Teapot workshop – Wheel throwing

In this intermediate 3-week wheel course, you’ll learn how to throw, trim, and glaze beautiful teapots from start to finish. 

Your guide to teapot magic is Clayground resident Zsofia Mehes, she’s been perfecting her teaware designs over the last few years. She draws a lot of inspiration from Japanese ceramics and tea culture. We’ll meet at the studio once per week for four weeks (with a pause for one week to allow time for your items to be bisque-fired).

This class is best suited for potters with experience in the pottery wheel. Centering and throwing basic shapes are not going to be taught in detail, however, more advanced techniques such as throwing off the hump, creating more challenging forms, and throwing elements that will neatly fit together are going to be demoed and carefully explained.

This is what we’ll do in each session:

• 9th November 10:00-13:30: learning about teapot design and ergonomics, preparing clay, throwing teapot bodies, spouts, lids and handles on the pottery wheel – off the hump or on bats
• 16th November 10:00-13:30: trimming thrown pieces and attaching them to form the final teapot design
• 23rd November: BREAK – your teapots are getting bisque fired
• 30th November 10:00-12:00: sanding any imperfections, waxing and glazing the bisque-fired teapots
• Afterwards, we’ll fire your glazed pieces for the second time and you will be able to pick up the finished teapots 2 weeks later

You’ll also learn a whole bunch of techniques and skills:

• Designing beautiful and functional teapots
• Learning about the ergonomics of the teapot, eg. how to create spouts that do not drip, handles that are comfortable to hold, and lids that fit neatly on the teapot body
• Throw the different pieces that make up a teapot: body, spout, lid, and types of handles
• Trimming all the pieces and attaching them to form the final design
• Waxing and glazing your bisque-fired teapots
• Learning about wax-resist decorating techniques to create unique surface designs 

Course details:

• Dates: 9th till the 30th November (with a break on the 23rd of November)
• Time: Saturdays 10:00 – 13:30
• Instructor: Zsofia Mehes
• Language: English
• Included in cost: Expert teaching with personal one-on-one help, 2-2.5 hours per session (3 times), all materials and firing costs, sales tax
• Gift: you’ll get a special tool for creating the tea strainer holes for your teapots
• Address: Clayground Studio, Danneckerstrasse 7, 10245 Berlin-Friedrichshain

Have specific questions? 

Email Zsofia directly and she’ll help: mehes.zsofi@gmail.com

Cancellations

Cancellations must be made at least 14 days before the course starts for a full refund. No refunds will be given when cancellations are made after this date.

Students must attend all SCHEDULED class times. If a student misses a session, NO MAKE-UP CLASSES will be offered.