Wheel Forming Cylinders - Beginners

Kylie Rose McLean

Term 3 - 8 week course - 24 July to 11 September

Wednesdays - 10:30 am to 1:00 pm

Minimum 6 / maximum 12 students per course

Intrigued about the pottery wheel? Want to give it a try? All wheel thrown items start life as a cylinder. Mastering this form provides you with a solid base to expand your skills.

The primary focus of this course is learning the basics of wheel forming. Students will repeatedly throw cylinders, cutting them and reviewing the outcomes to develop their skills. Those with previous experience will be challenged to throw the ‘perfect’ cylinder in several efficient movements.

This course is about quality not quantity.

Students will begin by creating pinch pots from a range of clay bodies, to use as test pieces for glazing. By the end of term, each student should have a number of glazed cylinders to take home.

On completing this course, students will have developed skills in:

• knowing a variety of clay bodies;

• making a pinch pot;

• wedging and weighing clay;

• centring a ball of clay on the pottery wheel;

• throwing a cylinder;

• turning a foot on a cylinder;

• glazing test pieces and cylinders;

• basic kiln & firing knowledge.