Form & Flow: Handbuilding Large Vessels (5 Days)
Form & Flow: Handbuilding Large Vessels
Starts everyday (except Thursday)
Level- Beginners to Intermediate
Time – 11AM to 1:30 PM & 3:00PM to 5:30PM
Total Duration – 12.5 HOURS
Location- Studio 1
Age – 18years +
Fees
Residential: INR 26550 for 1 person & INR 42090 for 2 people (Including taxes, all meals and materials)
Residential option is available between Jan 4th to 28th Feb 2026
Non residential: INR 6000/person (Including – taxes and all material)
A creative hand-building course focused on creating large vase forms using traditional clay techniques. A unique hand-building course designed to help you slow down and explore clay through the meditative process of creating vase— all without using a pottery wheel. Perfect for beginners or anyone curious about working with clay in a more organic, mindful way.
Workshop Outline:
The course is spread over five sessions, each designed meticulously to cover various aspects of create vases through hand building.
Daily Flow
Day 1: Introduction to Clay & Basic Techniques
Start your journey by getting comfortable with clay. Learn about different types of clay, their properties, and essential handbuilding techniques like pinching, coiling, and slab work. This session is all about exploration — feeling the material, experimenting, and understanding how it moves.
Day 2: Ideation, Sketching & Miniature Models
Move from ideas to form. You’ll sketch your vase design, exploring shape, balance, and proportion. Create small clay maquettes (miniature samples) to test and refine your ideas. By the end of this session, you’ll have a clear direction for your large piece.
Day 3: Beginning the Large Vase
Start building your main piece. Using coiling or slab techniques, you’ll gradually scale up your chosen design into a larger vessel. Learn to manage structure, join pieces seamlessly, and support your work as it grows. The focus is on working slowly and mindfully, allowing the form to evolve.
Day 4: Shaping & Refinement
Continue building and refining your vase. This session is dedicated to shaping curves, adjusting proportions, and adding design elements such as handles, ridges, or decorative textures. You’ll also learn techniques for smoothing surfaces and preparing your piece for finishing.
Day 5: Finishing Touches & Preparing for Firing
Final detailing, surface treatments, and overall finishing. You’ll learn how to prepare your piece for drying and bisque firing — including signing, smoothing, and making any final adjustments. We end with a group sharing circle, where everyone presents their creations and reflects on the journey.
Workshop Highlights:
- Learn to create large ceramic forms without a wheel.
- Hands-on practice and guided instructions.
- Ideal for beginners and anyone looking to deepen their connection with clay.
- Participants will have access to a lead instructor who will help you with techniques.
- You can collect your pieces from studio after the completion of the workshop. Or, we can also courier them to you at additional charges.
Participants can join membership and practice sessions to keep exploring independently.
Stay
The accommodation and studio lie amidst the pine and cedar forest, completely secluded from the hustle-bustle of the town yet easily approachable by road and just a 5-minute walk away from the village. We have single and double-occupancy rooms. We don’t put up strangers together- so you will either have the whole room or share it with someone you bring along.
All the rooms are with attached washrooms, high–speed WiFi, power backup, hot water, electric kettle, heaters/Fan private balcony and modernist aesthetics. You will have a view of the Dhauladhar mountain range from your room!
Laundry and taxi services are available at the property.
Meals
An in–house cafeteria provides delicious and healthy Indian vegetarian food. Vegan or gluten-free food is also available on request. All meals (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner) are included in the price. Apart from our in–house cafe there are many other cafes to explore, just a 7-10 minutes walk away from the retreat centre.
Location
At an elevation of 2100 m, Dharamkot is a small village in Kangra district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. Famous for yoga, meditation and Hippies since the 1970s, Dharamkot is also known as a second home for Israeli tourists coming to India. We are 2 km above McLeodGanj, which is home to the Dalai lama and the Capital of the Tibetan government–in–exile.
The Retreat Centre is located amidst the pine and cedar forest, completely secluded from the hustle–bustle of everyday life, yet easily approachable by road with a 5-minute walk to the village. Dharamkot offers wide views of the Kangra Valley and the Dhauladhar ranges. It has the world–famous Vipassana meditation centres– Dhamma Shikara and Tushita Meditation Centre.
The name Dharamkot Studio comes from the village of Dharamkot where it is located.
Weather
How to reach
By Air – Dharamshala airport (DHM) is the nearest airport which is around 20 km (50 minutes) from the studio, direct taxi (1400/-) to the studio will be available.
By Bus – Overnight journey from Delhi by semi-sleeper bus. The nearest bus station is Dharamshala (8 km), and from the bus station, you can take a taxi (Rs. 600/-) to the studio.
By Train – Pathankot (85km) is the nearest railway station, from Pathankot you can take public transport to Dharamshala and then a taxi to the Studio. Or you can take a taxi from Pathankot to the studio.
Team/Studio
The retreat is curated and conducted by a team of facilitators, resident artists and guides. In Dharamkot village we run 2 studio spaces, Studio-1 is for non-residential workshops while studio-2 is for the retreats and longer courses. Studio functions like an artist community, 20-30 resident artists, students and other staff members work and live here around the year in both studio spaces. So you will be a part of this community of artists fiddling with pottery wheels or bringing their imagination to life in this idyllic sanctuary.
Prices
Fees
Non residential: INR 6000/person (Including – taxes and all material)
How to book For booking and any other query please email on info@dharamkotstudio.com or whatsapp/call on +91 98053 12554 (Vivek)
How to book
For booking and any other query please email on info@dharamkotstudio.com or whatsapp/call on +91 98053 12554 (Vivek)
FAQs
Q.Do I need any prior pottery experience?
A. No! This course is designed for complete beginners as well as those with some experience.
Q. Is the studio open every day during the course?
A. The studio is closed on Thursdays, so there are no classes or studio access on that day. The course will resume on Friday and continue as planned.
Q. What will I create in this course?
A-You will design and build a large handbuilt vase (between 6 to 12 inch), completely from scratch.
Q. Will I learn to use the pottery wheel?
A- No, this course is entirely focused on handbuilding techniques . If you’d like to learn wheel throwing, we offer separate workshops for that.
Q.Will I be able to take home the pottery I make during the workshop?
A-Yes, these pieces can be fired/glazed and shipped to your address with an additional cost of 800-2000/piece (only in India). The shipping process will take around 3-4 weeks.
Q. Can I continue working outside class hours?
A. Yes! From Day 2 onwards, you’re welcome to come before or stay after your scheduled session to keep working on your piece at your own pace.
Q. Can I take my piece home immediately?
No. Clay needs to dry completely before firing, and then it will be bisque fired. You can collect your piece later or we can courier it to you (additional charges apply).
Q. What other program can I choose apart from this?
A- You can opt for the Pottery Retreat, the Artist Residency Program or 5 Weeks Beginners Course.