8-Week Beginner Pottery Wheel Course

An In-Depth Introduction to Wheel Throwing & Pottery

Eight weeks of pottery for less than $45 per week!

Ready to really get to know clay and the pottery wheel?

Our 8-Week Beginner Pottery Wheel Course is a comprehensive introduction to pottery, designed for complete beginners as well as those with a little experience who want to strengthen their foundations and build confidence at the wheel.

While wheel throwing is the main focus, you’ll also be introduced to basic hand-building techniques, surface decoration and glazing, giving you a broader understanding of the pottery-making process from raw clay through to a finished piece.

Throughout the eight weeks, you’ll work through a combination of tutor-led projects, demonstrations, guided practice and opportunities to develop your own ideas.

Most importantly, you’ll have time to practise.

Wheel throwing is learned through repetition. Centring, opening, pulling and shaping clay can feel unfamiliar at first, but the more time you spend at the wheel, the more those movements begin to become muscle memory.

This course isn’t simply about making a few pots. It’s about beginning to understand how clay behaves, how your hands influence form, and how repetition develops control and confidence.

You don’t need to be artistic, naturally creative or “good with your hands”. Pottery is a skill that develops through practice, patience and time with clay.

Expect muddy hands, plenty of wonky pots and those incredibly satisfying moments when everything suddenly starts to click.

What You’ll Learn

Throughout the eight weeks, we’ll explore:

• Preparing and wedging clay

• Centring clay on the pottery wheel

• Opening and compressing

• Pulling and controlling walls

• Throwing cylinders

• Throwing bowls and curved forms

• Controlling height, thickness and shape

• Trimming and creating foot rings

• Making and attaching handles

• Creating functional pottery

• Basic hand-building techniques

• Identifying and correcting common throwing problems

• Surface decoration techniques

• Preparing pottery for glazing

• Glazing and finishing methods

• Developing consistency and confidence

• Beginning to work more independently with clay

You’ll work through a selection of planned projects designed to introduce and reinforce these skills, while also having opportunities to experiment with your own forms and ideas as your confidence develops.

Who Is This Course For?

This course is perfect for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in learning wheel throwing and gain a broader introduction to pottery, rather than simply trying the wheel for a session or two.

It’s a great fit if you:

• Are completely new to pottery and want a thorough introduction

• Have tried a pottery workshop or shorter course and want to develop your skills further

• Want regular time on the wheel to develop muscle memory

• Would like to understand the techniques behind successful throwing

• Want to learn how pieces progress from wet clay through trimming, decorating, glazing and firing

• Want to become more confident working independently

• Enjoy learning through a combination of guided projects and your own creative ideas

• Love the idea of making pottery part of your regular creative routine

No previous pottery experience is required. Complete beginners are very welcome. If you have worked with clay or tried the pottery wheel before, you’ll also have plenty of opportunity to build on what you already know.

What’s Included

Your course includes:

• Eight weekly guided pottery sessions

• Pottery wheel tuition and demonstrations

• Introduction to basic hand-building techniques

• Tutor-led projects and opportunities to develop your own work

• Use of studio pottery wheels

• Use of studio tools during class

• Surface decoration instruction

• Glazing instruction

• Standard bisque and clear glaze firing for up to 5 selected pieces

• Access to additional practice and catch-up sessions by prior arrangement and subject to availability

• A supportive studio environment where you can learn at your own pace

Throughout the course, you’ll be encouraged to practise and make plenty of pieces. From the work you create, you can select up to 5 of your favourite pieces to take through the standard bisque and clear glaze firing process as part of your course fee.

Additional pieces can be fired for an additional charge.

Attendance, Practice & Catch-Up Time

Regular attendance is encouraged because the course is designed to build your skills progressively, with each week introducing or developing techniques from previous sessions.

But we also understand that life happens!

If you need to miss a class, catch-up/practice time is included as part of your course at no additional cost, subject to studio space, wheel availability and tutor scheduling.

Our usual catch-up/practice times are:

Wednesday: 10am–12pm
Thursday: 10am–12pm
Saturday: 10am–12pm and 1pm–3pm

These times indicate when catch-up opportunities are generally offered; they do not guarantee that a wheel or tutor space will be available on every date.

All catch-up sessions must be arranged with Pottery Embassy in advance. If you know you’ll miss a class, please let us know as early as possible. The more notice we have, the better chance we have of finding a suitable opportunity for you.

Catch-up/practice sessions can be used to:

• Practise techniques you’ve learned in class

• Work on something you’re finding challenging

• Catch up following a missed session

• Spend additional time developing your throwing skills and muscle memory

Please remember that catch-up time is an additional flexibility offered with your course and is subject to availability. It is not a guaranteed replacement class for every absence.

Your enrolment reserves your place for the full eight-week course, so missed classes are non-refundable and the course fee is not reduced because you are unable to attend a scheduled session.

Late arrivals are always welcome to join the remainder of the class, although we’re unable to extend the session to replace missed time.

If Pottery Embassy needs to cancel or reschedule one of your scheduled classes, we will arrange an alternative for you.

What to Bring

Please wear comfortable clothes you don’t mind getting clay on, closed-toe shoes, and tie back long hair. Loose jewellery should be removed before using the pottery wheel.

Pottery Embassy is not responsible for damage to clothing or personal belongings.

5L Bucket with a Secure Lid

Your bucket is used to collect clay water, slip and clay waste during class. Clay must never be poured down studio sinks, as it can settle and block plumbing.

You’ll take your bucket home after each session. Once the clay has settled, the clear water can be carefully disposed of over a suitable area of soil on your property, away from drains and waterways. The settled clay can be saved and reclaimed for future use, and your tutor can show you how this process works.

40L Storage Bin with a Secure Lid

Your storage container creates a controlled environment that allows your pottery to dry slowly and evenly until it reaches the leather-hard stage, when it can be trimmed, carved, refined or have handles attached.

Please purchase the recommended container shown in the attached photo from Bunnings. Using the same containers allows us to stack them efficiently and maximise our limited studio storage space.

Apron, Old Towel & Cleaning Cloth

Pottery gets messy! These will be useful throughout your course and during end-of-class cleaning.

Clay, Glazes & Firing

Clay is purchased separately and is not included in your course fee. Clay is $55 per 10kgs bag this includes shipping fee to Blenheim and cost is subject to supplier availability.

Only Pottery Embassy-approved clay and glazes may be used in the studio. This ensures all materials are compatible with our kilns, firing temperatures and other students’ work.

Your course includes standard bisque and clear glaze firing for up to 5 selected pieces.

Coloured and specialty glazes, including certain layered glaze combinations,will incur an additional charge depending on the materials used.

If you create more than five pieces you’d like to keep, additional firing and glazing is available for an extra fee.

Studio Guidelines

We want everyone to feel comfortable, relaxed and confident in the studio, so there are just a few guidelines to help classes run smoothly.

Please try to arrive on time, as demonstrations and important information are often shared at the beginning of each class.

Please clearly label all of your work so we know what belongs to you. Unfortunately, unlabelled pieces may not be fired and may eventually be recycled if we can’t identify the owner.

Phones are absolutely welcome! In fact, we encourage you to take photos or short videos of demonstrations and your own progress. Recording yourself throwing can be a useful way to remember techniques from week to week and see how much you’re improving.

If you share your pottery journey on social media, we’d love you to tag Pottery Embassy so we can see what you’re creating!

Children and additional guests cannot participate in classes unless they are enrolled or have been approved beforehand. Friends and family are very welcome to briefly pop in, say hello and see what you’ve been making, but pottery wheels, tools and tuition are reserved for enrolled students.

Health & Safety

Pottery is hands-on and sometimes a little messy! Our studio includes clay, tools, pottery wheels and high-temperature kilns, so we ask everyone to follow studio instructions and safety guidelines while they’re here.

Please wear closed-toe footwear and tie back long hair when using the pottery wheel. Shorter nails are also strongly recommended, as long nails can make throwing more difficult and can accidentally gouge or weaken your clay.

If you have an injury, allergy, medical condition or physical limitation that may affect your ability to participate safely, please have a quiet chat with your tutor before class. We’ll do our best to help you participate comfortably and safely.

The Nature of Pottery

One of the wonderful things about pottery is that every piece has its own journey — and sometimes clay has ideas of its own!

Your pottery goes through several stages, including drying, bisque firing, glazing and final firing. Throughout this process, pieces can occasionally crack, warp, break or come out of the kiln with unexpected glaze results.

We take great care with everyone’s work, but some parts of the ceramic process are outside our control. For this reason, refunds, credits or replacement pieces cannot be provided for pottery that doesn’t survive the drying or firing process.

If something does happen to one of your pieces, we’ll let you know where possible.

Most importantly, don’t put pressure on yourself to make perfect pottery. The goal is to learn, experiment, enjoy the process and gradually build your skills and confidence.

Think of pottery a little like learning to play the guitar. After a handful of lessons, you wouldn’t expect to perform a concert! Pottery is the same. Practice builds muscle memory, control and confidence, and every wonky pot teaches you something.

Finished Work & Collection

Pottery takes time, and your pieces need to move through the drying and firing process slowly.

Finished pottery generally takes approximately 6–8 weeks to be ready for collection. High humidity, kiln schedules or other studio conditions can occasionally extend this timeframe.

We’ll contact you when your pottery is ready to collect. If more than eight weeks have passed and you haven’t heard from us, please feel free to get in touch.

Once you’ve been notified, please collect your pottery within one month, as our studio storage space is limited.

Pieces that remain uncollected beyond this period may eventually be recycled or donated. Shipping may also be arranged where available for an additional cost.

Cancellations, Refunds & Transfers

Because our classes are limited and your wheel and studio space are reserved specifically for you, approved refunds are subject to a 20% administration fee.

Cancellations within 14 days of the course or workshop start date may not be eligible for a refund unless we’re able to fill your place.

Requests to transfer an entire course booking should ideally be made at least one month before your course begins and are subject to availability.

Private workshop bookings are non-refundable because the session is reserved specifically for your group.

Minimum Enrolment

To create a great class environment and allow us to run the full eight-week programme, a minimum of 6 students is required for the course to proceed.

If the minimum of six students is not reached and Pottery Embassy is unable to proceed with the course, you will receive a full refund of your course fee.

We’ll contact all enrolled students before the scheduled start date if the minimum enrolment has not been reached.

Group Bookings

If you’re booking on behalf of a group, please make sure everyone attending is aware of the course information, studio guidelines and policies before arriving.

This includes understanding that pottery is a handmade process and that unexpected results, cracks, breakages and glaze variations can occasionally happen.

Photography & Social Media

We love capturing the creativity and atmosphere of our classes, and we may occasionally take photos or short videos during sessions for Pottery Embassy’s website, social media and marketing.

If you would prefer not to appear in photos or videos, that is absolutely fine. Please let us know before your class begins so we can make sure you’re not included in any content we capture or publish.

We ask that you let us know beforehand wherever possible, as once content has been published or shared it can be difficult to fully remove it from all platforms.

Students are also welcome to take photos and videos of their own pottery and progress during class. If you share your creations online, please tag Pottery Embassy — we love seeing your pottery journey!

Payment Plans

We want our courses to be as accessible as reasonably possible.

Weekly payment arrangements may be available. If Afterpay or Klarna isn’t suitable for you, please contact Pottery Embassy before your course begins and we can discuss whether another payment arrangement is available.

Can I Continue After the Course?

Absolutely — and we hope you do!

Eight weeks gives you a strong introduction to pottery, but developing confidence at the wheel comes from continued practice and repetition.

After completing your beginner course, you can continue through another course, additional practice opportunities or move into Pottery Embassy Open Studio Membership.

Membership is a great next step if you’re comfortable with the basics and would like pottery to become a regular part of your routine. It gives you more opportunities to practise independently, spend time at the wheel, experiment with your own ideas and gradually develop your own creative style.

Open Studio is independent practice rather than one-on-one tuition, so we recommend having a good understanding of the basic pottery techniques before joining.

Eight Weeks to Get to Know Clay

Learning pottery isn’t about making the perfect pot in your first class.

It’s about centring another piece of clay.

And another.

And another.

It’s experimenting with a new form, discovering why something didn’t work and noticing that a movement that felt completely unfamiliar a few weeks ago suddenly starts to feel natural.

Over eight weeks, you’ll have the opportunity to learn, practise, experiment, make mistakes, develop your own ideas and refine your technique while experiencing the pottery process from raw clay through to finished glazed pieces.

You’ll finish the course with more than just your own handmade pottery — you’ll have a stronger understanding of the craft and the foundations to continue developing your skills.

Most importantly, come ready to get your hands muddy, have a go and enjoy learning something new.

Come spend eight weeks discovering what you can create at Pottery Embassy.

By enrolling in a Pottery Embassy course or workshop, you acknowledge the nature of working with ceramics and agree to follow our Studio Guidelines & Policies.

Please also have a read through our FAQ section before your course, where you’ll find more information about what to bring, clay, firing, glazing, finished work and what to expect during your time at Pottery Embassy.