Surface Decoration - Creating Textures and Patterns

Bookings go live 18th November 2019

Bookings Close 29th June 2020

A rare opportunity to work with the amazing Master Potter Margaret Gardiner renowned for the magical textures, patterns and colours in her work. Over the weekend she'll be sharing her extensive knowledge, wisdom and experience with surface decoration on both thrown and hand built clay vessels either your own or ones we provide.

Over the weekend you’ll experience:

• Patterning clay on the wheel when leather hard

• Experimenting with different tools to make marks

• Impressing with fabrics, embossed wallpaper and other surfaces

• Preparing soft clay for texturing

• Making sprigs

• Decorating with appliqué forms

• Rouletting

As a child I believed I couldn’t draw, but I always doodled. My pen would fill in spaces, go off on tangents, see patterns emerge and embellish them. I thought it was just doodling until I discovered clay!
The most important thing about marking clay is to have the clay in the right condition: drawing with a fine wire brush needs the clay to be soft leather hard whereas a roulette needs to be able to push into the clay with support from behind.

We will spend the weekend trying out many different ways of marking clay, from drawing with fine wire brushes on leather hard pots on the wheel to impressing with fabrics, wood and roulettes onto soft slabs. Some pieces can be decorated after they are formed and some are marked before they are formed.

The appliqué method is to pattern soft clay, cut out the shape and join it on to your pot with slip.
We will also try out methods on tiles so that you have a reference for what works and how you did it!

Cancellations and Transfer

By booking you are confirming that you understand and agree to our policy.

Transfers by the client more than 4 weeks before an event incur a £10 admin charge

Transfers by the client less than 4 weeks before an event incur a 50% charge. Transfers can only be made once and must be within a 12-month period.

Cancellations by the client more than 4 weeks before an event – Your booking fee will be returned minus an admin charge of £30.

Cancellations by the client less than 4 weeks before an event – Full course fee is payable

In the unlikely event that a course has to be cancelled, all fees are returnable. Booking priority will be given to rescheduling the event.

If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.