Embrace the location of West Dean Gardens, as you learn how to use drawing to develop designs for simple slab built ceramic platters and bowls. You will be guided to gather visual information and ideas, using note-taking and drawing.You will also experiment with and practise the use of various mark-making techniques for use with tonal and coloured slips: relief embossing with lino; hand-cut paper stencils; stamping using hand-cut and found items; sgraffito drawing. You will be encouraged to find a combination of techniques that appeals to you. Using your drawings and tests, you will progress to a series of simple hand-built forms, followed by a longer study to develop ideas, using drawn and relief representations of landscape in clay.There will be short practical demonstrations for each technique used and group discussions to encourage the generation of ideas and problem-solving. Individual, practical instruction and support will be tailored to your needs as the project develops.

Techniques covered will include:

• Clay slab rolling and handbuilding
• Painting with multiple layers of slips
• Making hand-cut stencils and stamps
• Simple lino cutting
• Use of texture and producing a good finish on rims and feet

Materials used will be:

• Pencil and crayons
• Graphite sticks or Sharpies for drawing
• Camera if wanted
• White earthenware clay mixed with Earthstone ES40 and coloured slips

By the end of the course, you will have completed a major hand-built ceramic piece – a large platter or bowl, or a non-functional piece, which represents your ideas about the local landscape. Pieces will be finished to leather-hard stage and can be left at the College or taken home for glazing and firing.On the first evening, there will be a presentation about the use of drawing and landscape in ceramics, and a discussion about the timing of the various aspects of the course. Weather permitting, the second day will start with a short walk in West Dean Gardens, with note-taking and quick sketches. Please bring appropriate clothing.

Included

Clay/glazing materials and firing costs of work made (Large work in size and quantity may be charged extra.)

What students need to bring

• Warm clothing and shoes suitable for a short walk
• An apronJ cloths or old cotton sheeting to keep pots damp
• Plastic bags or sheets of plastic to wrap work in progress
• Drawing materials and sketchbook (Items for making bold marks are good.)
• Box, plastic bags and paper padding for transporting pieces home
• Any pottery tools you wish to use (optional – some are supplied in the workshop or by the tutor)
• We will use a small pointed vegetable knife, small wooden tools, scrapers, some texture tools, a small sponge, water sprayer, potter’s needle and other pointed tools, hake brushes, mop brushes and small watercolour brushes of various sizes

Available to buy

A variety of art and craft materials are available to buy in the Gardens Gatehouse Shop.

Arrival day - first date of course
Residential students can arrive from 4pm, non-residential students to arrive by 6.45pm for registration  
Student welcome, followed by dinner: 6.45pm (dinner included)
Teaching session: 8pm-9pm (attendance is essential)

Daily timetable
Course teaching: 9.15am-5pm  
Morning session: 9.15am-12.45pm including coffee/tea break  
Lunch break: 12.45pm-2pm (lunch included)  
Afternoon session: 2pm-5pm including coffee/tea break  
Teaching finishes: 5pm    
Evening working: students may have access to workshops until 9pm, but only with permission from the tutor and provided any health and safety guidelines are observed.

Departure day - last date of course
Course teaching: 9.15am-3pm (lunch included)  
Teaching finishes: 3pm  

Residential students will need to check out of rooms by 10am.
Please note, the tutor may make slight variations to the daily timetable as required.

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