• Introduction-Intermediate
  • Ceramic Arts

Learn techniques for handbuilding and throwing on the potter's wheel. Beginners and those with some clay experience will become acquainted with handbuilding techniques such as pinch pots, coiling, soft and hard slabs building, additive, manipulating the clay and other expressive ways of working with clay. Fundamental wheel-throwing techniques will be demonstrated with the opportunity to work on a pottery wheel. Explore surface decoration with slips, sgraffito, underglazes and glazes. This course includes demonstrations, theory, studio health and safety and discussions and analysis.


Spring 2021: 8 Weeks: Base Tuition: $355 + Materials Fee: $45 = Total: $400

PLEASE NOTE: Due to COVID 19, special policies and regulations will apply. Students must be in agreement with these health and safety regulations and TSA's policies in order to enrol.

Notes: Noel Yardley was born in Cape Town, South Africa. From a young age, Noel made toys from found materials in his environment. After completing high school, he registered for an Art Degree majoring in Ceramics and Sculpture at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, graduating in 1998. From his ceramic studio in Cape Town, he taught adult classes and created commissioned works for galleries, home décor shops and interior designers. He also worked as the production manager for ‘Art in the Forest’, a non-profit organization providing art and ceramic classes to underprivileged children. Noel has been involved in various trade shows and juried exhibitions such as the Emerging Creatives for the Design Indaba, Cape Town in 2011 and he was a solo exhibitor at the same event in 2014. He was also part of a specially selected artisan collective making functional handmade ceramics for a South African retail store. Noel’s work was featured in 100% Design in Johannesburg and was part of a group exhibition at Maison&Objet, Paris in 2016. His work can be found in private collections in Milan, Berlin and Norfolk, Virginia.
* This course is not currently open for registration

What you will learn

  • Form and function
  • Clay handbuilding techniques
  • Throwing on the pottery wheel
  • Surface decoration methods and various techniques underglazing, slip, scratching and scoring and glazing techniques
  • Clay studio health and safety

Materials to Bring

The $45 material fee includes 20 lbs of Cone 6 stoneware clay, all firings and use of glazes on site. Additional bags of clay are available for purchase at TSA (note: all clay used at TSA, must be purchased from TSA). During COVID, students must bring and use their own tools for use in the studio. Ceramic tools are available to purchase through specialty retailers or a basic kit can be purchased from TSA. Please see Materials below for details.

What to bring:

A basic pottery tool kit like these from Tucker’s Pottery Supply in Markham or Pottery Supply House in Oakville or Above Ground Art Supply (several Toronto locations). TSA will stock a limited number of these kits for sale.

  • Apron (clay is messy)
  • Sculpting tools
  • Paint brushes - new for detailed painting/worn brushes for different techniques
  • Small washcloth or tea towel
  • Tool kits