This day course will give you the chance to make some pottery items in the morning and decorate them in the afternoon, leaving them with me to be fired and glazed.
After a welcome and introduction chat covering the different hand-building techniques (coil pot, pinch pot, slab built or wheel-thrown), you will choose which is your preferred method to create your clay items . I will give you a brief demo before you start and then it's over to you to enjoy the wonders of playing with clay, with my guidance.
Your pots will get a chance to dry over lunchtime and then you will choose up to 3 items to decorate in the afternoon using coloured underglazes or slips (runny coloured clay).
The items will be left with be to be dried, then bisque-fired. I will apply a clear glaze and fire them again. This all takes about three weeks before you can pick them up.
Lunch is not included but there are many eateries in Dorking town - only five minutes drive. There is also a Tesco Express within a short walk, or bring your own packed lunch and eat it here
I teach on Fridays and Saturdays, if there is another date that you would like to enquire about please use the 'message the tutor' button to get in touch.
See my other listings for half day courses.
Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 2 weeks before the course starts. Start dates may be amended on request.
-Tailor-made tuition from qualified and experienced teacher (MA-Ceramics)
-Introduction chat including demo (10-15min) for wheel work
- Materials for making up to three items (additional pots £5 each)
- firing and glazing of up to 3 items
- Tea and biscuits
5 hours (flexible times to suit)
This craft course provider has been awarded Gold status for receiving 10 or more 5 star ratings from previous students.
The Students' Choice award ensures that course providers get recognised for their efforts in the teaching and practice of UK craft.
They also allow tutors to gain valuable feedback on their courses and for new students to find the course that's right for them.
I had booked this day as a birthday treat for my 11 year old daughter (and a treat for me!) We had covered some pottery basics previously but we were both very keen to have a go at throwing pots on the wheel and felt some 1:1 guidance and support with this would be a good plan. We had a wonderful day with Marina (and Poppy the dog!) Marina is an excellent teacher - with endless patience and so much knowledge and experience. She was always there to help (and rescue any disasters) and this ensured we managed to each produce 3 reasonable looking bowls by the end of the morning. After a picnic in the nearby bluebell woods we returned to trim and decorate our bowls which was great fun. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the day, as did I and I can't wait to see the finished results in a few weeks. Thank you so much Marina.
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Laura thanks so much for your wonderful review! It was lovely having you and Holly too and now your results are up to the kiln gods, but I’m sure they’ll do a splendid job.What a great way to spend a day!! Lots to remember but Marina was very patient with us both. Looking forward to seeing our bowls when they come out of the kiln.
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Thanks for your lovely review.My daughter and I spent a fantastic, fun filled day with Marina in her studio at Dorking. I had purchased the pottery day as a treat for my daughter and myself. We had no idea what to expect as neither of us had ever done pottery before, but we did not need to worry as Marina was delightful and so helpful with our pot making. We managed (after much help and encouragement from Marina) to make 3 pots each and can't wait to collect them in a few weeks time. I think our favourite part was decorating each pot. I would thoroughly recommend Marina and her courses and if we did not live quite so far away, we would certainly attend more courses.
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Thanks Helen for your positive comments !Great course, great teaching, a lovely day! Would highly recommend for anyone interested in pottery.
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Thanks Tom for your positive response..I'm so glad you enjoyed the day!Marina is a patient teacher and it's a great to learn hands-on with a professional potter.
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Thanks John for your lovely comment. Much appreciatedA superb experience. Marina was lovely. Really friendly and patient. A great way to get a taster of a new skill. Came away with a great sense of satisfaction and an appreciation of the skills required…….which I sadly don’t have!
Lovely to come away with something actually resembling a half decent pot as a result of Marina’s efforts. I wasn’t expecting that! Thanks Marina.
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Thanks Martin for your lovely review. I'm so pleased you felt satisfied with the experience! You both did really well!We cannot recommend Marina and her course highly enough. She is such a patient teacher and the 2 1/2 hours flew by. We had great fun and both made 3 bowls of which we were very proud - can’t wait to collect them when they are glazed and fired. Would love to return again for a whole day. Thank you Marina.
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Thanks Pat for your lovely review!My partner and I did the Pottery day for Two with Marina and had a fantastic time. My partner had never done anything like it before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Marina is a great teacher and just generally a real pleasure to spend time with. I thought it might feel a little awkward with just the 3 of us but Marina has a lovely way of making one feel relaxed.
With Marina's help we managed to make and paint a couple of bowls each (on the wheel) and are really looking forward to seeing the end results.
It was a really fun day and would highly recommend it.
We had a lovely lunch in The Watermill which is just 5 mins walk up the road.
This pottery day course was a birthday gift for my Mum and the two of us had a fantastic day together with Marina in her garden studio. We arrived and were walmly welcomed by Marina and given an intro to the day. Marina was an excellent teacher and we were amazed in one day that we were able to produce three lovely pieces each and decorate them too. It rained for most of the day so we helped dry the pots over lunch and chatted with Marina. I highly recommend this day course with Marina. Looking forward to collecting our pieces in a couple of weeks. Thank you to Marina for a memorable day!
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Thanks Claire for your lovely review. I'm so pleased you both enjoyed the day so much, and look forward to the moment I open the kiln to see those colourful slip swirls on you pieces.My wife and I attended the pottery and decorating for two day with Marina for our 9th wedding anniversary (pottery).
We had an excellent day and made and decorated 3 bowls each.
Getting your hands all mucky and feeling the clay was great fun and Marina was on hand if they all went a bit wibbly/wobbly.
Marina was a very enthusiastic teacher and was able to give us the basics to use the two different wheels.
We made the 3 bowls in the morning and went for lunch, so that the bowls could dry.
There's a lovely local pub but we didn't book so had a sandwich from tescos and went and sat by the river in the sunshine.
When we returned we trimmed and decorated the bowls and got to get a bit artistic.
Marina then glazes them and you pick them up in 2-3 weeks - the finished bowls were surprisingly good!!
We would highly recommend this course, it was great to get it all done in a day - we were lucky with the weather - as it was hot the bowls dried quickly and we got to have a picnic by the river.
Marina was a great teacher - neither of us had ever used a wheel before and we have some great bowls to use and have as our wedding anniversary reminder.
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Hi SteveReally enjoyed this morning with Marina. Our first ever attempt at pottery throwing. It was a very relaxed session in her garden workshop. Marina is very patient and hands on helping you every step of the way to make your own creations. We each made three pots. Which loom pretty darn good for beginners. Looking forward to our follow up session in a few weeks.
I’ve been going to classes with Marina for five months now and it’s been an amazing experience.
Marina is very patient with teaching different techniques, we’ve done coiling and wheel and painted using glazes.
I’ve brought my designs for plant pots and mugs and she’s helped me bring them to life- cannot recommend enough.
Lovely garden studio ceramics experience. So much to learn and made seemingly achievable in short sessions with Marina’s thoughtful and positive guidance. I would love to do more and hope to soon - thank you!
We had a fantastic time. Marina was an amazing teacher and the time went so quickly. We could have stayed there all day we were enjoying it so much! We enjoyed chatting to Marina and the lovely coffees and biscuits were also a nice addition. We would definitely recommend a pottery session with Marina!
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Thanks Hayley for your positive review!I started going to Mirena’s classes a few of months ago and have been going ever since. I started with no experience and have already made some professional looking pots on the wheel. She is very welcoming and supportive of your individual ideas. I would definitely recommend her.
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Thanks Ed! It's also great for me to try and help you meet your challenges. Some really lovely pots you've designed. Looking forward to the various processes.A friend and I decided were interested in trying out pottery and managed to find Marina. She was very patient and helpful with us beginners and we managed to make a few great pottery pieces! Marina is a great tutor and we would recommend her for anyone who would like to try out pottery - you will not be disappointed!
Thank you so much Marina, we had a great time!
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Thanks Jessica for your positive review...you both did so well for your first time on the wheel. Your little cups look gorgeous.I got this as a birthday gift for my girlfriend, which she thoroughly enjoyed. It was a fantastic morning. Learnt lots and had a great time. Marina was very patient with us and explained everything very clearly. Would highly recommend.
Response from Marina Randall Ceramics:
Thank you so much for this positive review!I bought a pottery class for my wife's birthday and we went to see Marina together. We had a brilliant time with her, learnt a lot and had some really nice shortbread! Marina was patient and a good teacher and we both came away happy. Would highly recommend a course with Marina....
Great experience with friendly and skilled instructor. We managed to do a lot in the two hours, and it was a fun experience to use the wheel. Great to have 1 on 1 help with this as a complete beginner and I was pleased to have successfully made a bowl.
Would definitely recommend
My teenage daughter had been doing pottery classes for a couple years, but wanted to try throwing a pot. When I googled throwing a pot in Surrey we were lucky enough to find Marina. A very experienced Potter based close to us in Dorking with a studio dedicated to all things pot like! We have had a few classes now and my daughter has the bug, she has bought home many pieces already and is gaining useful practical tips/hints from Marina who is a joy to learn with. I can recommend her highly whether you are experienced or not Marina will have you throwing successful pots on your first session!
Fab course, excellent teaching! Kind and professional tutor :-)