Students in the February course made Gluggle jugs. Have a look at their brilliant work. Yes, they do Glug-glug-glug!

Join the May course and make some functional, fantastical pottery

Slip Feathered Vase or Lamp

Slip ware is particularly British and I love it. Feathering dates from the mid 17th century and was produced primarily in Devon and Staffordshire. It transformed rustic country pottery into ornamental pieces. Sadly, the technique was replaced by industrialisation and died out by 1900.

Not to worry, now you can make your own Feathered masterpiece in the May course. We’ll be making a cylindrical vase or lamp. It is fun to do and the results are reliably lovely.

There is an additional £10 fee for the lamp fitting which you can pay in class. You’ll also need to find your own lampshade.

Mandala plate

This is a hybrid of coiling using sprigs, stamps, and coils. Beginning in the centre you’ll build up concentric rings of pattern and colour – bringing order and harmony to the cosmos and we’ll forget all about Donald Trump.

To Gnome or not to Gnome

Have you heard that this year. for the first time in its history, the Chelsea Flower show is allowing Garden Gnomes. Apparently, King Charles likes them. We made gnomes in a short course shortly before Christmas last year. The student’s made characters ranging from artists to fishermen to body builders. You can make one of the more traditional wheelbarrow sort or create somebody else. I’m going to make King Henry the Eighth (I hope Charles isn’t offended).

The five-week pottery course beginning in April focuses on folklore and mythology

The Green Man symbolises nature, rebirth, and spring – and Spring is nearly here. He is a, mysterious figure in British folklore, typically depicted as a face made of, or surrounded by, leaves. 
Made with stoneware clay, slab, sprigs, stamps and modelling. Finished with a chrome oxide wash

Mythological Creatures Pot

This project combines the functional with sculptural. You’ll convert a large pinch pot into a mythical figure. 
A mixture of pinch pots, slabs and modelling. White earthenware clay decorated with underglazes and crackle glaze

These are the three basic elements in our February Coil Pot project. The three need to work together to make a happy pot. Use these examples for inspiration.

FORM

A more upright form will show off your texture. Vases, urns and bottles are great but a straight-sided bowl can work too. The great thing about coiling is that things don’t have to be round. Maximum height is 20cm (but it can also be shorter).

Texture – Slip Trailing

This is a bit like using an icing bag to decorate a cake except you’ll use slip instead of icing.

Texture – Subtraction or Modelling

Other ways to add texture is by removing (or adding) clay with a tool or modelling with your fingers as you’re coiling.

Glaze

We’ll use my Stoneware glazes (the glaze used on my mugs) which break beautifully over texture. Layering the colours can give some groovy results and applying them over black slip gives a whole other dimension of groove. These examples show how glaze enhances the texture (although I may not have all of the same colours)

Gluggle Jugs, Moths and People Planters. Take a course to get through the last weeks of winter and get ready for Spring. Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Wednesday afternoons. All are welcome, from beginners to more experienced potters.

The Sgraffito line can make detailed drawings, striking silhouettes. or freehand scribbles.

The January course is decorating terracotta mugs, dipped in white slip. It can be left duo colour, (white and the reddish-brown of terracotta). Or, coloured underglaze can be applied with either a brush or a sponge.

Imagine a design or look online or in books for ideas. One thing to keep in mind….the surface is quite soft, and it’s not really possible to sketch out the design before-hand. So some degree of spontaneity is required.

Homework

I decorated my mug. Here’s a step by step guide for one way to do it.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

love and pottery,

Julie

The January course is making a low relief plaque inspired by the Swedish artist, Lisa Larson. It can be a house number or a wall decoration for inside or out.

How it’s done

• The relief is built up with layers of stacked shapes cut from a clay slab.
• The shapes are enhanced with interesting textures created with stamps, springs, incising, and slip trailing.
• After the first firing, oxides are rubbed into the texture and some elements are glazed.

Inspiration

I put symbols about our household into my design. Tulips (my husband is Dutch) Growing out of a pot (that’s me) and we have a lovely pigeon couple living behind our house (named Mr and Mrs. Stubbs).

You can find ideas on the internet and on my Pinterest Page. When you’re learning, it’s okay to copy. Your version will always be your own.

Draw your design onto lightweight paper

The tile is 17x17cm and this is the size for your full-size drawing.(tracing, baking and printer paper are all okay.) If you’re using an irregular shape, keep it roughly this size. (It can be more narrow but only 3 cm taller).

• Keep your shapes simple and not too small. You’ll be cutting them out of a slab of clay (like we did with the hen).
• You’ve seen some of my stamp collection, but don’t need to know exactly which stamps or texture you’ll use. You’ll have time to play around and design as you make.

Have fun with it!

Don’t miss seeing the Gnomes made in the December short course!

Gnomes and Mugs for £75
Take a short course in the run up to Christmas. You can make a gift for somebody or give one to yourself.

Christmas Gnomes
£75

Tuesday Evenings, 6:30 – 9:30
25 November
2 December

This gnome is approximately 20cm tall and made with pinch pots, slabs, coils, and a garlic press (!). You can personalise him (or her) however you like. Make your gnome Christmassy or of the more traditional shovel-carrying sort. 

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Favourite Mugs 
£75

Thursday Evenings 
20 November 6:30 – 9:30 and 4 December 6:30- 7:30

27 November 6:30 – 9:30 and 4 December 6:30- 7:30

We’ll be making my ever-popular mugs. Made over two session, they are slab-built and decorated with stamps and glazes. It is a challenging project and great way to get to know clay. Plus, you’ll have a new favourite mug.

This is a very old decorating technique that the Scots did particularly well. There are potteries still using traditional motifs but it can also be used to create more modern or abstract patterns.

Find a design you like

Have a look on Google for some inspiration. Nicky Mosse and Emma Bridgewater both use more traditional designs. Ben Thomas designs are more contemporary and he layered stamps in an original way. If you’re short of time or intimidated by making a drawing, you might look to clipart on the web.

Generally pieces are decorated with more than one stamp. You can submit up to three images for three different stamps.

How to design your sponge

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A note of Caution about fine lines