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Crankpots Ceramic Studio
Category: Shopping Arts & Crafts Arts & Crafts [Edit]
10702 82 Ave NWEdmonton, AB T6E 6P4
(780) 414-1005
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 10 am - 9 pm
Sat 10 am - 6 pm
Sun 10 am - 5 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
7 reviews for Crankpots Ceramic Studio
7 reviews in English
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Review from Alex P.
7/15/2011
In the fifth grade, my teacher had each student buy a block of clay, shape it, fire it in the kiln (our school had one and some of the students got to learn how to operate it), glaze it and fire it again. Crankpots may not offer you that level of control over your product, but they do a fine job when it comes to letting people of all ages have some fun painting pottery.
The pieces range in price, but if you want to do anything of a decent size (like a plate or something), it'll cost you at least 25 bucks. With the cost of paint/glaze, it might end up costing you $40 for one thing! Try not to find this off-putting though, just put a little thought into what you want to paint.
I personally find the "artistic process" very relaxing, and can spend hours on end in there painting. Sometimes my projects have taken months, with me coming in multiple times a week! They only charge you for paint/glaze once, so you don't need to keep paying when you go back to work on your piece.
A word of advice: avoid going there on Saturdays. It gets pretty packed with groups of kids. Usually it's someone's birthday and the parents bring in cake, which looks mighty tasty if you've been in there for hours painting (and not eating.) Cake torture!! It also gets pretty noisy, which can impact the relaxing experience.
Crankpots makes a great date idea or place to go with a small group of friends. I pretty much always have a project going... though I think they fire the pieces if you haven't worked on them for several months. Try it out!!Listed in: Date Ideas, Hobbies!
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Review from Sarah W.
6/24/2011
I don't consider myself to be particularly artistic, but there is something very soothing and fun about paiting a pre-made ceramic creation.
I took the 3 kids I care for to Crankpots one afternoon for something different to do - and it was a lot of fun! The studio was quiet, with lots of big tables to sit around. I do have to mention that you have to have very obedient, STILL kids to bring them here, as there are tons of breakables around and things can easily get broken. The women working there were knowledgable but not excessively friendly. Considering I had 3 kids with me, it would have been nice to have a little bit of hospitality for their sake.
Basically, you pay for a sitting fee and the cost of whatever ceramic shape you purchase. Glaze is included in the sitting fee and you are free to choose whatever colors you desire, and then they fire it for you, and you pick it up in the next few days. I found the prices to be a little bit expensive - picking things out with the kids was hard because a lot of the smaller pieces were around $20 each, which felt like a lot at the time, ontop of the sitting fee.
I was kind of bothered that the studio didn't take credit card. I can't recall if it took debit either - things didn't exactly turn out cheap and not everyone is always carrying cash on them.
The studio was cluttered and messy, which I would think is somewhat on par with an artist's studio. They ask you to wash your hands before you get started, which I can understand, but the bathroom was dirty and difficult to get to because of all the clutter in the back. I would think that for a place that requires you to use a sink, they would clean up their back area a bit.
It was a fun experience in itself, but I do think that the experience could easily be recreated in any other ceramics studio, for possibly a smaller price. -
Review from Crystal S.
Edmonton, AB
8/21/2011
I went here for the first time with a bunch of girls. It wasn't as pricey as I thought it would be, especially considering the hours of fun we had. There were lots of different pieces to choose from and there seemed to be something for every price and skill level.
The staff were fairly helpful, not in-your-face but also not completely absent. I was a little disappointed that a colour I saw on the wall (they have a couple places where they keep the paint and have a colour wall so you can see how the paint looks after the piece is finished) wasn't available. There seemed to be a bit of ambiguity as to how to paint, even after the brief instructions. There were a lot of paint brushes to choose from, but I found sometimes it was really difficult to find just the right brush, especially smaller tipped ones.
Only taking cash or cheques seems incredibly outdated in this day and age. They have signs saying they do this to keep costs down to customers.... Unfortunately that may be something that keeps me away in the future as I usually do not carry cash.
I can't wait to get my finished piece back and to see how it turned out. With any luck it will look just as I picture it in my head :) -
Review from Bernie G.
Edmonton, AB
6/29/2010
I had the worst experience here! The British woman who owns the place is so incredibly rude!!! One of the workers there accidentally gave us the wrong colour, and being inexperienced with pottery, we thought it would change in the kiln. It didn't, so we asked about it, and basically she made fun of our inexperience, and was combatative! The workers there had looks on their faces like "oh great, here we go again' as if this happens a lot. I couldn't believe how insulting she was, and how terrible I was being treated after simply asking a question!
The drive to Brenda's paint pot on the north end is well worth the drive to avoid this woman!!! -
Review from Jessica L.
Edmonton, AB
11/25/2009
Being with an artist has its challenges, especially when you yourself can hardly draw a straight line. I was especially nervous to check out Crankpots with my guy as it has been years since I've painted anything and I wasn't sure I could paint a straight line either. We went in on a Sunday afternoon with the idea of painting a couple pieces for Christmas presents. I chose a dog bowl for my parent's dog, and Heath chose a truck shaped piggy bank for our nephew. We were given an introduction to the shop and seated at a purple table with a bunch of paint brushes and some water and sponges. We both got to work. Time flew by quickly as we were both so deep in concentration. I was pleasantly surprised to find my lack of drawing talents does not convert completely into lack of painting talents. Mya's dog bowl slowly took shape before my eyes in a beautiful speckled red with her name printed in bold letters across and little paw prints all around the bowl. Zack's truck got some wicked lettering and flames. We weren't able to finish our pieces that day, but both left feeling so "zen". We went back the next day when there was free painting (on Monday's and Fridays) and finished our pieces and are looking forward to getting them back in about a week!
Crankpots is a great place to go chill out and nurture your creative side. They book parties of all sorts-kids and adults-and you can bring your own food and drinks into the shop. There is a seating fee most days as well as a 3$ glazing fee. They have plenty of paints and pieces so you can really create whatever you like! I look forward to going back and creating more pieces while benefiting from the amazing stress relief that painting can be. -
Review from Jennifer P.
Edmonton, AB
9/30/2008 1 photo
Draw out your creative muse with an afternoon at Crankpots. Here you can paint plain pottery with supplied glaze and decorate your own plates, vases, mugs or pots. Personalize a dog dish or create a serving platter for a special occasion. Whatever your fancy. It's great fun for kids to come as a group or an off-beat stagette party or girl's day out. If you're sick of the consumerism of holidays, as I am, here you can hand-make a present, like in the olden days, and give the invaluable gift of your time, love and imagination. Pottery pieces are individually priced, glaze is $3 and a sitting fee applies only at certain times. There are certain times during the week designated as "Happy Hour" and the session is free, minus supplies of course. You can check out the details on their website. I'm making everyone mugs for Christmas!
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Review from Sharon H.
Edmonton, AB
4/1/2011
Took my team there for some team building over a year ago. I was terrified of the pit bull dog. I asked the person there if she could keep the dog away from me because I was scared of it but I kept having to worry about the dog because she didn't - acted like I was being ridiculous. I asked nicely. I don't think I should have to deal with someone's choice of scary pet at a business. That ruined my day. I have a good reason for being scared of dogs like that. The instructions given for the pottery were good and all eight of us ended up with pieces we were happy with. If I didn't have to worry about the dog, we would have gone back this year.
