Ceramics at Home for Beginners

Working with clay can be another form of meditation, especially if you do it with care and passion like Paula Casella, a graduate in fine arts and the founder of Bambucito Cerámica Orgánica. With 15 years' experience in this artisanal craft, she teaches you everything you need to know to get started in ceramics.

In this course, learn how to model and glaze ceramics at home from scratch, creating some pieces with unbaked clay and others with fired clay (you need access to a kiln for the latter). Learn the nuanced differences between oven bake clay and air dry clay, as well as how to make plaster molds that you can reuse to create an infinite number of pieces in future projects.

This course complements Ceramic Glazing for Beginners, where Paula teaches you the basics for decorating and glazing your ceramic pieces.

Start by getting to know Paula and her background in fine arts, teaching, and ceramics. She shows you some pieces from her varied collection and then talks about some of her main influences.

Have a look at the materials you need, types of clay, what you need to make plaster molds, and the different glazes to decorate your pieces.

Discover the importance of recycling the excess clay correctly and learn how to make your basic plaster mold at home, which you can reuse as many times as you want to create different ceramic pieces.

Now it’s time to start crafting! Following Paula's guidance, create the base and bowl for your first set using the slab modeling technique and the plaster mold you made beforehand. Continue with the second set, which is purely decorative, by applying the coil modeling technique.

Move on to the third set and shape it using the pinch technique–no need for a mold this time. To round out the modeling phase, make the fourth set by repeating the same design as the previous ones, but this time larger, and you learn how to add different textures to the pieces.

Learn different decorative clay techniques, how they are used and when it is best to apply them. Explore two decorating methods for air dry clay. Then, discover glazes in suspension, the decorative gold luster technique, the oxide technique or "marble effect," and the enamel wash method.

Finally, let your imagination take over and see the infinite ways you can use each of the sets made throughout the course. To preserve your pieces, Paula gives you valuable advice on how to take care of each one of them on a day-to-day basis and how to transport them.

Make four sets in the shape of a mushroom. The first three are made by applying three basic clay modeling techniques and three glazing techniques to create versatile tableware (breakfast, jewelry box, etc.) The fourth set is made using fabric and by applying the slab technique, also adding textures, and using a different glazing technique.

Anyone interested in getting started in ceramics and curious about the creative process of this craft.

To take this course you don't need any previous knowledge, just the desire to discover the creative process of ceramic making.

As for materials, you need a basic ceramic starter kit (modeling tools, sponge, cutter) that you can get in any dollar store, and also clay, a roller, old fabrics, powdered gypsum, enamels, and acrylic paints. Keep in mind that to complete some parts of the course, you need to have access to an artisan kiln or ceramic workshop, which are very easy to rent out.