Design & Decoration Master Class – 10 Week Intensive Course

Starting October 6th – 6 – 9 pm

Planning Your Work, Executing the Build and Excelling at Ceramic Decoration Techniques.

Don’t just stop at learning how to make pottery! The real joy is in experimenting with decoration techqniues and being able to execute your design plans!

Who is this course for?

Those who look at beautiful pots and wonder how they were made – you should be able to make pottery using the basic hand building techniques and even throwers can execute the projects..

This course is project based. There are 6 projects to complete over the 10 weeks of the course. Each week you receive a design brief for the work to be done – how you execute it is up to you!

The design brief will lead you through a series of advanced hand building techniques and will extend your throwing ability – you will deep dive into the decorating techniques of sgraffito, washi transfers, nerikome, slip trailing piercing and carving, wax resist and more.

You will also be required to prepare a mood board for each project and finish your work off with photographs!

Week One

• PROJECT ONE
• Design and make a set of bottles, no more than 10 cm tall, for sgraffito
• Apply engobes

Week Two

• Begin the execution of the sgraffito design on your work
• Sgraffito tools provided

 Week Three

• PROJECT TWO
• Design and make 4 dishes with foot rings
• Decorate with washi in combination with slips and underglazes.
• Ensure decoration is “unique”

 Week Four

• PROJECT THREE
• Using porcelain nerikome
• Design and build three small hand built forms

Week Five

• PROJECT FOUR
• Design and make a coffee or tea set
• Use slip trailing, wax resist, textured slips and combinations to enhance texture

Week Six

• Finish slab built tea or coffee set

Week Seven

• PROJECT FIVE
• Design and make an elaborate lidded container – should be multiple pieces
• Choose decoration – collaborate with your teacher to come up with something unique!

 Week Eight

• PROJECT SIX
• Piercing and carving
• Build three tealights or candle holders with piercing and carving

Week Nine

• Finish and glaze your work

Week Ten

• Review
• Finish glazing
• Photographing

This course is fully inclusive of all materials and firing. You may choose to purchase your own washi (1 single colour sheet provided) or lustres. You will need your own tools (sgraffito tools and slip trailers provided) – you can purchase what you need at a discounted rate through Firebird Studios.

You will also be able to make individual bookings for Open Studio to glaze your work.

Please bring your own hand towel.