Learn pottery:
FAQs
Your questions answered
Have a question about the studio or one of our classes? We’ve answered some of our most commonly asked questions below, and we may have already covered your query. If you’re still not sure, feel free to contact us.
Making pottery
Pottery throwing can be a messy business, so it’s worth wearing old clothes that you don’t mind getting a bit of clay on. During the class, you’ll be provided with an apron, but it can be hard to make sure absolutely no clay gets on your clothes! It’s also worth tying back long hair, and trimming down nails ahead of the session as long nails can tear the clay while throwing.
We recommend removing all jewellery before your session at Stupots, especially things like rings and bracelets. Not only can these items get dirty and covered in clay, but they also might damage the pot you are spending time crafting!
Yes! Our pottery classes are ideal for those who have never worked with clay before. Whether you book a group workshop or a 2-hour taster session with us, we’ll provide you with all the guidance you need to pick up the basic skills and throw something lovely on the wheel.
Of course! We welcome more experienced potters to the studio, with a specially designed 12-week advanced course. During your time with us, we’ll help you refresh and refine your skills, and significantly improve the quality of pieces you are producing on the wheel. At the end of your time with us, you can also choose to stay a little longer and become a potter in residence – many of our advanced students have been with us for years!
At the end of all of our classes, you will have the option of choosing some of your work to have glazed and fired. This won’t be ready for you on the day of your session, as the clay needs to dry out completely (a process which takes a couple of weeks) before it can be fired. Once the clay is dry, it will be bisque fired, glazed in a colour of your choice, and fired again at a hotter temperature for 24 hours. Usually, students are able to collect their work within 2 months of their class depending on how busy the kiln is. We can also arrange to post your work out to you at a small charge.
You can absolutely come along and complete one of our classes as an individual. Our studio is a fun, relaxing, friendly environment – the perfect place for trying out a new hobby and meeting new friends at the same time. Group sizes are typically small, with every student receiving an equal amount of one-to-one support. Try our 2-hour taster session or – if you’re a bit more experienced – our 12-week advanced course!
At Stupots, we offer a number of group pottery workshops for those looking to celebrate a special occasion with clay! Able to cater for up to 18 guests, our beautiful studio is the perfect setting for birthday parties, hen parties and even corporate team building events. Whatever you have in mind, contact the studio today and we’ll help you plan an unforgettable party!
What you learn in one of our workshops will depend upon your experience level and interests! If you’ve never tried pottery throwing before, we’ll start by going through all the basic skills you need like centring, pulling and shaping the clay.
For more advanced students, we’ll cover more tricky techniques and help you explore methods for refining your creations further. We even have a dedicated hand building station for those who want to explore other ways of working with clay.
My booking
Anyone can discover the ancient art of wheel throwing at Stupots – whether you’re 28 or 88!
Unfortunately, your little ones won’t be able to attend as we specialise in pottery throwing classes for adults.
Places can be cancelled up to 30 days before the course date with a full refund; cancellations after this date are non-refundable. In the case of a class being cancelled due to COVID, a voucher for the full value of the course will be issued.
All cancellations should be made by emailing stu@stupots.co.uk. Places can also be transferred to a future date, provided more than four weeks’ notice is given and that there is a future space available.
We can accommodate groups of up to 18 guests at our studio in Rangeworthy. We have 12 pottery wheels available to use, so everyone will have some dedicated time on the wheel, and a special hand building station. Have a group event in mind? Book your session today!
At Stupots, we have 12 potter’s wheels available to use, a dedicated hand building station, and a kiln ready to fire your clay creations! We also have all the usual amenities like toilets, handwashing stations, plenty of off-road parking, and a place to hang up your coat!
