Decorating and Mark Making in Porcelain
Monday 7th - Wednesday 9th July 2025
SUMMARY
This workshop will focus on decorating and mark making on thrown porcelain vessels.
THE COURSE IN DETAIL
This three-day workshop will focus on throwing pieces such as stem vases and bowls, with porcelain. The pieces will then be trimmed and then decorated using Ali’s beautiful mark-making techniques.
Ali would like to encourage students to bring inspiration with them to the class: sketchbooks, scrapbooks, anything at all. Ali will be encouraging students to play with how to apply marks and colour to the raw, dry clay.
This course is suitable for those with some porcelain throwing experience and an interest in surface decoration.
Course Breakdown
Day 1: Ali will give a number of demonstrations and students will begin to throw their stem vases. With Ali’s assistance students to make as many as possible so that they have plenty to decorate.
Day 2: During the morning of day two students will continue throwing. Ali will also give demonstrations on throwing other shapes. During the afternoon Ali will give demonstrations on her unique decoration techniques.
Day 3: On the final day students will continuing throwing and will spend time decorating their thrown pieces.
FIRING
This is an intensive making and refining course and there will be no specific kiln firing during the week, however, we will encourage students to keep, and finish, just a few carefully selected pieces.
Please note, there will be a small additional firing charge for final pieces. Details of our firing charges can be found in our Student Contract.
Please read our Student Contract here.
Please also note, we do not offer a glazing service.
About Ali
Ali Tomlin creates wheel-thrown porcelain. She uses porcelain for its smooth, white surface and quality which creates a canvas for making clean, elegant shapes. Using careful decoration and adding colours and marks she creates her well-known range of contemporary ceramics.
Working with the dry, chalky surface, Ali applies a bold, but muted palette of stains, oxides and slips, splashing and sponging away areas, adding inlaid and sgraffito lines, aiming to create imperfect and unpredictable marks. Some decorating is carried out on the wheel and some through mono-printing, brushwork or splashing to convey a feeling of movement and spontaneity.
Ali has always been passionate about drawing and design, enjoying the energy of random lines or marks whether in a sketch, a painting or while beachcombing.
Ali says that she loves working with colour, line and marks, and luckily there's a never ending supply of them!
THE SCHEDULE
DAY 1 - Arrive 9am Monday 7th July
Welcome Breakfast (from 9am - 10am). The session will start at 10am and will finish at 5pm. Students may continue to use the facilities until 7pm.
DAY 2 - Arrive 9:30am Tuesday 8th July
On the second day the session will start at 9:30am and will finish at 5pm. Students may continue to use the facilities until 7pm.
DAY 3 - Arrive 9:30am Wednesday 9th July On the final day the session will start at 9:30am and will finish at 5pm. Students may continue to use the facilities until 7pm.
A two-course lunch is provided every day. Please inform us of any special dietary requirements at the time of booking.
PAYMENT
This cost for this three-day course is £750. This cost includes all necessary materials, tools, refreshments, a superb two-course lunch every day and a Welcome Breakfast on the first day.
You can pay in full or pay a deposit by clicking on the ‘Book Now’ button above. If you choose to pay a deposit we will contact you to arrange paying the remainder of your balance in instalments.
Before you book a course, please make sure you read our terms and conditions page here.
Please also read our Student Contract here.
TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION
The Ceramic Studio is located on a beautiful orchard in Brenchley, and there are lots of lovely surrounding towns and villages offering numerous places to stay.
We are happy to arrange transits to and from your accommodation to the studio for the duration of your course. Please get in touch to arrange this. Please email the office team at info@theceramicstudio.co.uk. To see examples of local accommodation, click here.
Date: Monday 7th - Wednesday 9th July 2025
Duration: Three-day workshop
Venue: The Ceramic Studio (Brenchley)
Class Size: Maximum 10 students
Level: This course is suitable for those with some porcelain throwing experience and an interest in surface decoration.
Clay type: Porcelain
Cost: £750 (pay in full or in instalments)
“Anything is potential, found or seen. I draw and paint, alongside making pots, and enjoy how a simple line or mark can completely alter a piece and how the same shapes repeated, but with very different decoration, can form a cohesive family.”
