Functional Handbuilding (Intro)

Service Description

Wednesday evenings (6:30pm-9pm) A 6-week hand building class that dives into the 3 core primary hand building techniques (pinching, coiling and slab construction). Class includes all fees including: clay, firing and glazing Week 1: Pinch Pots Overview: Students will create cups, bowls and hollowed forms using basic pinching techniques. Pinch pots may seem rudimentary, but they can serve as essential building blocks for larger pieces! Potential projects could include goblets, essential oil diffusers, and small colanders. Week 2: Coiling Construction Overview: Demonstration covering how to roll coils and incorporate the pinching techniques learned in the previous week. Techniques will be introduced on how to dilate and constrict vessels by deliberately placing coils on the inner and outer rims of a pot to encourage both flaring and narrowing. Students will also learn how to use paddles and darting to make larger, more dynamic pots. Week 3: Soft Slab Building Overview: Demonstration on using the slab roller and multiple slab construction techniques such as paper templates, slump molds and hump molds. Slabs are wonderful for crafting lightweight hand-built pieces! Week 4: Kurinuki Overview: An age-old Japanese practice, kurinuki teaches students how to visualize negative space by carving away from a solid block of clay. As opposed to hand building via the addition of coils or slabs, kurinuki focuses purely on the removal of clay from a preexisting form. A demonstration on making small boxes will be shown. Week 5: Surface Design Techniques Overview: Students will explore various surface design techniques utilizing both slips and underglazes. Demonstration on carving into pieces to create texture. Intro glazing techniques: demo wax resist, dipping, pouring, brushing, and combos Week 6: Glaze Party Overview: Glaze and finishing demonstrations as needed