The Hollow Vessel Online Course
From Hand-Building Foundations to Shaping with Intention
You’ve likely seen images of hollow ceramic forms and wondered, “How are those made?”
Maybe you’ve been coiling for a while, but struggling to make the forms you envision.
I know that feeling - I’ve been there.
In my journey to become a professional ceramic artist I spent countless hours experimenting, failing, adjusting, and slowly gaining confidence until things started to click.
That’s why I created this course: to give you a clear path into hand-building sculptural vessels with intention, balance, and a deep understanding of your materials.
With this course, become a proud hand-builder and master coiling as a sculptural language
Enroll Now & Start Today
Early Access at 269€ 189€ from June 11 - 18 only
A hands-on, project-based journey into sculptural hollow forms guided by professional ceramic artist Lucia Mondadori.
First Launch Offer
Join in the first launch June 11 - 18 / 2025 and access:
🌟 A 90-minute Live Online Group Mentoring Session: Let’s meet in small groups, address specific challenges, and learn from each other
The Early Access Rate - Join this first round at a special price and receive new lessons and resources as they’re released
Develop your sculptural sensibility while enhancing your technical skills
➔ Shape with intention and find flow in form
➔ Create pieces that feel both balanced and expressive
➔ Grow your hand-building techniques: pinching, coiling, tapping and sculpting
➔ Troubleshoot sagging, cracking, and proportion issues
🔍 What’s Inside the Course
A Structured Path
➔ 17 step-by-step video lessons to walk you through the entire hand-building process from start to finish
➔ A suggested 4-day timeline to follow alongside me — or go at your own pace. Pause, rewind, and revisit the lessons as needed
A Front-Row Seat into my Process
👁️ Filmed from my eye-level to give you a close, clear view of each gesture and detail
🎤 2+ hours of thoughtfully voiced-over content to share not just the how, but the why behind each decision
✏️ Written guides on clay types, tools, texture and a lesson-by-lesson recap to help you retain what matters most
The Method
➔ A blend of objective-driven intention and decision-making intuition.
The structure is broken down into steps for guidance but you also have the freedom to adapt to your piece
By the end of the course, you’ll have the technical skills and a deeper sense of intention to start developing your own unique vision and style
The Outline
Lesson 1. All About The Clay
This lesson introduces Medium Grog Stoneware - an ideal clay for large hand-built sculptures
Lesson 2. Tools & Materials
Explore the tools and the materials you'll need for your course, ensuring you're fully equipped for success
Lesson 3. Pinching The Base
Pinch a your base with consistent wall thickness, proper compression, and climate-adapted strategies to create strong, stable forms.
Lesson 4. Rolling Even Coils
Roll even coils by using to ensure structural integrity and smooth blending.
Lesson 5. Attaching a Coil
My crack-proof coil-attachment method for strong bonds and polished finishes
Lesson 6. Attaching 3 Coils at Once
Build the initial structure efficiently by attaching multiple coils, controlling wall shape and refining the surface
Lesson 7. The Bridge
Build The Bridge, base for you hollow space. Use the boat-shape technique
Lesson 8. Placing the Ring
Place the Ring to guide the building of the hollow space
Lesson 9. Half Way Around The Ring
Integrate the Ring into your hollow form. Learn to shape inward curves.
Lesson 10. Top Of The Ring Close In
Build the walls to the top of the Ring using the Rainbow technique
Lesson 11. The Loop
Shape the hollow space using the Loop technique for natural, flowing forms.
Lesson 12. Final Close In
Close in your hollow vessel by creating bold inward curves and building across the ring.
13. Shaping The Neck
Shape the vessel’s neck with the diagonal coil technique
Lesson 14. The Base
Build the base of the second bulge, open up your form keeping harmonious proportions in mind
Lesson 15. Opening and Closing in
Build the second bulge and close in your form, refine with the ribs for an elegant finish.
Lesson 16. The Neck & The Rim
Build the final neck and finish the rim. Reassess the form to refine irregularities, and bring a fluid flow to the entire piece
Lesson 17. Refinements
Refine subtle transitions, sculpt, perfect the balance and ensure every curve flows
Bonus
The Brut Texture
✦ Is this course for you?
➔ You are an aspiring or practicing ceramic hand-builder
➔ You’re drawn to sculptural forms and want to bring more intention into your work
➔ You are ready to grow your hand-building skills and deepen your understanding of materials
➔ You love the meditative rhythm of working with clay, but you want more structure and guidance.
➔ You learn best by doing — and want to follow a hands-on process
➔ You’ve struggled with collapsing, cracking, or sagging pieces — and want to understand how to prevent and fix them
➔ You’d love to connect with a like-minded community of vessel makers, while working at your own pace
Yes? I’d love to see you in!
About me
I'm Lucia Mondadori and I'll be your guide through this creative journey.
After years working full time as a ceramic artist*, I am thrilled to share my process and insights to help you set strong bases and elevate your skills
I created this course for those who, like me, are drawn to the beauty and mystery of hollow forms.
It’s the course I wish I had when I was starting out: a guided path with clear, hands-on objectives, grounded in real studio practice.
It’s a deep dive into hand-building, designed to fast-track and support you in creating the forms you want with clarity and ease.
Join me in this course, let's connect and hand-build stunning vessels together!
*Trained at the Arts et Techniques Céramiques Paris
Students Testimonials
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"I love hand building now and I can't stop making things, and it's all because of your workshops, your enthusiams and skills so I wanted to say thank you!"
Fleur @fleur.en.klei from The Netherlands / Online Workshop
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"Lucia is not only an extremely talented ceramic artist but she is also very gifted at sharing her knowledge of her craft. She warmly welcomed us into her studio and held space for people with different levels of experience. The pace of the class was well balanced and the instruction and guidance was thoughtful and clear. She seamlessly led the workshop in both English and French and we all finished with two pieces. I loved every second of it and will be back to learn mor"e
Carla O. @carlaorlandiyoga from Italy / In-Studio Workshop
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"Thank you Lucia for an amazing workshop. It was worth the trip from Canada! I came away with much more confidence in handbuilding than I had before and now I know what kind I clay I want to try working with next, and I think the rainbow technique changed my life!"
Robin P. from Canada / In-Studio Workshop
Students Work
Frequently asked questions
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Absolutely! The course is tailored to all levels, showcasing foundations and advanced techniques
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Your home studio or a community studio setup is all you need. You'll need some specific ceramics tools (available online) and medium grog clay. A detailed list and video are provided upon enrolment.
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The course is designed to guide you through building a hollow vessel from start to finish over a suggested 4-day timeline. Depending on your experience level, the building process may take anywhere from 5 to 10 hours.
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If the course isn’t what you expected or you’re truly unsatisfied, you can write to me to request a refund. That said, I’m confident you’ll enjoy the content and find real value in the experience.
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No - this course is for your personal use only. I kindly ask that you don’t share access or materials with others.