The Wheel-Thrown Teapots Online Workshop by Antoinette Badenhorst at TeachinArt is an in-depth, technically focused course designed to guide potters through one of the most challenging and expressive forms in ceramics—the functional teapot.
This immersive online workshop takes students step-by-step through the complete process of designing, throwing, assembling, and finishing a well-balanced, fully functional teapot. Often referred to as the “final boss” of pottery, the teapot demands both technical precision and artistic sensitivity, and this course is structured to help potters master both. 
Over three weeks of formal instruction (with additional time for review and practice), students explore the essential components that define a successful teapot: a body that pours efficiently, a spout that does not drip or spatter, a lid that fits securely during pouring, and a handle that complements both function and design. 
The workshop begins with the fundamentals—understanding teapot history, proportions, and design—before moving into throwing techniques such as forming cylinder-based and bellied teapots, working off the hump, and crafting precision-fitted lids. As the course progresses, students refine each element, learning how to trim, assemble, and integrate spouts, lids, and handles into a cohesive form. 
A strong emphasis is placed on functionality: pouring should be smooth and controlled, the lid should remain secure without requiring two hands, and every component must work together seamlessly. Beyond construction, the course also addresses decoration, glazing, and firing, ensuring that the final piece is both aesthetically compelling and fully usable. 
Designed for intermediate to advanced potters, this online class offers detailed, close-up demonstrations and direct access to instructor feedback, allowing students to develop confidence and precision in their work. More than just a technical course, it invites artists into the rich and “mysterious world of teapot collections,” where craftsmanship, expression, and function converge. 
In essence: this workshop transforms the complexity of the teapot into a structured, achievable process—equipping ceramic artists with the skills to create pieces that pour beautifully, function flawlessly, and communicate a refined artistic voice.

Teapot elements
Have you ever looked at a teapot and imagined its parts as symbols—perhaps even reflections of people
Let’s take a closer look at the elements of a teapot and how they function.
​At its core is the body, the vessel that holds the contents—warm liquid cradled within. The spout creates a pathway, allowing that liquid to flow outward. The lid keeps everything contained, preserving warmth within the teapot’s belly. The handle provides direction and control, guiding the movement of the vessel so the contents can be poured, either gracefully through the spout or, if mishandled, through the opening. Beneath it all, the foot rim anchors the teapot. It insulates against temperature transfer, protects the surface it rests on, and stabilizes the form, ensuring balance.

Steamhole
Ventilation is another critical detail. A small hole—often in the lid—allows steam to escape. Without it, pressure builds, forcing liquid to spatter from the gallery where lid and body meet.

The foot rim completes the form, but it is far more than a finishing touch. Since the maker cannot predict the surface on which the teapot will rest, the foot must adapt—protecting against rapid heat loss on cold materials, preventing damage to delicate surfaces, and maintaining stability even on uneven ground.

A handle situated correctly will make it easy to guide the body to direct the liquid to the spout. When the handle is tilted towards the spout, the liquid will flow easily, in an eloquent stream, or it will spatter and spit as it comes out, depending on how well the spout  is formed. A well formed lid,  will stay in place and not fall out if the teapot is tilted. If it must be  held in place with the other hand it is not well formed. Consider an elderly, frail and weaker person pouring tea; they may need 2 hands just to hold the teapot.  There must be a vent hole in the lid (some are in other places on the teapot), because steam builds up when filled with hot liquid and forces spattering at the gallery between the lid and body, if there is not a vent hole where the steam can escape. 
Then there is a foot rim which is finishing the form of your teapot. For a functional teapot this is a big consideration, because as the maker you do not know what kind of surface the teapot will stand on. A cold surface will cool the liquid down too quickly, whereas a wooden table may burn from the hot liquid. If the surface where the teapot will be used, is not perfectly smooth ( consider knotted wood or pebble stone tables) the foot must be as such that it will still keep the teapot balanced and up right. ​

​To create sculpted teapots, the same elements are considered, but any other elements can be added or left  out, with the condition that the teapot sculpture must be recognizable as a teapot. The artist has the freedom to suggest a body, a handle a spout like in the teapot by Lou Pierozzi in which his teapot may possibly refer to a steam kettle. See my article about him in A Ceramics Art and Perception Magazine: "One man’s junk is another man’s treasure"
The term "suggest" can become a an open space for instance suggesting there is a lid, often referred to it as an ewer. 
Richard Notkin created many teapots during his long clay career. Some of his most known teapots were in the shape of a heart. He used this theme over and over to convey messages. See my article written article ​Peace/War, Survival/Extinction An Artist’s Plea For Sanity

Below is a hand full of my own teapots that I made over the years. Most of them found homes. 
​The small collectors teapots are on average the size of a small orange. Although they all function as teapots, it is considered to be ornaments, due to the size, but also the way handles, lids,  knobs and in many cases the foot rim were created.