Learn with Clay ~ Skills & Techniques


Welcome to the Rediscover Ceramics learning hub — a collection of pottery tips, clay guides, workshop resources, and downloadable reference sheets designed to support your creative journey. Whether you’re completely new to clay or building on existing skills, these resources will help you feel more confident working with handbuilding, wheel throwing, carving, glazing, and surface decoration techniques.

New resources will continue to be added over time following workshops and studio classes.

Danica Wichtermann Rediscover Ceramics Pottery Workshop Resources

Current Resources

Coming Soon

  • Clay Stages Explained
    Understand the difference between wet, leather hard, bone dry, bisque, and glaze-fired clay.

  • Essential Pottery Tools
    A simple guide to the most useful beginner pottery tools and what they’re used for

  • Botanical Impressions in Clay
    Tips for capturing detailed textures using leaves, bark, seed pods, and native botanicals.

  • Slab Building Basics
    Techniques for rolling, compressing, shaping, and constructing strong slab-built forms.

  • Handles & Attachments
    Learn how to create and attach handles, spouts, feet, and decorative elements successfully.

  • Drying Clay Without Cracks
    Practical ways to slow dry work evenly and reduce warping and cracking.

  • Underglaze & Surface Decoration
    Layering colour, brush techniques, carving combinations, and decorative finishes.

  • Trimming Wheel Thrown Pieces
    Improve foot rings, balance, proportions, and finishing techniques.

  • Glazing Basics
    Understanding glaze application, food safety, and common glazing methods.

  • Making Large Slab Built Vessels
    Building larger statement forms using templates, supports, and joining methods.

  • Texture & Mark Making in Clay
    Exploring carving, stamping, layering, and creating tactile ceramic surfaces.

  • Firing & Kiln Basics
    An introduction to bisque firing, glaze firing, temperatures, and kiln preparation.

  • Common Pottery Mistakes & Troubleshooting
    Solutions for cracking, S-cracks, warping, joins failing, and glaze faults.

  • Porcelain Tips & Techniques
    Working with porcelain clay bodies, drying considerations, and handling finer forms.


Follow along on social media for pottery tips, techniques, behind-the-scenes studio processes, and creative inspiration for all skill levels, along with insights into how I create my own ceramic work.