A man throwing a porcelain cylinder on the potter's wheel

A BOOTCAMP THAT ACTUALLY TEACHES YOU TO THINK IN CLAY

I walked in as a complete beginner with zero expectations, and walked out having genuinely surprised myself. This pottery bootcamp was one of those rare experiences that delivers far more than you anticipate.

The studio itself was wonderfully set up — everything you needed was within reach, and the atmosphere was relaxed enough that you never felt the pressure to keep up or perform. Everyone was free to advance at their own pace, which made such a difference. There’s something quietly powerful about being given that kind of space.

Ipek was an exceptional tutor. She had a real instinct for knowing when to step in with a prompt and when to hold back and let you find your own way — and crucially, when to push you further because she could see you were ready. That balance is genuinely hard to get right, and she nailed it.

The format of the bootcamp was what made it truly effective: watch Ipek demo a technique, then have the time and space to work through it yourself. That’s where the real learning happened — not in being shown, but in the figuring out. I came away understanding why things work in clay, not just how to copy a shape.

I outperformed my own expectations by a long stretch. If you’re curious about pottery but think you’re “not creative enough” or “too much of a beginner” — this is exactly the place to start.”

Michael from South Africa
Fund manager
FMO - Dutch entrepreneurial development bank

Upcoming courses and workshops

  • HAND-BUILDING SCULPTURAL HANDLES WORKSHOP

    Level: All
    Date: Wednesday, May 27th
    Time: 18:15 - 21:45
    Group size: Up to 6 participants
    Instructor: Becca Thomson
    Price: €125 per person

    Price includes:
    - 1 kg soft porcelain clay
    - Storage of your handles in a shared studio damp box up to 2 weeks if you don’t have your own damp box in the studio

    What is not included but may be added on:
    - Extra studio time to finish your work (open studio session) €80
    - Prepaid all-day parking ticket €9
    - Shipping/delivery of your pieces (price TBD)

    €125 per person

  • close up of a bouquet of beautiful handmade porcelain flowers against a green plant wall

    2-SESSION HAND-BUILDING PORCELAIN FLOWERS WORKSHOP AND OPEN STUDIO

    Level: All
    Date: Saturday, May 30th (plus one 3-hr open studio to be used within 2 weeks of your workshop)
    Time: 14:15 - 17:45
    Group size: 2-8 participants
    Instructor: Annemieke de Knoop
    Price: €150

    Price includes:
    - 500 grams porcelain clay
    - 1× 3-hour hand-building workshop
    - 1× 3-hour open studio session to be used within 2 weeks of your workshop to refine and your flowers before bisque firing
    - Storage of your flowers in a damp box for up to 2 weeks
    - Clear glossy glazing of your flowers by a staff member
    - Bisque and glaze firings
    €150 per person

  • Porcelain wheel-thrown ginger/garlic graters

    2-SESSION GINGER/GARLIC GRATERS MINI COURSE

    3-HR PORCELAIN WHEEL-THROWING LESSON AND 1-HR MINI SIMPLE GLAZING LESSON

    Level: Beginners
    Date: Monday, June 1st
    Time: 18:15-22:00
    Group size: 2-4 participants
    Instructor: Cansin Antep Böncü
    Price: €200 per person

    Price includes:
    - 3-hr wheel throwing workshop for beginners with 2,5 kg soft porcelain clay
    - 1-hr short private lesson to be used within 2 weeks of your throwing lesson on simple glazing lesson during an open studio session and choice of 6 colors of glaze (or you may ask a staff member to glaze your work with your chosen colors)
    - Bisque and glaze firings

    Possible add-ons:
    - Prepaid all-day parking ticket
    - Shipping/delivery of your pieces

    €200 per person

  • Clay Studio Leiden bootcamp workshop participant smiles at the camera as she stands next to the porcelain cups she created in the bootcamp workshop

    7-DAY SUMMER INTENSIVE PORCELAIN WHEEL-THROWING AND PAINTING BOOTCAMP
    (5 workshop days + 2 open studios)

    Level: Beginners
    Dates: 9-13 June
    Time: 9:00 - 17:00
    Group size: 4 participants
    Instructors: Ipek and Cansin

    Price includes:
    - 3 days wheel-throwing basics such as centering, base and rim compression, pulling up walls, shaping and refining small bowls, cups, vases and dishes
    - 1 day trimming
    - 1 day underglazing and glazing
    - 2 open studio sessions (3 hrs each) to finish your underglazing or glazing to be used within 2 weeks after the bootcamp
    - Lunch on 5 full-day sessions
    - 25 kg porcelain clay per person
    - Access to 60+ colors of underglaze
    - 150 ml glaze
    - Bisque and glaze firings for works made with up to 5 kg of porcelain

    What is not included but can be added on:
    - Prepaid all-day parking tickets
    - Extra porcelain
    - Extra glazes
    - Extra firing

    Regular price: €1500
    Early bird price: €1250

  • Small porcelain lidded jar

    ONLY FOR OPEN STUDIO MEMBERS

    2-SESSION MINI COURSE・SMALL LIDDED JARS

    3-HR PORCELAIN WHEEL-THROWING LESSON + 3-HR TRIMMING LESSON

    Level: Beginners
    Date: Saturday, June 20th and 27th
    Time: 14.15-18.00 (including intro and clean up time)
    Group size: 2-4 participants
    Instructor: Cansin Antep Böncü
    Price: €300 per person

    Price includes:
    - 3-hr wheel throwing workshop for beginners with 2,5 kg soft porcelain clay (you may keep 3 of your lidded jars made with 250 gr)
    - 3-hr trimming workshop
    - Bisque firing

    Important note:
    This mini course is only open to our open studio members

    €300 per person

  • 7-DAY SUMMER INTENSIVE HAND-BUILDING AND PAINTING BOOTCAMP
    (5 workshop days + 2 open studios)

    Level: Beginners
    Dates: TBD with participants. Bootcamp weeks are possible in June, July and August
    Time: 9:30 - 17:30
    Group size: Max. 6 participants
    Instructors: Becca

    Price includes:
    - 3 days slab-making, pinching, hand-forming focusing on small sculptures, spoons, mugs, dishes and lidded jars
    - 1 day refining, carving, fettling forms
    - 1 day underglazing and glazing
    - 2 open studio sessions (3 hrs each) to finish your underglazing and glazing after the 5 days of workshops to be used within 2 weeks
    - Lunch
    - 12.5 kg stoneware clay per person
    - Access to 60+ colors of underglaze
    - 150 ml clear glossy glaze
    - Bisque and glaze firings for works made with up 5 kg clay

    What is not included but may be added on:
    - Prepaid parking tickets €9/ticket
    - Extra clay (depends on clay type)
    - Extra glazes (€25 for 5 glazes)
    - Extra firing (TBD)
    - Shipping/delivery of your pieces (TBD)

  • Clay Studio Leiden wheel-throwing porcelain pottery workshop in session

    5-WEEK PORCELAIN WHEEL-THROWING & TRIMMING COURSE

    Level: Beginners
    Dates and times: TBD with participants. Possible days and times are Monday evenings or Saturday afternoons.
    Group size: Max. 4 participants
    Instructor: Cansin
    Price: €600 per person

    Price includes:
    - 7,5 kg soft porcelain clay per person (you may keep up to 10 pieces made with 250 grams)
    - 3× 3-hr throwing lessons
    - 1× 3-hr trimming lesson
    - 1× 3-hr open studio for trimming to be used the last week of May
    - 1× 11-liter damp box storage space for 4 weeks
    - 1× 11-liter bisque storage box for 6 weeks
    - Bisque firings

    What is not included but may be added on:
    - Prepaid parking tickets
    - Glazing and/or underglazing workshop
    - Glazing of your pieces by studio staff
    - Shipping/delivery of your pieces

    €600 per person

  • 2-SESSION CERAMIC UNDERGLAZE PAINTING WORKSHOP AND OPEN STUDIO SESSION

    Level: Beginners
    Date: Wednesday, May 6th (plus a 3-hour open studio session to be used within 2 weeks of your workshop)
    Time: 18:15 - 21:45
    Group size: 4-8 participants
    Instructor: TBD
    Price: €150

    Price includes:
    - 2 ready-to-paint mugs/bowls/plates
    - 1× 3-hour open studio session to be used maximum within 2 weeks of your workshop
    - Access to 60+ underglaze colors
    - Clear glossy glaze and firing of your objects

    What is not included but may be added on:
    - Extra studio time to finish your work (open studio session) €80
    - Prepaid all-day parking ticket €9
    - Shipping/delivery of your pieces (price TBD)

    Your items will be ready to be picked up within a week after your last session and will be food-safe, microwave-safe and dishwasher safe.

    €150 per person

Got questions?

Click below to schedule a phone/video call with Ipek.

Calvin’s testimonial

"I was able to learn so much in just my first class!

What I especially loved was that Ipek has a contagious enthusiasm and encourages her students to explore and be creative. She is not only an expert in her craft but also a fantastic teacher!

In addition, she is a very kind and compassionate person, which made the lesson a joy to attend."

Calvin from the Netherlands
Business analyst, ABN AMRO