Considering a Course in Ceramics?
Ceramics can be an excellent hobby to have that will relieve stress and it is a very easy topic to learn about with a course in ceramics. Doing the course will allow you to get creative and let out your artistic side. Not to mention, you will get to meet new people and make friends. There are so many courses in ceramics currently available and for a variety of levels. In addition, being busy is no excuse not to take on the course because ceramics courses are available in part-time and evening class options, in person and online.
What is a Ceramics Course?
Ceramics courses teach the skills students need to create their own pieces of artwork and cover topics ranging from sculpture to art history.
A Brief History of Ceramics
Ceramics is one of the most ancient industries going back thousands of years. Once humans discovered that clay could be discovered in abundance and formed into objects by first mixing with water and then firing, a key industry was born. The oldest known ceramic artifact is dated as early as 28,000 BCE, during the Paleolithic period. It is a statuette of a woman, named the Venus of Dolní Věstonice, from a small prehistoric settlement near Brno, in the Czech Republic. In this location, hundreds of clay figurines representing Ice Age animals were also uncovered near the remains of a horseshoe-shaped kiln.
The first examples of pottery appeared in Eastern Asia several thousands of years later. In the Zianrendong cave in China, fragments of pots dated to 18,000 to 17,000 BCE have been found. It is believed that from China the use of pottery successively spread to the Russian Far East region and Japan where archaeologists have discovered shards of ceramics artifacts dating to 14,000 BCE. Use of ceramics increased dramatically during the Neolithic period, with the establishment of settled communities who were dedicated to farming and agriculture. Beginning approximately in 9,000 BCE, clay-based ceramics became popular as containers for food and water, art objects, tiles and bricks and their use spread from Asia to the Middle East and Europe.
Course Content
Ceramics courses offer an introduction to ceramics. Students are introduced to the various different kinds of clay, their properties and uses, the relevant terminology and functions. You will learn the techniques that are involved in the preparation of clay such as kneading and wedging along with procedures for forming, building and firing clay. How to build pots and sculptural work using pinching, coiling, slab building, mold work and extrusion will also be covered. You will be educated on the various decoration and glazing techniques to produce a series of finished pieces. Also, explored in detail are health and safety and environmental considerations as they apply to ceramics i.e. The use of appropriate equipment and tools, storage and disposal of materials. Students gain practical experience too by using clay as a material for creative exploration and development of ideas.
If you’re serious about doing a course in ceramics, check out courses near you in the Nightcourses.co.uk national course finder.
