In this 6-week mixed-ability course, you will build confidence and refine your skills on the potter’s wheel. Designed for those already comfortable with throwing, the course follows a self-diagnostic approach, with demos and guidance from your tutor to support your practice. By the end, you will have strengthened your understanding of core techniques to advance your pottery journey. In Week 6, you will have the opportunity to decorate and glaze your work using Sunken Studio’s range of dipping glazes.

Refresh and refine your throwing skills in this 6 week course - revisit, and sample new throwing and glazing techniques. You will explore how to make a variety of forms using a range of techniques and processes. Sessions will include demonstrations to encourage independent surface, form, material and design experiments. At the end of the course, you will be able to solve problems to make increasingly complex, robust and refined functional pots.

AcroYoga is a dynamic partner practice that blends the wisdom of yoga, the dynamic power of acrobatics, and the loving kindness of healing arts. These three lineages form the foundation of a partner practice that cultivates trust, playfulness, and community.

This session is primarily a jam session, where you can practice and play together.

For beginners there will also be some time at the start of this session where a couple of people will work with beginners to help for the first hour or so.

All-levels, holistic yoga sessions. Expect a slow flow which blends movement, meditation and breath work.

Our focus in these practices is enhancing strength and flexibility whilst deepening our connection with ourselves and the natural world so that we can cultivate a greater sense of ease, presence and belonging.

Classes end with nourishing deep rest.

This will be an extended Yoga Nidra* on the last Friday of each month.

Everyone welcome, just as you are – including beginners.

Learn about glazes in this practical course focused on mixing your own brushing glazes from raw materials. By the end of the course, you'll have at least five glazes to use, along with the knowledge and experience to mix more independently. 

Join Fernanda Cortes for a 4-day immersive workshop on figurative ceramics, designed for those with some prior experience in handbuilding. Explore the expressive potential of the human form in clay through presentations, interactive discussions, and hands-on demos. Learn idea development, sculpting techniques, texturing, and documentation. Receive personalised feedback and create a detailed figurative sculpture. 

Prerequisites: beginners' knowledge in handbuilding.

Jonny Hannah comes to Otley with an exhibition of screen prints, posters and artworks. 

Taking his influences from a range of eclectic sources, Jonny has explored a unique mix of folk tales, jazz, Americana and pop culture to create a personal vision of the world. 

Jonny is a designer and illustrator who also makes work as Cake & Ale Press.

This 6-week course helps refine your handbuilding skills through a self-diagnostic approach, with the option to work on a project or explore techniques freely. Supported by tutor guidance and studio tools, you’ll create and decorate functional or sculptural pots, finishing in Week 6 by glazing your work with Sunken Studio's dipping glazes.

Prerequisites: beginner's knowledge of handbuilding.

In this overview of handbuilding techniques for beginners, you will learn about key handbuilding techniques and how to glaze your own pots. At the end of the course you will be able to identify and select appropriate techniques and processes to make and decorate basic functional pots.

Our Handbuilding Courses offer a structured approach to learning various bench-based techniques. Whether you’re interested in functional ceramics or figurative sculpture, these courses cater to both beginners and those looking to refine and expand their skills.