Evening Pottery Course – 9 Weeks with Natalie Neubau (16+)

Booking Details

In our intensive course, we start by focusing on the basics of the pottery wheel and then move on to the professional completion of your thrown pieces.
Whether you’ve never worked on the wheel before or already have some experience, we’re happy to respond to individual questions and ideas beyond the course plan.

A strong focus in this class is placed on centering and pulling up the clay. These two steps are among the most challenging on the wheel and are essential for further shaping and refining.

+ Course Program
In the first two sessions, we’ll focus on the process of centering and how to transform your lump of clay into a functional piece.
In the third week, we’ll explore the basics of shaping — turning your cylinder into a specific form.
In week four, we’ll refine the leather-hard pieces: attaching handles and cleaning the bases.
In week five, we’ll return to the cylinder and create new pieces — what exactly we make will depend on the wishes of the participants.
Week six focuses on trimming these pieces, and week seven repeats the full process again.
In the final session, we’ll glaze your once-fired pieces to transform them into fully functional ceramics.

Nine finished pieces are included in the course price.

+ When?
Nine consecutive Tuesdays from 18:00 to 21:00

+ Duration of Each Session
Our 9-week course with Natalie includes weekly three-hour sessions guided by our experienced instructor, who will support you every step of the way — quite literally if needed!
This repeats a total of nine times.

+ Course Schedule
You can see the start dates of our courses in our online calendar.
Click on your preferred date to view the full weekly schedule.

Overview of the Sessions:

1. Day – Centering
We’ll start by learning one of the most important and challenging skills in pottery: centering the clay on the wheel.
We’ll also cover proper kneading and preparation techniques — the foundation of all throwing.

2. Day – Throwing Cylinders
Once we’ve mastered centering, we’ll move on to shaping a cylinder — another fundamental building block for everything that follows.

3. Day – Shaping
Now that the basics are set, we’ll dive into form! Your first piece of functional pottery will start to take shape.

4. Day – Bases, Handles & Finishing
In this session, we’ll refine the leather-hard pieces, attach handles, and clean the bases.

5. Day – Shaping Continued
We’ll revisit the cylinder and then focus on shaping new pieces based on your own ideas and preferences.

6. Day – Trimming & Finishing
We’ll finish your thrown bowls by trimming, adding a foot, and cleaning the bottom.

7. Day – Vase Making
This week, we’ll focus on creating vases — returning to the fundamentals while exploring precise shaping.

8. Day – Trimming & Finishing
Time to trim and refine your vases — we’ll clean and finalize the base.

9. Day – Glazing
After your pieces have been bisque fired at 960°C, you’ll return to the studio to learn the glazing process.
This step offers huge creative potential — your choice of glaze colors will make each piece truly unique.

+ Can I reschedule a session?
The course runs over nine consecutive weeks — same day, same time.
If you can’t attend a session, unfortunately we cannot offer a make-up class.
However, you’re welcome to use our Open Studio free of charge during that week to practice independently.
We’ll be around to answer any questions you might have. 🙂

+ Total Duration – 9 × 3 hours = 27 hours total

+ Instructor
This course is led by Natalie — one of our experienced ceramic artists and a valued member of the Fresh Ceramics team.

+ No Experience Required
This course is ideal for all beginners (16+).
Teens aged 14 and up are welcome to join when accompanied by a parent.

+ Location – Studio Neubau
Westbahnstraße 18, 1070 Vienna

+ Course Fee
€450 per person (all materials and firings included)

If you decide not to glaze and fire your pieces, you can instead enjoy one free month of access to our Open Studio.

(Request your complimentary one-month Open Studio membership if you choose not to glaze and fire your pieces.)

+ Gift Card
Thinking of someone who would love this course? Perfect! We offer both digital and printed gift cards. The digital version can be sent instantly, while the printed card will arrive in your mailbox within 2–3 days.

+ Language
This course is held in German.
All our instructors also speak English if needed.

FAQ:

Can I also participate as an advanced participant?

Of course! We adapt the course to your level. If you are already more experienced, you can, for example, practice centering more clay and creating more challenging and larger pieces.

Which forms can be made in the course?

After the centering sessions, we focus each week on one or two forms and techniques, depending on the needs of the participants. You can find the schedule in the course description.

What happens if I cannot attend one course day?

You can catch up on the missed session independently during Open Studio. For scheduling appointments, please send us an email to hello@freshceramics.at.

How can I reschedule my course?

You may reschedule your course once up to 24 hours* before the course begins via the button “Reschedule, cancel or request a refund” in your course confirmation email. Cancellations are possible up to 24 hours* after receiving the booking confirmation via the same button.

What if I cannot attend my course date?

Since tickets are not tied to a specific person, you are welcome to privately pass them on to friends or acquaintances. This way you can give them a wonderful experience and ensure that reserved spots do not remain unused.
In the case of a rescheduling or cancellation, you will find the corresponding instructions under the first question “How can I reschedule my course?”
Important: Rescheduling requests via email, phone or in person cannot be accepted and are therefore invalid.

Do I need prior experience to participate in the courses?

No, this is not necessary. All our courses are suitable for beginners. Advanced courses are labeled accordingly.

How can I book a course?

All courses & offers can only be booked online directly via our website. The calendar under each course description shows you on which days and how many spots are available for booking. Choose your preferred date and number of participants and click “Book Now.” This adds the booking to your cart, and in the next step you can complete the payment process.

How do I book a course if I have a gift card?

The code can be entered during checkout after adding a booking and is valid for both locations. If you have multiple voucher codes, you can enter and redeem them one after another.

What is the difference between pottery and hand-building/modeling courses?

When working with clay, there are generally two different approaches:

On the one hand, there is wheel throwing, where pieces are created on the electric pottery wheel. The resulting objects are characteristically round, symmetrical and thin. On the other hand, there is modeling and shaping clay by hand at the worktable. This includes coiling, pinch technique and slab technique. Here you are not bound to the round base shape created by the wheel and can freely express your creativity.

What should I bring to the course?

A portion of good mood :) We have everything else at the studio!

However, shorter nails – and for pottery wheel courses also a hair tie for longer hair as well as clothes that may get a little dirty – are an advantage. If despite the aprons some clay or glaze gets onto your clothing, don’t worry, both can be easily washed out.

When can I pick up my finished pieces & what happens if I forget them?

Your ceramics from pottery and modeling courses are ready for pickup from 3 weeks after the last course day. If you cannot come in person, the person picking them up must be able to show a photo of your pieces.

We keep already glazed course pieces in our pickup shelves for 3 months. After that, due to space limitations, they are sorted into monthly boxes where we can no longer guarantee completeness or condition. Every year before Christmas, we donate all remaining pieces that have been with us for more than one year to “Aktion Leben” to bring joy to someone else. :)

I'm not happy with how the glaze turned out on my piece. Is it possible to reglaze it, or receive a refund or reimbursement?

We understand that glaze results can sometimes be surprising, but reglazing high-temperature fired pieces is not possible, and we do not offer reglazing or deglazing services.

Glazing in pottery is an inherently variable process and cannot be fully controlled or replicated exactly. Even when the same glaze, clay body, and firing schedule are used, the final outcome can differ from piece to piece. Many factors influence the result, including kiln placement, temperature fluctuations during firing, glaze thickness, how the glaze interacts with the clay, and the overall kiln atmosphere. These variables are a natural part of working with handmade ceramics.

Because of this unpredictability, glaze appearance is not considered a defect. For this reason, we do not offer refunds, reimbursements or remakes based on glaze results or personal preference.