Date Idea: Affordable Couple Pottery Workshop To Make Unique Dinnerware For Your New BTO Flat

Ask any Singaporean couple what their favourite shared pastime is, and you’re likely to get “cafe hopping” or “Netflix marathons” as your answer. Admittedly, having been together for quite a number of years, my boyfriend and I have also fallen trap to the same predictable sort of date routine. Gasp, have we morphed into those “boring” adults we swore we’d never become? 

After one too many episodes of Family Guy and hitting up the same few food spots in our ‘hood, we finally got off our butts and to do something different for a change, with an affordable couple pottery workshop at Arudio - a pottery studio in Singapore. Here’s how it went.

Read on for our review on Arudio in Singapore!

- About Arudio -

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Arudio has 2 studio spaces in the North, located at Nordcom II in Sembawang and Woodlands 11. We headed over to their newest one at Nordcom II for our Couple Wheel Throwing Trial Class.

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Don’t be fooled by the name of the workshop - despite being a “trial”, in the sense that it’s a prelude to regular classes, this is a fully-fledged 3-hour workshop that will give you a proper hands-on experience. By the end of the session, you’ll be guaranteed 2 vessels handmade by you - that’s 4 unique pieces in total between you and your plus one! 

- Arudio’s Wheel Throwing Trial Class: What to expect -

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What first struck us about Arudio is how spacious it is. Though minimally decorated, this well-lit studio has an open, airy feeling that provides a chill environment for art therapy. Not to mention, social distancing definitely won’t be an issue here.

After being welcomed by the staff, we were each given an apron to prevent our clothes from getting dirty. Trust us, you will be getting messy here, so wear something comfortable that you won’t mind getting minor clay splatters on. I forgot to bring a hair-tie, but turns out, the staff already had a packet of those on hand to give out to customers who need to keep their long hair out of the way - 10 points for service right off the bat!

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We were then shown to our work stations, and given an explanation and live demonstration of the wheel-throwing process before trying it out for ourselves.

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You’ll first have to pat the clay into a ball, before forcefully throwing it onto the wheel so that it will stick well and not topple in the midst of the moulding process. Stepping onto a pedal to turn on the automatic wheel, you’ll then be using a variety of techniques to shape the clay into your desired vessel - be it a bowl, cup, or plate.

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Once you’re satisfied with what you’ve made, you’ll be using a wire tool to slice it off from the wheel, before drying the surface using an industrial heat gun.

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It’s harder than it actually looks, but the whole challenge is what makes it fun! Though my boyfriend and I were both creating individual projects, it was still a nice bonding experience working alongside each other - and lightheartedly laughing at each others’ boo boos along the way. Plus, we had a shared goal to work towards: To create one-of-a-kind, personalised dinnerware for our new HDB BTO flat!

Photo from Arudio

I liked how the instructors didn’t micromanage us too much, which gave us freedom to trial and error on our own - all while keeping well within reach to provide assistance whenever we needed help. They were also very knowledgeable about their craft, and were able to fully explain the reasoning behind each step as we went along.

Don’t worry if your pottery creation doesn’t look the best, because you’ll be given two lumps of clay to mould. The second one will probably look much better than the first, since you’d already have gotten the hang of it.

- Personalising and glazing your pottery pieces -

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The next portion of the class involves smoothing out any imperfections using a damp sponge, and personalising your masterpiece. As the glazing process is a long and complicated one, Arudio will settle that on your behalf. However, you still get to pick your preferred colour out of the 6 shades available.

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Apart from solid colours like pink and yellow, there are also 2 “hybrid shades” that are a mix of different colour pigments. The end result is a sort of speckled, multi-toned effect as shown below, and what’s exciting is that you’ll never really know how it’ll turn out until everything is fired. 

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Using plastic stamps, you’ll be embedding the code of your selected colour, along with your name or initials and the date. While this serves as a means for the staff to identify your pieces, it also doubles up as a form of personalisation, so don’t be shy - go ahead and stamp on your couple hashtag if you wish!

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The firing and glazing period will take 6 to 8 weeks, and Arudio will contact you once your pottery pieces are ready for collection.

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Don’t forget to snap a photo at the botanical feature wall with your finished cups or bowls as a keepsake!

- Prices at Arudio -

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The Couple Wheel Throwing trial class at Arudio costs $130 for 2 pax ($70 per person for single sign-ups). Considering the length of the workshop, and the fact that you get to make two items while other places only give you the option of one, it’s pretty value-for-money!

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We found the 3-hour duration of the workshop just right. It wasn’t too rushed, and there was sufficient time for us to play around with the clay, experiment with the different techniques taught, and mould our creations to our liking.

Photo from Arudio

It doesn’t matter whether you scored A+ for art in school, or if you think you aren’t good with your hands. The classes here are designed to be beginner-friendly, such that those with zero prior knowledge in pottery need not worry a single bit. And thanks to the super friendly and patient instructors who treat customers like friends, we felt right at home here! 

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Attending this wheel throwing class brought us a fresh experience as a couple, which is something we never knew we needed until now. Who knows, we might even sign up for their 5- or 10-session Short Classes in the future for more pottery fun together as a new mutual hobby!

Check out Arudio’s current workshop schedule and make your booking here.

Arudio
Address: 2 Gambas Crescent, #06-26, Nordcom II Tower 2, Singapore 757044 and 11 Woodlands Close #09-30, Singapore 737853
Telephone: 9797 4064
Website

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Text by: GirlStyle SG