Porcelain hand building with Antoinette Badenhorst

"Translucent porcelain is possible if you understand the clay medium." - Antoinette
Learn how to use porcelain clay for your hand made projects.  Antoinette shows how to make porcelain paper clay and how to add fibers and grog to control the movement of the clay.
The pinching skills will show you how to "see" with your fingers. You will learn about mold making, slab building, patching, coiling, tool and die making and will be stimulated with the use of spriggs. You should be able to do extruding without the use of an extruder and will see how easy it is to make your own collectors porcelain bottles.

Carving and altering of clay will be easy to follow with the detailed videos and the PDF review documents will enhance the learning.
​Design as well as glazing and firing are all included in this experience with porcelain.

Classes open for registration

Porcelain handbuilding May 30 - Aug 6

$189.00

6 weeks formal class, 4 weeks reviewing.
Register for class

Porcelain handbuilding Jul 25 - Oct 1

$189.00

6 weeks formal class, 4 weeks reviewing.
Register for class

Preview e-course

Contents of porcelain handbuilding

Week 1
Introduction and overview
History and character of porcelain
Why handbuilding and not wheel throwing
Porcelain vs stoneware and earthenware for handbuilding
Translucency in porcelain
Porcelain works like clay but when fired becomes like glass
Which tools and equipment works best for porcelain
What is suitable porcelain clay
​Week 2
How to make your own plaster molds.
How to make bisque molds.
How to make porcelain paper clay and what can you do with it.
How to add nylon fibers in porcelain clay.
How to do slab building with porcelain clay.
Explore the basic rules for handbuilding with porcelain clay.
Which handbuilding methods are most suitable for porcelain
Week 3
Learn different methods to make proper porcelain coils.
What to consider when building with coils and patches.
How to pinch the porcelain to get translucency in the clay.
​How to build and use a Marquette for your handbuilding projects.
Learn more about the "pinching in" technique and see where and how to use it.
How to build with patches of clay. ​
​Week 4
Scraping and shaping with imitated extruders.
How to make your own "extruding" tools, templates and dies.
​How to work with a simulated extruder.
How to make a slab casserole with an imitated extruder.
How to throw and handle slabs.
Design considerations when building pots by hand.
Week 5
Learn about press molding.
How to make and use spriggs.
How to make different press molded bottles.
How to use molds for bowl projects.
​​Building vessels ​​
​Week 6
Learn how to make a translucent porcelain envelope.
How to alter leather-hard porcelain pots.
Learn how and when to do carving on porcelain pots.
Explore designing techniques with porcelain envelopes.
Glazing and firing considerations with porcelain.

Registration policy

What do I need for this e-course?
  • You must have access to potters clay, a workplace and kiln.
  • You must have consistent access to a computer, iPad or iPhone or related technology.
  • You must have basic computer knowledge. (Although we will assist you with the viewing of the videos, we cannot teach you how to use a computer). 
  • You should understand the following terminology: 
  •  Pottery clay; leather hard; bone dry; green ware; bisque ware; wedging; coiling; glazing; firing clay; kiln; cone; pinching. 

REFUND POLICY
  • No refunding after the e-course started.
  • Submitting an online registration indicates your agreement with this policy.
Some of the student's reviews for the Porcelain Handbuilding online class.

"Very well organized. Videos were EXCELLENT. Very informative and well worth the time and price. I appreciated both Antoinette's and Koos's effort to make students feel welcome. Would VERY highly recommend all the courses I have taken so far. Thank you." Yasmin (Michigan)

"I really loved taking this class. It was a lot of information and Antoinette was amazing and thorough while answering my questions via email. I learned a lot of new techniques." Ze Robinson (California)

"Thank you so much for your class. I have learned a great deal. I never thought I would be able to make the things I have. I know I wouldn’t have been able to realize my talent without you." Claudia Wierzba (Canada)

"Really great - really thorough course with so much information. Felt like it could have been a whole book!" Anna Berry (England)

"This was an excellent class! I have had a fair amount of previous clay experience with earthenware and stoneware, but I had avoided porcelain since I had heard so much about how difficult it was to work with and to hand build with in particular. Antoinette's class was a huge help and I am so pleased with how comfortable I feel working with porcelain now." Sandy Gaier (Indiana)