if you are completely sold on the idea of being a ceramic artist, you may opt for the full six-week beginner’s course for £120.You will go more in-depth on basic pottery, both at the wheel and handbuilding techniques but the best part of these lessons is that they are a part of a broader curriculum that will get you completely ready to become a ceramic artist in your own right.Unlike other basic skills courses, Seven Lime charges a small fee for materials but, considering their relatively low class fees, the additional cost does not push them over the top of the price scale.Still, it’s best to enquire before you find yours elf owing more than you had budgeted for...Join the discussion: should pottery classes near me charge for materials? Now is the perfect time to consider a workshop to learn how to cast ornaments! Image by Free-Photos from PixabayPottery Lessons at the Clay StudioYou may well accuse us of saving the best for last â€" not quite true, seeing as all of the studios and classes featured so far are quite popular.Besides, this is not the end of the article; further down is a table listing all of the pottery classes we could find in and around Manchester.  That would be a case of saving the best for last!Still, for the sheer variety of classes on offer, the Clay Studio would be hard to beat!True, they promote the standard taster sessions and beginners’ classes, but then, they go even further with their generous menu of one-off courses and weekend workshops.For instance, you might enjoy coiling a jug: making a fully functional pitcher using the ancient technique of coiling clay.Using an extruder to dispense ropes of clay, you would carefully wind them. First making a base and then the walls, which will lat er be supported while the clay dries.If you’d rather work clay manually instead of pumping clay out of the extruder, you may choose to roll it into ropes, to a thickness determined by what you're making - your instructor's input would be helpful in deciding.Hand-rolling and extruding won’t be quite as messy as wheel-thrown pottery and your design will be sure to get raves!What about making Christmas ornaments?With the holiday season right around the corner, you might consider this Saturday course that will introduce you to the slip casting process.Slip casting calls for liquid clay, called ‘slip’, to be poured in a mould. The mould will seem to drink the slip but don’t worry: that’s supposed to happen. Around 20 minutes later, your ceramic ball will be ready for release from its mould.And then, you get to trim and decorate it...Or you could make porcelain decorations to gift to friends and family. Hearts, stars, snowflakes and trees... they come out pure white; you might contemplate drawing and painting on them.These courses both cost £35 and take place on Saturday morning. Be sure to book with them in advance because these fun sessions fill up rather quickly.We found similarly engaging pottery classes in Leeds; clearly, they are all the rage!By far their best Saturday (and Sunday) morning offerings are family classes. They are organised in terms, meaning three to four sessions - you don't sign up for a class but for a term. Each session costs £12 for the adult and £10 for the child â€" who should be five or older.This is a great opportunity for the whole family to get creative and learn new skills, and for the young ones to develop haptic skills and dexterity.Besides getting hands-on with clay, you will also learn glazing techniques and learn about the various clay tools that the artists use. And, yes: you get to take your ceramic art home.Ceramics can be beautiful, dramatic and funny. Ceramic arts are engaging, relaxing and... also fun.Whether you want to take these art classes on your own or with a friend, as a series of classes with your family or a single workshop just to see if clay work is for you, there are certainly plenty of opportunities to do so in Manchester.Are there as many great pottery classes in Glasgow?Contact information for the pottery studios we've reviewed (and some we didn't):Studio namePhysical addressPhone numberWeb address7Spot PotteryIslington Mill James Street, Salford M3 5HW0161 278 6404https://7spotpottery.co.ukSeven Limes Windrush Millennium Centre70 Alexandra Road, Manchester M16 7WD0752 707 8853https://7limes.co.ukClay Studio61 Old Birley St Hulme Manchester M15 5RF0161 505 0678http://claystudio.org.ukPottery Corner34 Beech Rd, Manchester M21 9EL0161 882 0010www.potsareforpainting.co.ukThe Potter's BarnRoughwood Lane, Sandbach, Cheshire CW11 4XX,0127 088 4080www.thepottersbarn.co.uk