Multi-day creative courses in Basel & Zurich

A lump of clay. Two hands. Surprisingly many possibilities.

Handbuilding is where some of ceramics’ oldest techniques meet almost unlimited creative freedom. Using pinching, slabs and coils, you can turn clay into everything from cups and plates to vases and sculptural forms.

Throughout the course, you’ll explore the three fundamental handbuilding techniques: pinching, slab building and coiling. Each opens up a different way of working with clay and gives you new possibilities for creating both functional and decorative pieces.

Through a series of guided projects, you’ll gradually build your ceramic toolbox: learning how to construct, join and shape clay, play with textures and surface decoration, and finally glaze your creations.

It’s tactile, playful and wonderfully versatile – with plenty of room to experiment and develop pieces that feel completely your own.

✏️ What to Expect
You’ll explore the fundamental handbuilding techniques through a series of projects:

Pinching – shape your first cup or mug using one of the most intuitive ways of working with clay.

Slab Building – learn to work with rolled clay slabs and transform them into plates and other constructed forms.

Coiling – build upwards with coils of clay to create a vase or taller vessel.

Glazing & Finishing – explore colour and surface to give your handmade pieces their final character.

Throughout the course, you’ll receive demonstrations, individual guidance and plenty of freedom to interpret each project in your own way.

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• The fundamentals of pinch pottery
• How to construct forms using clay slabs
• How to build larger and taller pieces using coils
• How to join clay securely and create stable forms
• How to control shape, thickness and structure
• Surface decoration using textures, patterns and carving
• The basics of glazing and finishing
• How to combine these techniques when developing your own projects

🤔 Is This the Right Course for Me?
This course is a great fit if you enjoy making things with your hands, experimenting with form and texture, and having creative freedom within a guided learning process.

You’ll probably appreciate it most if you’re curious about how objects are constructed and enjoy the process of slowly building something from scratch. Handbuilding allows for precision, but it also celebrates irregularity, character and personal expression – your pieces don’t all need to look identical or perfectly symmetrical.

If you’re mainly interested in learning the technical skill of throwing symmetrical vessels on the pottery wheel, our Wheel Throwing Beginner Course is probably the better choice.

But if you want to build a broad foundation in ceramics, discover several versatile techniques and eventually combine them freely in your own projects, this is a fantastic place to start.

The Human Figure — One of Art’s Greatest Challenges.

The human body has fascinated artists for centuries. Full of movement, rhythm and expression, figure drawing teaches you not only how to draw people—it teaches you how to truly observe.

In this four-week course, you’ll discover the foundations of figure drawing while developing the confidence to capture posture, movement and anatomy with increasing accuracy. Together we’ll explore proportions, gesture, balance, light and structure, learning how simple shapes gradually evolve into convincing human figures.

Throughout the course, you’ll experiment with graphite, charcoal and other traditional drawing materials while practising gesture drawing, anatomical studies and longer observational drawings. Every class combines demonstrations, practical exercises and plenty of individual drawing time with personal guidance from your instructor.

The course culminates in a live model session, giving you the opportunity to apply everything you’ve learned while experiencing one of the most traditional and rewarding disciplines in classical art.

✏️ What to Expect

• A structured four-week introduction to figure drawing
• Weekly guidance from a professional instructor
• Live demonstrations and practical drawing exercises
• Gesture drawing, anatomy studies and proportion exercises
• Plenty of individual drawing time with personal feedback
• A professional live model during the final session

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• Understanding body proportions and basic anatomy
• Capturing movement through gesture drawing
• Building convincing figures from simple forms
• Using light, shadow and line to create volume
• Creating dynamic compositions with the human figure
• Developing confidence when drawing from observation

🤔 Is This Course Right for Me?

Whether you’re interested in classical drawing, illustration, character design or simply want to improve your observational skills, figure drawing is one of the strongest foundations an artist can build.

Basic drawing experience is recommended, but not required. If you’ve already completed our Introduction to Drawing Course, you’ll find it even easier to focus on anatomy, movement and proportion while further developing your observational skills.

Pure pigment. Endless colour. Creativity at your fingertips.

Soft pastels are one of the most vibrant and expressive drawing mediums an artist can work with. Rich colours, incredibly smooth blending and the freedom to work directly with your hands make them both wonderfully intuitive and surprisingly versatile.

In this four-week course, you’ll discover everything you need to confidently begin your journey into soft pastel art. Whether you’re completely new to the medium or looking to strengthen your artistic foundation, we’ll guide you step by step through the essential techniques that make soft pastels so unique.

Throughout the course, you’ll learn how to blend colours seamlessly, build depth through layering, create light and atmosphere, and explore the fascinating balance between precise mark-making and expressive gestures. You’ll experiment with different papers, blending techniques and artistic approaches while gradually developing your own style.

Every class combines demonstrations, practical exercises and plenty of individual creative time, allowing you to immediately apply what you’ve learned while receiving personal guidance from your instructor.

Soft pastels invite experimentation. Some artists create delicate, realistic landscapes, while others produce bold, expressive works full of colour and movement. This course gives you the technical foundation to confidently explore whichever direction inspires you most.

✏️ What to Expect

• A structured four-week introduction to soft pastels
• Weekly guidance from a professional artist
• Live demonstrations and practical exercises
• Plenty of individual creative time with personal feedback
• A relaxed and encouraging atmosphere to experiment and grow
• Step-by-step exploration of colour, blending and layering techniques

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• Understanding the unique properties of soft pastels
• Colour blending and layering techniques
• Creating light, depth and atmosphere
• Working with different papers and textures
• Expressive mark-making and composition
• Building confidence with one of the world’s most colourful artistic mediums

🤔 Is This Course Right for Me?

Absolutely.

Whether you’re discovering soft pastels for the first time or looking for a structured introduction to this beautiful medium, this course is the perfect place to begin.
No previous experience is required. All you need is curiosity, creativity and a willingness to experiment with colour.

Light. Flowing. Wonderfully unpredictable.

Watercolour has a magic unlike any other painting medium. Transparent colours, delicate layers and the gentle movement of water create paintings full of light, atmosphere and spontaneity. Rather than fighting the medium, you’ll learn how to work with it—and discover that some of the most beautiful effects happen when you allow the water to do part of the painting for you.

In this four-week course, you’ll build a solid foundation in watercolour painting while learning to balance control with creative freedom. Whether you’re completely new to the medium or looking to deepen your painting skills, we’ll guide you through the essential techniques step by step.

Throughout the course, you’ll explore washes, layering, glazing, blending and lifting techniques while learning how pigment, water and paper interact. With every exercise, you’ll gain more confidence in controlling the flow of colour while embracing the happy accidents that make watercolour so unique.

Every class combines demonstrations, practical exercises and plenty of individual painting time, allowing you to immediately apply what you’ve learned while receiving personal guidance from your instructor.

Watercolour rewards patience, observation and experimentation. Some artists create delicate botanical studies, others loose landscapes or expressive abstract compositions. This course gives you the technical foundation to confidently explore whichever direction inspires you most.

✏️ What to Expect

• A structured four-week introduction to watercolour painting
• Weekly guidance from a professional artist
• Live demonstrations introducing each new technique
• Plenty of individual painting time with personal feedback
• A relaxed and encouraging atmosphere to experiment and grow
• Step-by-step exploration of water, pigment and transparent colour

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• Wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques
• Building depth through transparent layers and glazing
• Controlling water and pigment flow
• Lifting, blending and correcting techniques
• Creating light, atmosphere and texture
• Developing confidence with one of the world’s most expressive painting mediums

🤔 Is This Course Right for Me?

Absolutely.
Whether you’re discovering watercolour for the first time or looking to build on your painting experience, this course offers the perfect introduction to one of the most elegant and rewarding painting techniques.

No previous watercolour experience is required. All you need is curiosity, patience and a willingness to let the paint surprise you.

The world is your sketchbook.

Urban Sketching is more than drawing buildings or city streets—it’s about slowing down, observing the world around you and capturing moments that photographs often miss. A lively café, the rhythm of a busy square, the light on an old façade or the atmosphere of your favourite neighbourhood – all become part of your own visual diary.

In this four-week course, you’ll discover the foundations of Urban Sketching while developing the confidence to sketch wherever inspiration strikes. Together we’ll explore perspective, composition, linework and colour in a practical and approachable way, learning how to simplify complex scenes without losing their unique character.

Throughout the course, you’ll experiment with pencils, fineliners, watercolours and other sketching materials while discovering different approaches to capturing architecture, people and everyday life. The first sessions takes place in our studio, while the other three classes bring us into the city, where you’ll learn how to observe, sketch and tell visual stories directly on location.

Urban Sketching isn’t about creating perfect drawings. It’s about learning to see, capturing the atmosphere of a place and building the confidence to open your sketchbook wherever you go.

✏️ What to Expect

• A structured four-week introduction to Urban Sketching
• Weekly guidance from a professional artist
• Live demonstrations introducing practical sketching techniques
• Your first session in the studio, followed by three sessions sketching in the city
• Plenty of individual sketching time with personal feedback
• A relaxed and encouraging environment to experiment and find your own style
• Hands-on exploration of different sketching materials, from fineliners and pencils to watercolour

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• Understanding perspective and creating a sense of depth
• Building strong compositions from real-life scenes
• Using linework to capture architecture, people and everyday life
• Simplifying complex scenes without losing their character
• Adding colour, light and atmosphere with watercolour
• Observing and capturing a scene quickly and confidently
• Developing your own visual language and telling stories through your sketches

🤔 Is This Course Right for Me?

Absolutely.

Whether you’ve never picked up a sketchbook before or already enjoy drawing and want to take it outside the studio, this course will help you become more confident sketching from real life.

No previous Urban Sketching experience is required. All you need is curiosity, a willingness to observe, and the courage to put pencil to paper—even when the world around you doesn’t stand still.

Your painting journey starts here.

This six-week foundation course is designed to give you something far more valuable than simply learning how to use acrylic paint. It teaches you the universal principles of painting—the skills and artistic thinking that form the foundation of almost every painting technique, style and medium you’ll encounter in the future.

Using acrylics as our starting point, you’ll discover how paintings are built from the ground up. Together we’ll explore colour theory, composition, brushwork, values, light and shadow, perspective, texture and layering while gradually developing the confidence to approach any blank canvas with purpose.

Throughout the course, every new concept is introduced through demonstrations, practical exercises and individual projects. Rather than simply copying paintings, you’ll learn why artistic decisions work and how to apply those principles to your own creative ideas.

Because acrylics dry quickly, are incredibly versatile and wonderfully forgiving, they’re the perfect medium for learning the fundamentals of painting. Once you understand these principles, you’ll find it much easier to explore oils, watercolours, gouache or almost any other painting medium in the future.

Whether you’re holding a brush for the very first time or looking to replace guesswork with genuine understanding, this course gives you the knowledge, confidence and creative foundation to continue growing as an artist long after the six weeks are over.

✏️ What to Expect

• A comprehensive six-week introduction to painting
• Weekly guidance from a professional artist
• Live demonstrations introducing essential techniques and artistic principles
• Practical exercises and plenty of personal painting time with individual feedback
• A relaxed and encouraging studio environment 

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• The fundamental principles of painting
• Colour theory, colour mixing and color palettes
• Brush techniques, layering and texture
• Light, shadow, values and depth
• Composition and visual balance
• How to confidently start, develop and finish a painting
• Artistic thinking that applies to almost every painting medium

🤔 Is This Course Right for Me?

Absolutely.
Whether you’ve never picked up a paintbrush before or you’re looking for a structured foundation before exploring different artistic styles, this course is the ideal place to begin.

Rather than focusing only on acrylic painting, you’ll develop skills and knowledge that will support your artistic journey across virtually every painting medium you’ll encounter in the future.

Every great artist starts by learning to see.

Drawing is much more than putting pencil to paper. It’s the foundation of almost every visual art form—the skill that teaches you to observe, understand and interpret the world around you.

In this six-week foundation course, you’ll develop the most important artistic ability of all: seeing like an artist. Together we’ll explore observation, proportion, perspective, light, shadow, composition and form while learning how to transform the three-dimensional world around us into convincing drawings.

Every week introduces new concepts through demonstrations, structured exercises and practical projects that gradually build your confidence. Rather than simply learning how to copy what you see, you’ll discover why objects look the way they do—and how artists simplify, analyse and reconstruct them on paper.

Drawing is often described as the language of visual art. Whether you dream of becoming a painter, illustrator, designer, sculptor or simply want to draw with confidence, the skills you develop here will support everything you create afterwards.

If you’ve ever thought “I can’t draw,” this course is here to change your mind. With the right guidance and plenty of practice, you’ll soon discover that drawing isn’t a talent reserved for a few—it’s a skill that anyone can learn.

✏️ What to Expect

• A comprehensive six-week introduction to drawing
• Weekly guidance from a professional artist
• Live demonstrations introducing essential drawing techniques
• Structured exercises that gradually build your observation and drawing skills
• Plenty of individual drawing time with personal feedback
• A relaxed and encouraging studio environment where curiosity and experimentation are always welcome

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• How to observe like an artist
• Shape, proportion and perspective
• Light, shadow and creating three-dimensional form
• Line quality, values and texture
• Composition and visual storytelling
• The universal drawing principles that support every artistic medium

🤔 Is This Course Right for Me?

Absolutely.
Whether you’ve never held a pencil with artistic intention before or you’d like to build a stronger creative foundation before exploring painting, illustration or other artistic disciplines, this course is the ideal place to begin.

The skills you’ll develop here won’t just improve your drawings—they’ll change the way you observe the world and support every creative step that follows.

Light. Flowing. Wonderfully unpredictable.

Watercolour has a magic unlike any other painting medium. Transparent colours, delicate layers and the gentle movement of water create paintings full of light, atmosphere and spontaneity. Rather than fighting the medium, you’ll learn how to work with it—and discover that some of the most beautiful effects happen when you allow the water to do part of the painting for you.

In this four-week course, you’ll build a solid foundation in watercolour painting while learning to balance control with creative freedom. Whether you’re completely new to the medium or looking to deepen your painting skills, we’ll guide you through the essential techniques step by step.

Throughout the course, you’ll explore washes, layering, glazing, blending and lifting techniques while learning how pigment, water and paper interact. With every exercise, you’ll gain more confidence in controlling the flow of colour while embracing the happy accidents that make watercolour so unique.

Every class combines demonstrations, practical exercises and plenty of individual painting time, allowing you to immediately apply what you’ve learned while receiving personal guidance from your instructor.

Watercolour rewards patience, observation and experimentation. Some artists create delicate botanical studies, others loose landscapes or expressive abstract compositions. This course gives you the technical foundation to confidently explore whichever direction inspires you most.

✏️ What to Expect

• A structured four-week introduction to watercolour painting
• Weekly guidance from a professional artist
• Live demonstrations introducing each new technique
• Plenty of individual painting time with personal feedback
• A relaxed and encouraging atmosphere to experiment and grow
• Step-by-step exploration of water, pigment and transparent colour

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• Wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques
• Building depth through transparent layers and glazing
• Controlling water and pigment flow
• Lifting, blending and correcting techniques
• Creating light, atmosphere and texture
• Developing confidence with one of the world’s most expressive painting mediums

🤔 Is This Course Right for Me?
Absolutely.
Whether you’re discovering watercolour for the first time or looking to build on your painting experience, this course offers the perfect introduction to one of the most elegant and rewarding painting techniques.
No previous watercolour experience is required. All you need is curiosity, patience and a willingness to let the paint surprise you.

Looking for a holiday camp where children don’t just stay busy, but genuinely create, explore and grow?

Our Kids’ Holiday Art Camp is designed for curious children aged 6–12 who love making things with their hands, trying new ideas and spending their holidays creatively.

Throughout the week, we’ll paint, work with clay, experiment with arts and crafts, play games, visit museums and parks, enjoy outdoor adventures, and start each morning with yoga, dance and movement to get our bodies and imaginations ready for the day. Every day combines creativity, movement and play, helping children discover new skills, build confidence and make new friends.

Your camp fee includes all art materials, all planned activities and entrance fees, as well as Znüni, lunch and Zvieri every day. The only additional cost not included is public transport for excursions, such as tram tickets.

A Typical Day

08:45–09:00 · Drop-off

09:00–10:15 · Yoga, dance & movement games

10:15–10:30 · Znüni

10:30–12:00 · Morning creative project

12:00–12:45 · Lunch

12:45–15:15 · Excursions, games & outdoor adventures*

15:30–17:00 · Afternoon creative project

17:00–17:15 · Pick-up

*Outdoor activities and excursions may be adjusted depending on the weather—but creativity never takes a day off.

Before You Book

Our Kids’ Holiday Art Camp is designed for children aged 6–12 who enjoy being creative, trying new things and spending time with other children in a positive, respectful and supportive environment.

To help us create the best possible experience for everyone, we’d like to ask parents to keep a few important things in mind before booking:

• Our programme is carefully designed for children aged 6–12. The projects, activities and pace of the camp are tailored specifically to this age group. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate younger siblings, even if an older brother or sister is attending.
• Our camp follows a structured daily programme. While there is plenty of room for creativity, games and fun, children should be comfortable participating in group activities, following instructions and respecting both other campers and our team.
• Please make sure your child arrives having eaten breakfast. We provide Znüni, lunch and Zvieri every day, but the morning snack is intended as a snack rather than breakfast.
• Drop-off is possible from 08:45 onwards only. Our team uses the time beforehand to prepare the studios and activities for the day.
• Children must be collected no later than 17:15. After this time, an additional supervision fee may apply.
• We’re unfortunately unable to provide one-to-one support or specialised care. If you’re unsure whether the camp is the right fit for your child, we’d be happy to discuss it with you before booking.

We’re looking forward to welcoming your child for a week full of creativity, laughter, new friendships and unforgettable memories!

Everything Parents Need to Know

👧 What age is the camp suitable for?

Our Holiday Art Camp is designed specifically for children aged 6–12 years.

We really mean this age range. The projects, teaching style, activities and overall pace of the camp have been carefully designed for children of this age.

Most of our campers are between 8 and 9 years old.

Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate younger siblings, even if an older brother or sister is attending.

📅 Can I book individual days?

Yes—but only if places remain available.

Our Holiday Art Camp is designed as a full-week experience, allowing children to build friendships, complete longer creative projects and become part of the group.

If places are still available two weeks before the camp starts, we may release Day Passes.

Week Passes always receive priority.

🎨 What will the children be doing?

Every day is different!
Children will enjoy painting, ceramics, arts and crafts, yoga, movement games, museum visits, parks, outdoor adventures and plenty of creative activities throughout the week.

The programme balances creativity, movement, exploration and play, making every day exciting and varied.

🍎 What food is included?

Every day includes:

🥤 Znüni (morning snack)
🍽️ Lunch (Crowd-pleasers)
🍎 Zvieri (afternoon snack)

Please make sure your child has already eaten a proper breakfast before arriving.

Our Znüni is intended as a light morning snack and may not be enough to keep hungry children going until lunchtime.

🎒 What should my child bring?

Please send your child with:
👕 Comfortable clothes suitable for creative activities
🧥 Clothing appropriate for the weather
💧 A reusable water bottle
🎫 A valid public transport ticket for excursions

We’ll take care of everything else.

🚋 Are transport costs included?

All planned activities, entrance fees and art materials are included in the camp fee.

The only additional cost not included is public transport, such as tram tickets needed for excursions.

⏰ Can I drop my child off earlier?

Unfortunately not.

Drop-off begins at 08:45.
Our team uses the time beforehand to prepare the studios, materials and activities, so we may not be able to supervise children arriving earlier.

⏰ Can I pick my child up later?

Please collect your child between 17:00 and 17:15.

As our team finishes the day together after camp, additional supervision fees may apply for late pick-ups.

📍 Where does the camp take place?

Our Holiday Art Camp takes place across two nearby studios.

📍 Morning drop-off: Bederstrasse 94
📍 Afternoon pick-up: Schulhausstrasse 52, or Bederstrasse 77

The three studios are only around a 3-minute walk apart.

👥 How many children are there?

Each camp welcomes 8–16 children and is supervised by minimum two instructors.

Keeping our groups small allows us to create a safe, personal and inspiring environment while giving every child plenty of attention.

🗣️ What language is spoken?

The official camp language is English.

Most of our instructors also speak German, so children can always ask questions or receive help in either language.

🌦️ What happens if the weather is bad?

No problem!

If the weather isn’t suitable for outdoor activities or excursions, we’ll simply replace them with additional indoor creative projects, games and activities.

❤️ My child has additional support needs. Can they attend?

We want every child to have a wonderful and safe experience at camp.

However, our current team structure does not allow us to provide dedicated one-to-one support or specialised care. Our instructors unfortunately don’t have the training, resources or capacity required to support children who need individual assistance throughout the day.

If you’re unsure whether the camp is suitable for your child, we’d be happy to discuss it with you before booking.

😊 What behaviour do you expect?

Our Holiday Art Camp is built around kindness, creativity and respect.

Children should feel comfortable participating in group activities, following instructions and treating both fellow campers and our team respectfully.

If a child’s behaviour repeatedly disrupts the group or prevents activities from running safely, we may need to contact parents for an early pick-up.

Unfortunately, refunds cannot be provided in these situations.

📅 Can I cancel my booking?

Bookings may be transferred to another child at any time.

Cancellations and changes are possible up to two weeks before the camp begins.

Unfortunately, cancellations or changes are no longer possible after this point, as staffing, materials and activities have already been planned.

From your first lump of clay to pieces you’ve thrown yourself.

There’s something almost hypnotic about watching a piece of clay take shape on the wheel – but getting there is a skill. And this course is where you learn it properly.

Starting from the very beginning, you’ll get comfortable at the pottery wheel and gradually build the techniques needed to create your own vessels. You’ll learn how to prepare and centre your clay, open it, pull up the walls and start controlling shape and proportion.

As the course progresses, you’ll move from simply keeping the clay under control to intentionally creating cups, bowls, small vessels and other forms – then refining, trimming and decorating the pieces you want to keep.

It takes patience. Things will wobble. Some pieces might collapse. And then suddenly your hands start understanding what to do – and that’s where the magic happens.

✏️ What to Expect

• Guided demonstrations followed by plenty of hands-on practice
• Your own workspace at the pottery wheel
• A gradual progression from basic exercises to creating your own vessels
• Individual feedback and guidance throughout the course
• Time to repeat techniques, experiment and build confidence
• Trimming, refining and decorating your selected pieces
• An introduction to glazing and finishing your work

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• How to prepare clay for throwing
• How to centre clay confidently on the wheel
• Opening the clay and establishing an even base
• Pulling and controlling walls
• Creating and refining different vessel shapes
• Trimming and finishing your pieces
• Basic surface decoration and glazing techniques
• The foundations you need to continue practising wheel throwing independently

🤔 Is This the Right Course for Me?
This course is for you if you want to actually learn how to throw on the pottery wheel, rather than simply try it once.

You’ll probably enjoy it most if you like learning with your hands, don’t mind repeating a technique several times and find satisfaction in gradually getting better at something. Wheel throwing takes patience – your first bowl might be wonky, your second might collapse, and that’s very much part of learning.

If you’re mainly looking for a relaxed one-time experience and want to try the wheel without committing to learning the technique, our Wheel Throwing Taster Workshop might be a better fit.

But if you want to build solid foundations, understand what your hands are actually doing and gain the confidence to continue practising afterwards, this is your course.

From your first lump of clay to pieces you’ve thrown yourself.

There’s something almost hypnotic about watching a piece of clay take shape on the wheel – but getting there is a skill. And this course is where you learn it properly.

Starting from the very beginning, you’ll get comfortable at the pottery wheel and gradually build the techniques needed to create your own vessels. You’ll learn how to prepare and centre your clay, open it, pull up the walls and start controlling shape and proportion.

As the course progresses, you’ll move from simply keeping the clay under control to intentionally creating cups, bowls, small vessels and other forms – then refining, trimming and decorating the pieces you want to keep.

It takes patience. Things will wobble. Some pieces might collapse. And then suddenly your hands start understanding what to do – and that’s where the magic happens.

✏️ What to Expect

• Guided demonstrations followed by plenty of hands-on practice
• Your own workspace at the pottery wheel
• A gradual progression from basic exercises to creating your own vessels
• Individual feedback and guidance throughout the course
• Time to repeat techniques, experiment and build confidence
• Trimming, refining and decorating your selected pieces
• An introduction to glazing and finishing your work

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• How to prepare clay for throwing
• How to centre clay confidently on the wheel
• Opening the clay and establishing an even base
• Pulling and controlling walls
• Creating and refining different vessel shapes
• Trimming and finishing your pieces
• Basic surface decoration and glazing techniques
• The foundations you need to continue practising wheel throwing independently

🤔 Is This the Right Course for Me?
This course is for you if you want to actually learn how to throw on the pottery wheel, rather than simply try it once.

You’ll probably enjoy it most if you like learning with your hands, don’t mind repeating a technique several times and find satisfaction in gradually getting better at something. Wheel throwing takes patience – your first bowl might be wonky, your second might collapse, and that’s very much part of learning.

If you’re mainly looking for a relaxed one-time experience and want to try the wheel without committing to learning the technique, our Wheel Throwing Taster Workshop might be a better fit.

But if you want to build solid foundations, understand what your hands are actually doing and gain the confidence to continue practising afterwards, this is your course.

A lump of clay. Two hands. Surprisingly many possibilities.

Handbuilding is where some of ceramics’ oldest techniques meet almost unlimited creative freedom. Using pinching, slabs and coils, you can turn clay into everything from cups and plates to vases and sculptural forms.

Throughout the course, you’ll explore the three fundamental handbuilding techniques: pinching, slab building and coiling. Each opens up a different way of working with clay and gives you new possibilities for creating both functional and decorative pieces.

Through a series of guided projects, you’ll gradually build your ceramic toolbox: learning how to construct, join and shape clay, play with textures and surface decoration, and finally glaze your creations.

It’s tactile, playful and wonderfully versatile – with plenty of room to experiment and develop pieces that feel completely your own.

✏️ What to Expect
You’ll explore the fundamental handbuilding techniques through a series of projects:

Pinching – shape your first cup or mug using one of the most intuitive ways of working with clay.

Slab Building – learn to work with rolled clay slabs and transform them into plates and other constructed forms.

Coiling – build upwards with coils of clay to create a vase or taller vessel.

Glazing & Finishing – explore colour and surface to give your handmade pieces their final character.

Throughout the course, you’ll receive demonstrations, individual guidance and plenty of freedom to interpret each project in your own way.

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• The fundamentals of pinch pottery
• How to construct forms using clay slabs
• How to build larger and taller pieces using coils
• How to join clay securely and create stable forms
• How to control shape, thickness and structure
• Surface decoration using textures, patterns and carving
• The basics of glazing and finishing
• How to combine these techniques when developing your own projects

🤔 Is This the Right Course for Me?
This course is a great fit if you enjoy making things with your hands, experimenting with form and texture, and having creative freedom within a guided learning process.

You’ll probably appreciate it most if you’re curious about how objects are constructed and enjoy the process of slowly building something from scratch. Handbuilding allows for precision, but it also celebrates irregularity, character and personal expression – your pieces don’t all need to look identical or perfectly symmetrical.

If you’re mainly interested in learning the technical skill of throwing symmetrical vessels on the pottery wheel, our Wheel Throwing Beginner Course is probably the better choice.

But if you want to build a broad foundation in ceramics, discover several versatile techniques and eventually combine them freely in your own projects, this is a fantastic place to start.