Slow down, get grounded, and reconnect with the simple joy of making by hand. In this six-week course, you’ll explore the foundational techniques of handbuilding — shaping clay into vessels and sculptural forms using only your hands and a few essential tools.

Each week introduces new approaches such as slab building, pinching, coiling, kurinuki, carving, and attaching. You’ll also learn a variety of surface and decorating techniques, including sgraffito, texture, and painting with coloured slips, before completing your pieces with our studio glazes and firings.

Projects may include bowls, mugs, vases, plates, planters, wall hangings, and small sculptures — though your imagination will always be the true starting point.

Taught by one of our experienced ceramics faculty, this course invites you into a calm, inspiring environment where experimentation and personal expression are encouraged. All materials, glazing, and firing are included.

Common Questions

Minimum age / Can I register my child for this class?

The participant must be at minimum 16 years old to be registered and attend class unaccompanied. With hand-building, we do allow participants as young as 12 to register as long as an adult is also registered separately to the same class and accompanies the child to every class. Our instruction is centred around teaching adults. If a minor is less developed than an adult, they may find our instruction and pace challenging. We do not guarantee any accommodation of instruction geared to minors.

Workshop is a mature environment where there are very hot kilns in unrestricted production areas; mature art that can contain challenging matters such as profanity, nudity, and mature & challenging subjects; responsible consumption of legal substances such as alcohol in both common areas and private studios, and marijuana outdoors; and lively discussion that is not censored for young ears. By registering a minor, you are agreeing to the risks and environment that they will be entering. If you are registering as a minor, you confirm that a guardian has reviewed this warning and has consented to you registering.

What should I bring?

All materials are provided. One bag of clay is included with your class, and additional clay is available for purchase if needed. Tools are available to borrow, but if you’d like your own, starter tool kits are available through Ceramics Canada or other retailers.

What should I wear?

Wear comfortable clothing that you won’t mind getting clay on. Most clays do not stain and can wash out; however, if your class is working with iron-rich clays, then staining may occur. The studio has aprons available for all students to wear while working. We recommend long hair be tied back and jewelry be removed before class begins.

How does the glazing and firing work?

Glazing and firing are included in your class fee, as well as in the price of any additional clay purchased.

What about health and safety?

Each participant in the class is required to keep all surfaces clean of clay and glaze and to clean all areas, including the floor around their workstation thoroughly before they leave. This is to minimize any risks caused by breathing clay and glaze dust.

Practice Hours

All classes include 1 free hour of practice time before and after class (non-mandatory). Students may stay beyond 1 hour after class, provided the equipment is not needed by our members or another class. We also welcome you to come in throughout the week for practice hours if you desire, but ask a few things of you:

Please be finished and have cleaned up your area at least one hour before the next class starts.
Practice hours are not available while other classes, workshops, or events are scheduled in the space.

The class calendar can be found here.

Cleanup

Classrooms must be left in a clean condition. Students are responsible for following Workshop’s cleaning protocols, which are as follows: pottery wheels cleaned, the floor around wheels wiped, rag washed and draped over upside down stool, aprons wiped down with a large yellow sponge, the floor around sinks and clay storage cleaned, and wedging tables washed off.

Clean-up should be done with a wet sponge or a mop. Avoid sweeping in the ceramics studio, as it will cause tiny hazardous clay dust particles to become airborne.

Outside Materials

Important: Students are not allowed to bring clay or glaze purchased elsewhere into class. Ceramic materials require specific temperatures and conditions to fire properly, so you run the risk of damaging your classmates’ work and the kiln when introducing materials that are not approved by the studio. Additional clay can be purchased from Workshop if needed, and includes the cost of firing the additional work you’ll be making with it. Any damage to kilns caused by unauthorized outside materials will be billed to the student (FYI: kilns cost upwards of $5,000).

Cancellations

Classes cancelled within 72h of the start date are subject to refunds only if a replacement is found for your signup. Classes cancelled anytime prior to 72h from the start date are subject to a 5% cancellation fee to cover our processing fees. Classes are subject to cancellations by Workshop in the case of low enrolment. If classes are cancelled by Workshop, you will receive a full refund, including processing fees.

What to expect on glaze day?

We have extended our glaze day to 3 hours to alleviate some of the stress of waxing and glazing all your work in a short time frame. It is still a lot of work and time-consuming, so please come early and be ready to receive instructions when the workshop starts. We will not allow any glazing beyond the 3 hours. We do use glazes with red iron oxide. Although we provide aprons, you may still get some on your clothes, so please wear darker clothing or clothing you don't mind staining.

If I miss a class, can I make it up another time?

We are unable to offer make-up classes. For students who know in advance that they will be missing a class, we encourage them to check in with their instructor ahead of that absence to know what they will be missing and how to be on track for the following week by putting in some additional practice hours.

What about missing glaze day?

The one exception is the last day of class, glaze day. If you missed glaze day, or had some work that was not dry enough to be bisqued on time, or made too much work to glaze in one sitting, you may register to sit in during another class's glaze session. Space is not guaranteed, and must be booked ahead of time by emailing info@workshopstudios.ca.

What about Workshop being a safer space?

Everyone has the right to feel safe and included at Workshop Studios regardless of age, ancestry, colour, family status, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, mental disability, physical disability, place of origin, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or source of income.

Workshop Studios does not tolerate abusive or discriminatory behaviour. Such behaviour is grounds for removal from the studio and may result in the cancellation of future registrations or a permanent ban.

UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR

Any harassing behaviour which creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment is unacceptable conduct. Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

Verbal behaviour: Jokes, slurs, derogatory remarks, abusive language
Physical & visual: Unwanted touching, staring, filming or photographing
Visual displays: Derogatory items, posters, photographs, drawings
Verbal advances: Any unwanted or unwelcome verbal contact

If you feel you have been subject to any harassment, discriminatory behaviour or other abuse, please contact a Workshop Staff member. All communication is strictly confidential. We will work with you, and if needed, with your consent, with an independent mediator to address the issue.

Anyone exhibiting these behaviours can be asked to leave at any time by Workshop staff. By signing up for this workshop, you agree to read and follow our Safer Space Policy.

Hand Building - Level 1 - Fridays - 6 Sessions (63T)