Free intro call
Twenty minutes on where you work, what you make and what keeps failing.
Online · Home hand-building and studio members
Centered, or
Centered, or
start again.
Every wobbling bowl and every collapsed wall comes from the same place: clay that was never properly centered, or hands that changed pressure without meaning to. Both are visible on video.
- 6–12weeks per program
- 48 hfor a video review
- 10 maxin a live session
- $0intro call
The programs
Four programs, and two need nothing but a table
Hand-building works at home with a bag of clay. Throwing needs a wheel, at home or at a community studio.
Hand-building
Pinch, coil and slab work — the techniques that produce real pots on a kitchen table.
See the programWheel throwing
Wedging, centering, opening and pulling walls — diagnosed from video of your hands, not your pot.
See the programGlaze & firing
Application thickness, cone temperatures, testing, and reading what came out of the kiln.
See the programStudio practice
Silica safety, wet cleaning, reclaim, planning a home setup, and getting the most from a community studio.
See the program
How it works
Film your hands, not the pot
The finished piece shows the symptom. Thirty seconds of your hands shows the cause, every time.
Practice with one focus
Centering, or joins, or wall thickness. One thing per week.
Film from the side
Hands and posture in frame, sound on.
Written feedback
Within 48 hours: the mechanical cause and the adjustment to try.
Plans
Pick your level of support
Month to month, cancel anytime. The 20-minute intro call is free.
Group sessions
A weekly session working through technique and members' pieces.
$29/ month
- One 75-minute live session each week
- Groups of 10 potters maximum
- One member's video reviewed weekly
- Templates and glaze test sheets
- Replays for 30 days
Coaching essentials
A coach on your hands, your forms and your glazes.
$79/ month
- Personal 6 to 12 week program
- Video reviewed within 48 hours
- One 30-min session every two weeks
- Work planned around your studio access
- Access to all group sessions
One-on-one
For a home studio, a body of work, or a persistent throwing problem.
$155/ month
- One 45-min session each week
- Replies within 24 hours
- Live coaching while you throw
- Glaze testing planned with you
- Access to all group sessions
Prices in USD. Cancel anytime, no contract.
How we work
No studio, no kiln, no shortcuts on safety
Orvellai is coaching only. We provide no studio, no wheel, no kiln and no firing, and we sell no clay or glazes. Most clients work at home or at a community studio, and we plan around whichever you have.
Two things we won't soften. Clay dust contains crystalline silica and is a genuine long-term respiratory hazard, so wet cleaning is not optional. And food-safe means a commercially certified, lead-free glaze fired as the manufacturer specifies — never a homemade mixture on something someone will eat from.
Frequently asked
The questions we get most
Can I learn pottery without a wheel?
Yes, and hand-building is a serious discipline rather than a consolation prize. Two of our four programs need nothing but clay and a table.
Where do I get things fired?
Community studios, colleges and some pottery shops fire work for a fee. We'll help you find options and prepare pieces the way a firing service expects.
Why does my pot always go off-center?
Almost always bracing and pressure, not strength. Film your hands from the side and it usually becomes obvious within one review.
Is clay dust really dangerous?
Yes, over years of exposure. Wet clean, don't sweep dry, and don't sand bone-dry clay indoors without proper protection. This is the part of the hobby people skip and shouldn't.
Can I make mugs to sell?
You can make functional ware with certified food-safe glazes correctly fired. Selling brings other obligations, and we'll be clear about where coaching stops.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. No contract, no minimum term. Access stays open until the end of the month you already paid for.
Struggling to center?
Twenty minutes on your hands, your clay and the first adjustment. Free.