Foundations of Glaze Making - 3 day workshop

This three-day glaze-making workshop offers a complete, beginner-friendly introduction to the art and science of ceramic glazes. Across three structured sessions, participants learn the fundamentals of glaze chemistry, what influences glaze behaviour, and how to design and test their own materials. Through practical exercises and guided demonstrations, you’ll develop a solid foundation in glaze formulation while building the confidence to continue experimenting independently. Each day runs from 11:00 to 16:00 with a 30-minute lunch break.

Day one covers essential glaze principles, including how water content, application technique and clay bodies affect results. You will create your own single-material melt tests to see how raw materials behave. Day two begins with a review of your fired tiles, followed by working in pairs to create a biaxial blend using core materials such as quartz, feldspar, china clay and frit, forming the basis of your own glaze. On the final day, you will review the outcomes, mix a batch of your chosen base glaze and explore variations using metal oxides, stains and opacifiers. This workshop is ideal for anyone looking to understand glaze structure, expand their material knowledge and develop repeatable, informed glaze tests.