Hand-Building
& Carving
Secrets
Hand-Building & Carving Secrets is the only workshop that teaches artists my self-developed techniques for building sculptural ceramic forms with speed, freedom, and elegant refinement — using simple tools and intuitive movement.
This is a creative space for makers who want to feel confident in their hand-building, discover a faster and more fluid way of working, and create forms that feel sculptural, intentional, and uniquely their own.
Inside, you’ll learn the exact building systems I use in my studio — including my rolling-pin method, how to create slabs without a slab roller, and my sculptural carving approach. You’ll learn to work with clay in a way that feels natural, organic, and empowered, so your forms hold presence, softness, and a sense of quiet strength.
A workshop
for artists ready to:
✨ Create sculptural forms with confidence — building vases, plates, and larger pieces that feel intentional, elegant, and full of presence.
✨ Learn hand-building with ease and flow — using my rolling-pin method, slab-making without big equipment, and a fast hybrid coil-slab approach you can do anywhere.
✨ Develop your own sculptural language — shapes with softness, curvature, and personality — forms that feel alive, balanced, and uniquely yours.
✨ Carve with refinement and clarity — shaping silhouettes, smoothing organic lines, and bringing softness and movement into the form with my signature carving technique.
✨ Work faster and more intuitively — no overwhelmed energy, no overworking the clay — just clean, fluid building that keeps you in creative flow.
✨ Feel proud and grounded in your craft — whether you're starting or experienced, this method gives you confidence, speed, and a sense of creative freedom in the studio.
Everything became easier when I realised hand-building is not about perfection —
it’s about flow, curiosity, and finding your own sculptural language.
Once I discovered a faster, more intuitive way to build by hand, everything opened up.
Sculptural vases that felt alive.
Large pieces built with flow instead of strain.
Forms that finally matched the vision in my head.
And with that shift came opportunity — collectors, galleries, commissions, artists reaching out because the work felt different… grounded, sculptural, unmistakably handmade with intention.
All of it — from techniques I developed in my own studio, with nothing more than clay, a rolling pin, and curiosity.
Now I’m sharing those methods with you, so you can skip the years of trial and error and unlock a way of working that feels natural, fluid, and deeply satisfying.
Imagine stepping into the studio knowing exactly how to create forms you feel proud of — no wheel, no big equipment, just your hands, clay, and a process that supports your creativity instead of limiting it.
Create work you feel proud of
Unlock the methods that bring speed, elegance, and freedom into your hand-building practice.
A technique that finally clicks
Imagine discovering a way of hand-building that’s simple, fast, and easy to trust. No wheel, no slab roller — just a fluid, intuitive method that lets your forms hold shape, your curves stay clean, and your vision come through your hands with confidence.
Join Hand-Building and Carving Secrets
Full start-to-finish demonstrations
Watch me build pieces in real time — from clay prep to final carving — so you see every step, decision, and movement.
Clear technique breakdowns
Learn the rolling-pin method, slab-making without a slab roller, and the fast hybrid coil-slab technique that changed everything for me.
Live-style guidance & explanations
I talk you through what I’m doing as I work — so you understand why each step matters and how to adapt it to your own style.
Carving methods for elegant form
How to shape, soften, and refine your silhouettes — creating curves, thickness, and transitions that feel sculptural and intentional.
Creative Workbook
A studio companion with prompts, diagrams, and process notes to help you practice, sketch form ideas, and refine your eye.
My exact workflow
The simple, self-developed system I use every day in my studio to build efficiently, stay in flow, and create pieces that feel alive.
You’ll leave with a sculptural approach to clay you can trust — able to build confidently, move intuitively, and bring your ideas into form with clarity and ease.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
This workshop is for anyone who wants to hand-build with more confidence, clarity, and ease — whether you’re just beginning or you’ve been working with clay for years.
You’ll learn a unique, self-developed method I’ve been teaching in person to artists who are always surprised by how simple, fast, and effective it is. No wheel, no slab roller, no complicated tools — just clay, your hands, and a process that flows.
If you love the sculptural, contemporary aesthetic and want a way of building that feels intuitive and refined, this is for you.
And if you've already taken Colour Secrets, this pairs beautifully — surface and form working together to create pieces that feel complete, expressive, and uniquely yours.
HOW THIS FEELS?
Like finally watching your hands create what you’ve always seen in your mind.
Like the clay responding to you — moving with you — instead of resisting.
Like building forms with confidence, flow, and ease — no overthinking, no forcing, just trust.
Like freedom — to shape, to explore, to express yourself through form.
Like your work expanding beyond technique into voice — sculptural, alive, uniquely yours.
Learn my self-developed hand-building techniques — the same methods that often surprise even seasoned ceramic artists. Create sculptural vases, plates, and larger forms with speed, flow, and intention. You'll explore the rolling-pin method, making slabs without a slab roller, and my carving approach for soft organic lines and refined silhouettes. Simple tools, intuitive process, beautiful results.
Here’s What You’ll Learn
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• Best clay types for sculptural forms
• How to prep clay for strength + stability
• Thickness, moisture, and timing for clean builds -
• My signature approach for fluid, sculptural forms
• Creating height, curves, and structure quickly
• Avoiding cracks, collapse, and heavy building -
• How to create even slabs using simple tools
• Building small plates to large platters with ease
• Clean edges, consistent thickness, flawless joins -
• Building vases from start to finish (Moon Vase, classic forms, tall pieces)
• Free-flow sculptural shapes + organic silhouettes
• Scaling up: how to build larger works quickly and safely -
• Sculptural carving techniques for soft, elegant lines
• Shaping volume, curves, and subtle transitions
• Finishing edges + refining surfaces thoughtfully -
• Timing for drying, trimming, and firing sculptural work
• Studio rhythm: when to move, when to pause, how to listen to the clay
• Adapting the method to any creative style or piece
Frequently asked questions about The Art of Photographing Ceramics
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It’s a sculptural hand-building workshop where I teach my personal techniques — including the rolling-pin method, slab-building without a slab roller, and my carving approach for elegant, organic forms. You’ll learn to build vessels, plates, sculptural pieces, and refined silhouettes with ease and confidence.
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This is not traditional coil-building or classroom slab work. It’s my self-developed studio method — fast, fluid, adaptable, and surprisingly simple. Even experienced ceramic artists are often shocked by how effective it is.
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No. This method requires only clay, a rolling pin, and your hands. That’s the beauty of it — freedom without equipment.
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Yes. You’ll watch me build vases (including my moon-style silhouettes), plates, larger platters, and free-flow sculptural forms — and I’ll show you how to adapt the technique to your own creative language.
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Full start-to-finish video lessons, carving demonstrations, technique breakdowns, a creative workbook, and my exact workflow — plus lifetime access to all updates as the workshop expands.
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You’ll begin building confidently right away. Many artists experience breakthroughs in their first session — and the more you repeat the technique, the freer your forms become.
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Both. Beginners gain a clear, intuitive foundation. Experienced ceramic artists learn a new, fast, and refined way of working that often replaces their old method or goes along with their style.
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Absolutely.
The workshop is completely self-paced, so you can move through it as your creative rhythm allows — pause, practice, revisit anytime. -
Because this workshop offers instant digital access, all sales are final.
But if you’re here, chances are this is the exact step your creative journey’s been waiting for — and you’ll feel that from the very first lesson.