Advanced Courses & Technique Refinement
Most of these modules draw on the core concepts taught in the CeraKompakt training program.
The advanced courses provide targeted deep dives, tailored to each participant’s needs and individual goals.
Shaping & Wheel Throwing
Large-Scale Wheel Throwing
Format: In-person
Duration: 2 weeks minimum
Prerequisites: Open to each participant’s skill level and pace. However, mastery of throwing mechanics with at least 4 kg (approx. 9 lbs) of clay is required. A refresher course can be arranged prior to the module.
Goal: This module focuses on throwing large-scale pieces while opening up new paths toward sculptural work.
Teaching Framework: The methodology is built around three core pillars:
Mastering movement and body mechanics: Refining your posture for freedom of movement and relaxation, protecting your body over time to prevent pain and strain.
Assembly techniques: Acquiring skills for assembling thrown sections into larger structures.
Creative exploration: Pairing technical advancement with the development of new artistic possibilities.
Included Subjects (based on current program and individual project): Ceramics Art History & Literature, Ceramic Technology.
Throwing Porcelain & working with Paper Clay
Format: In-person
Duration: 5 days to 3 weeks
Prerequisites: Prior practice in stoneware wheel throwing
Porcelain is a noble material that requires precision and the right touch. For a beginner, starting directly on porcelain would be a daunting challenge. Building on stoneware practice, the body mechanics and hand movement we teach open the door to shaping porcelain with gentleness and confidence. Listening, feel, and technique are the key elements of this dance with the “white gold.”
Paper clay allows you to shape exceptionally thin pieces, assemble elements when bone-dry, and mold directly onto various surfaces to capture unexpected textures and prints. It empowers students to achieve projects that would be unimaginable with traditional porcelain, unlocking a world of creative invention.
Discover the delicate strength of a material that reveals its translucency through paper-thin walls.
Designing & Crafting Thrown Ceramics
Format: In-person
Duration: 5 days to 3 weeks
Prerequisites: Throwing fundamentals
This module extends the mastery of throwing posture and movement. The teaching framework is built around two main axes:
Developing personal identity: Cultivating each maker’s unique voice, whether working toward a specific client commission or personal artistic research. Cultural context and art history are integral to this process, supported by guided research within the school’s extensive ceramics, art, and technical library.
From concept to production: A continuous dialogue between sketch exploration and prototyping, leading to a finished collection and the presentation of a structured client proposal.
Production Throwing & Series
Advanced course designed for CAP preparation, APOCI, or professional practice.
Format: In-person or hybrid
Duration: 5 days to 1 month (in-person) — 6 months to 1 year (hybrid)
Prerequisites: Throwing fundamentals
Course Overview: Training covers batch production, making series based on set models or dimensioned technical drawings.
Guided personal research leads students through the creation of prototypes and onto small-batch production. Each project is structured around a technical drawing, serving as a blueprint for future creations.
Architectural Ceramics
Format: In-person
Duration: 3 weeks
Prerequisites: Basic ceramic practice
How can clay be transformed into architectural ornament and functional elements for the home?
From thrown components to slab building, press molding, and beyond, the technical possibilities are vast. Shaping methods are tailored to match your specific project and course duration.
This module can be integrated into the final capstone project for the APOCI qualification.
Glazes & Firing
Glazes & Firing: Advanced Practice
Format: In-person or hybrid
Duration: 1.5 weeks
Prerequisites: CeraKompakt CK2 module or solid foundation in glazes and firing (prior assessment available)
Course Overview: A targeted deep dive into foundational theory combined with hands-on studio practice focused on your individual projects.
Learn to identify, troubleshoot, and resolve glaze and firing defects effectively.
Glaze Research with Foraged & Wild Materials
Glaze Research with Foraged & Wild Materials
Format: In-person or hybrid (distance learning)
Duration: 5 days to 3 weeks
Prerequisites: CeraKompakt CK2 module or solid foundation in glazes and firing (prior assessment available)
Course Overview:
Using local raw materials for glaze research is both captivating and deeply rewarding. Some materials are agricultural or industrial byproducts (stone-cutting dust, etc.), while others are as simple as wood ash from domestic fireplaces. Recycling them to transmute raw matter into light and color is thrilling!
However, without clear methodology and underlying knowledge, this type of research can quickly become discouraging and time-consuming.
This module empowers students to embark on their own material research using methods proven over decades by Christian and Ariane Coissieux, as well as their many alumni who are now established professionals.
📖 Read the article: “Ariane’s Drops of Light Tenmoku Glaze Recipe” (Revue de la Céramique et du Verre)
Gas Firing & Key Glaze Families
Format: In-person or hybrid
Duration: 2 to 4 weeks
Prerequisites: CeraKompakt CK2 module or solid foundation in glazes and firing (prior assessment available)
Course Overview: From kiln design to the firing process, every step is key to achieving—and repeating—your desired results. Working with our self-built, custom-designed kilns, you will learn to master the fire in both oxidation and reduction atmospheres.
A thorough understanding of firing mechanisms and combustion enables you to make informed decisions and build effective strategies tailored to specific glaze effects (copper reds, celadons, iron reds, tenmokus, oil spots, crystallizations, and more).
Theory and practice are closely interwoven, ensuring essential safety standards are fully understood and met. You will also learn how to choose the right kiln for your specific practice.
Note: Kiln building is covered in a separate course.
Wood Firing
Format: In-person
Duration: 7 days to 3 weeks
Prerequisites: Prior mastery of gas firing is strongly recommended.
Course Overview: Firing stoneware and porcelain with wood is a deeply engaging practice—one that grounds us in the medium itself and connects us to the origins of ceramics.
Students gain hands-on experience through the full process, from kiln loading to firing management and interpreting results. Theory and studio practice are closely interwoven throughout the training.
We built our compact “Réganama” kiln with a clear objective: to achieve rich glaze effects through short firing cycles. The design proved a complete success: in under 12 hours, the Réganama easily reaches over 1320°C (2400°F) while consuming less than one cubic meter of sawmill offcuts. A single potter can run the firing unassisted, producing stunning glaze results.
Food-Safe Glazes & Regulations
Format: In-person or distance learning
Duration: 2 to 5 days
Level: Refresher course for established ceramists and beginners
Prerequisites: Basic understanding of glazing principles
Course Overview: Navigating the legal framework can feel overwhelming. We have demystified the regulations to help you implement a practical strategy in your studio—without stress or complicated overhauls.
What You Will Learn:
Formulate and refine attractive glazes that are safe for both the maker and the end-user (going well beyond standard regulatory requirements), even when working with raw or wild materials of unknown composition.
Adjust glaze recipes to ensure food safety.
Adapt firing schedules for optimal chemical stability.
Prepare required regulatory documentation using our customizable templates.
Comply with confidence with French and EU food-safety regulations, despite strict rules that are often ill-suited to craft studios.
Beyond regulatory compliance, crafting safe, non-toxic food glazes has always been a core part of our professional ethics—without giving in to the atmosphere of fear so often cultivated around the subject.
Potters who rely exclusively on commercial, ready-made glazes must follow the exact same standards. No supplier guarantees the food safety of a glaze once fired in your studio.
Complementary & Specialized Modules
Artistic & Craft Action: Facilitation, Community & Wellbeing
Format: In-person or hybrid (distance learning)
Course Overview: An introduction to Community Arts Practice (Action Artistique et Artisanale, loisir et Thérapeutique) is integrated into the CeraKompakt program, opening up new perspectives that can help students diversify and support their income. It includes an overview of psychopedagogy and the psychopathology of artistic expression.
Advanced modules prepare makers to effectively meet the needs of healthcare institutions, psychiatric facilities, and broader community arts programs. Acquiring this complementary skill set strengthens the economic viability of a ceramic business.
Beyond professional opportunities, these inclusive workshops create spaces for exchange and connection, offering a meaningful counterweight to the solitude of the studio.
Studio Business Management & Strategy
Format: In-person, hybrid, or distance learning
Prerequisites: Basic proficiency in independent ceramic practice
Course Overview: Beyond technical craftsmanship, running a successful independent ceramic studio requires solid business and strategic skills.
What You Will Learn:
Legal & Tax Structure: Select the legal status and tax framework best suited to your specific situation.
Pricing Strategy: Calculate profitable retail and wholesale prices by integrating all variables (production costs, market rates, location, target audience, B2B, B2C).
Client Relations: Handle custom orders and communicate effectively with clients, designers, and industry intermediaries.
Branding & Positioning: Develop your brand identity and establish a clear market positioning.
Studio Setup: Plan and optimize your workshop (location, equipment selection, and raw material sourcing).
Dancing with Clay, Playing with Fire
Format: In-person
Prerequisites: Solid theoretical and practical foundation in ceramics (preparatory module available)
Course Overview: Master the gesture, reveal your artistic expression.
An immersive masterclass focused on developing, refining, and bringing a personal project or artwork to fruition.
Kiln building
Format: In-person
Duration: 4 days
Course Overview: This module was born out of our own need as potters for a precise, high-performance working tool. The result of two generations of design and continuous refinement, we have developed several field-tested kiln models.
Theory and practice are interwoven to help each student define their specific needs before embarking on building “the soul of their studio”—an indispensable partner in this dance with fire. Safety protocols are emphasized throughout.
Note: The full-scale construction of a gas kiln takes place collectively around a selected student project. In this case, the course duration extends beyond the standard 4 days.
Artist Residencies
Tell us about your project — we’ll guide you through the technical steps.
- Executing a specific artwork
- Glaze research
- Production line practice…
Each residency is designed around a creation project or skill consolidation, with or without technical guidance, tailored to your needs.
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