Craft & Maker

Pottery & Ceramics

Make Pottery That Survives the Kiln

12 lessons4 modules9h 55m durationbeginner level

Instructor: StretchLearn Faculty

About this course

This course teaches the full ceramic process for beginners: hand-building (pinch, coil, slab), wheel-throwing (centering, pulling, trimming), and surface decoration through slips and glazes. You will learn how stoneware and earthenware behave, why pots crack or warp, and how bisque and glaze firings transform clay into durable ware. Each module pairs clear technique with the underlying material science so your results are repeatable, not accidental.

Curriculum

Module 1: Clay, Tools, and Hand-Building Foundations3 lessons

Understanding Clay Bodies and the Four Stages of ClayPreview45m
Setting Up a Safe, Functional Studio Space🔒45m
Pinch, Coil, and Slab: Your First Functional Forms🔒50m

Module 2: Wheel-Throwing Fundamentals3 lessons

Wedging and Centering: The Make-or-Break Skills🔒55m
Opening, Pulling, and Throwing a Cylinder🔒55m
Throwing Bowls and Shaping Variations🔒50m

Module 3: Trimming, Surface, and Glaze Chemistry3 lessons

Trimming at Leather-Hard: Foot Rings and Refinement🔒50m
How Glazes Work: Glass Chemistry for Potters🔒50m
Applying Glaze: Dipping, Brushing, and Layering🔒50m

Module 4: Firing, Finishing, and Selling Your Work3 lessons

Cones, Kilns, and the Two-Firing Process🔒50m
Loading, Firing Schedules, and Diagnosing Faults🔒50m
Photographing, Pricing, and Selling Functional Ceramics🔒45m