StretchLearn Course

Make Pottery That Survives the Kiln

Hand-build, throw on the wheel, glaze, and fire functional ceramics with confidence

Beginner9 hr 55 minSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

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.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Build functional forms by pinch, coil, and slab methods with even walls and sound joins

Center clay on the wheel and throw cylinders, bowls, and plates to a target height and width

Trim leather-hard pots to refine foot rings, weight, and profile

Select an appropriate clay body and recognize the four stages from wet to vitrified

Mix, layer, and apply glazes using slips, dipping, and brushing for predictable color and surface

Load and fire bisque and glaze cycles in an electric kiln using cones and a firing schedule

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Clay, Tools, and Hand-Building Foundations

Understand what clay is, set up a safe workspace, and build your first sound functional forms by hand. This module makes the difference between pots that crack and pots that last.

3 lessons

Understanding Clay Bodies and the Four Stages of ClayContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Setting Up a Safe, Functional Studio SpaceContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Pinch, Coil, and Slab: Your First Functional FormsContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Wheel-Throwing Fundamentals

Move to the potter's wheel and build the core motor skills: wedging, centering, opening, pulling walls, and shaping cylinders and bowls. Centering is the gateway every potter must pass.

3 lessons

Wedging and Centering: The Make-or-Break SkillsContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Opening, Pulling, and Throwing a CylinderContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Throwing Bowls and Shaping VariationsContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Trimming, Surface, and Glaze Chemistry

Refine leather-hard pots by trimming a foot, then learn how glazes work as glass and how to apply them for predictable, food-safe color and surface.

3 lessons

Trimming at Leather-Hard: Foot Rings and RefinementContent · 50 min

LMS Access

How Glazes Work: Glass Chemistry for PottersContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Applying Glaze: Dipping, Brushing, and LayeringContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Firing, Finishing, and Selling Your Work

Understand pyrometric cones and firing schedules, load and fire bisque and glaze cycles safely, diagnose common faults, and bring finished work to market.

3 lessons

Cones, Kilns, and the Two-Firing ProcessContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Loading, Firing Schedules, and Diagnosing FaultsContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Photographing, Pricing, and Selling Functional CeramicsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

wheel throwinghand buildingglazingkiln firingstonewarepottery for beginnersceramic glaze chemistrytrimming