Short Course

Beginners Ceramics

Name: Hereford College of Arts
Price range: $

Duration

10 Weeks
Cost

£375
Tutor

Lucy Baxendale
When

Tuesday Evenings

This course is tailored to complete beginners, and those who need a refresher course in ceramics. You will be encouraged to freely explore hand building, glazing, extruding, and throwing.

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Overview

This course begins with an introduction to a variety of hand-building techniques, exploring what each one can create. You'll have space to develop your own ideas and find the techniques that resonate most with you. Once you’re familiar with working with clay by hand, we'll gradually introduce students to throwing on the wheel, offering two-at-a-time guidance for a focused experience.

Basic materials are provided, and we’ll suggest any additional tools or supplies based on your projects. By the end of the course, you’ll feel confident with your skills and ready to explore ceramics on a deeper level.

What we do...

A student is kneading clay. Their hands are messy from the clay and they are mid-action.

Someone is about to sponge down a plaster cuboid in our ceramics workshop

A woman in a colourful waistcoat is rolling out a slab of clay. She is leaning over the work and there are people also rolling out clay behind her, out of focus.

Someone is rolling out clay onto a textured plate.

Venue, Dates, Times

Term starts on 14th January. There will be 10 sessions, and there will be a half term break on the week of 18th February. The last session will be the 25th March.

All sessions will be held in the Ceramics workshop at our Folly Lane Campus. Sessions will start at 6.30pm and will finish at approximately 9pm.

About the Tutor

Lucy Baxendale

Lucy Baxendale is a Ceramicist, Illustrator, and Community Artist from rural Herefordshire. She transforms her sketches into unique 3D sculptures, where lines evolve into stories.

Her work bridges imagination and reality, featuring unglazed, stained surfaces that capture the essence of a sketch. Lucy’s playful approach invites you to see drawings come to life in new, unexpected ways.

Recognized as Craft and Design magazine’s “One to Watch” in 2011 and one of Ceramics Monthly’s Emerging Artists in 2022, Lucy continues to refine her practice.

A black and white clay sculpture of person looking at their hand.

A black and white sculpture featuring a face.

I loved the fact that we were making on week one, and I was surprised by how quickly my confidence grew. The small class sizes meant I got a lot of one-to-one support which really helped.
Sally - Beginners Ceramics Short Course

Short Courses FAQs

What age do I have to be to do a short course?

Unless otherwise stated, our short courses are suitable for 16+.

We recommend anyone aged 16-17 is accompanied by someone 18+ who is also a paying participant.

What do I need to bring with me?

Basic materials are provided on all of our short courses, and you will be advised on any additional materials you may want to buy for personal projects whilst on the short course.

Make sure to bring some water, and dress appropriately for using college equipment (for example, no open-toed shoes, long hair tied back when using workshop equipment, and no highly flammable clothes if using fire).

Do I need to have had experience?

All of our short courses, unless specifically stated, are suitable for beginners or people with a little experience. There will usually be a mix of abilities in the group.

How many people are in the class?

Group sizes vary course to course, but we keep them small where possible so you get as much tutor time as possible. At the moment, the largest short course group is 15 people.

Do I get a certificate?

Courses like these can look great on your CV and are good for professional development. Therefore, we award certificates at the end of the course, provided that you attended enough of the sessions.

Our short courses are non-credit bearing programmes.