Casual Elegance » Workshops and Classes
The following Workshops have been scheduled. Beneath the schedule below is for detailed information relating to each specific workshop. These workshops are held in my studio in Baltimore, MD. Workshops are held from 10am to 5pm on both days with a break for lunch.
| Workshop Dates | Workshop Description | Price |
|---|---|---|
| None currently scheduled | ||
Basic Polymer Clay Workshop
This is the most comprehensive polymer clay class around. Four basic areas will be covered beginning with Basic Polymer Clay. We will start with tips on conditioning clay, mixing colors, color theory, marbleizing, baking, glues, lacquers, cookie cutter techniques, burnishing and laminating. Learn the properties and safety precautions of polyform products. You will make colorful fish pins (“Fish with an attitude”) for your first project.
The second section of this workshop covers Surface Techniques and Toolmaking. Our goal is to make picture frames using a collage of different techniques. We explore mosaics, applique, embossing, making molds, carving, releasing agents, incising tools, metallic powders, and foils. We will also be making tools to use with the clay, so bring small drill bits and needles to class. You will learn how to plan and make a unique and useful picture frame.
The third section, Millefiori Caning, teaches how to make “canes” out of clay using an ancient technique of miniaturizing cross sectional designs. You will learn how to roll, stack, cut and reduce the clay into designs such as swirls, flowers and checkerboards. We will pay special attention to reducing square, round and triangular canes.
In the Beadmaking section you will learn to make your own buttons and beads in any color or shape you desire opening the door to endless possibilities in jewelry design. Master the snake and make marbleized, polka dot, wrapped snake, shell, folded, millefiori, metallic, jelly roll, square, cylindrical and biconal beads.
Materials Fee: If you have your own clay and tools, feel free to bring them. Otherwise there is a materials fee of $29.00 tax that will include plenty of polymer clay to get you through the entire workshop, a slicing blade, a clay roller and skewers. If you want additional supplies, I carry a full line of products. My clay is priced below retail prices.
What to Bring to Class: Lunch (for all day classes), an empty shoebox, a pasta maker specifically used for polymer clay if you have one, sandwich baggies, a drill bit 1/8 inch or smaller, long sewing needles, thin and thick, textures to share with the rest of the class, i.e., buttons, a piece of jewelry, an embellished piece of silverware, interesting coins, fabric, toys, etc.
Tuition: $160 Deposit: $40
Precision Beadmaking
This is a class I’ve been asked again and again to teach. One of the most noticeable qualities of my beads is that they are very precise in shape and design. This class is designed to help you end up with the same precision and accuracy with your beads.
Special attention will be paid to help you recognize which designs are more forgiving and thereby make it easier to achieve perfection when making beads. With designs that are more difficult, you will learn methods of keeping the patterns from distorting during the construction and finishing process for your beads. Because sizing is so important in this process, this class is being presented as a two-day class. This will allow us to be able to make some precisely sized canes, the first step in achieving precision in beads.
Precision beadmaking depends heavily on using the right techniques. Learn the numerous and varied processes which I have developed through trial and error in my journey of becoming a production beadmaker.
Materials Needed: If you have your own clay and tools, feel free to bring them. Otherwise there is a materials fee of $22.00 tax that will include plenty of polymer clay to get you through the entire workshop. For those who want additional supplies, I carry a full line of products. My clay is priced below retail prices. If you bring your own clay, you’ll need at least 8 colors of clay that includes at least 3 ounces of the colors you want most dominant. Please precondition the clay before class. Be sure to bring plenty of scrap clay that you have left over from other projects, the ends of canes or colors that have gotten mixed up.
Bring to Class: Lunch, an empty box and plenty of baggies, a new tissue blade (you may purchase them from me if you would like), a pasta maker specifically for use with clay, if you have one, a roller, bead piercing tools.
Tuition: $160 Deposit: $40
Shaded Canes and Bowls
This class features Judith Skinner’s Shaded Cane Technique. A shaded cane is one in which the color blends smoothly from one shade or hue to another. We will concentrate on how to make different color blends and then apply them to cane making.
All of the students in the class will make canes large enough to share part of it with the other students. We will all then take our different canes and create bowls or other objects with the designed clay. Because our goal is to be as precision oriented as possible, you will learn how to get your canes to meet seamlessly without disturbing your patterns in the clay.
If you wish to premake some canes at home and bring them to class to incorporate into your work, please try to make fresh canes for this purpose as the technique works best when the clay is all the same consistency.
Materials Needed: If you have your own clay and tools, feel free to bring them. Otherwise there is a materials fee of $20.00 tax that will include plenty of polymer clay to get you through the entire workshop. For those who want additional supplies, I carry a full line of products. My clay is priced below retail prices. If you bring your own clay, you?ll need at least 8 colors of clay that includes at least 3 ounces of the colors you want most dominant. Please precondition the clay before class. Be sure to bring plenty of scrap clay that you have left over from other projects, the ends of canes or colors that have gotten mixed up.
Bring to Class: Lunch, an empty box and plenty of baggies, a new tissue blade (you may purchase them from me if you would like), a pasta maker specifically for use with clay, if you have one, a roller, bead piercing tools.
Tuition: $160 Deposit: $40
Kaleidoscopic Initial Caning
When you learn to take your own initials and transfer the design into a clay cane, you also learn the important technique of taking any design and transferring it into a cane.
With the pattern created by using your initials, we will put together a kaleidoscopic design using the Millefiori technique. In this class we will use a laminating process to make a pendant or focal piece which may be used to make a Kaleidoscopic Initial Caned necklace. You will learn to use the different parts of the initial cane to create an array of coordinating beads and component pieces that will enhance your pendant piece. By the end of class, you will have your own personalized initial beads that you can assemble into a beautiful necklace with matching earrings.
You will learn how to find the best shapes for your jewelry, how to choose colors that will work together and how to %u201Cbridge the gap%u201D with colors of your choice. You%u2019ll have an incredibly beautiful necklace and earring set and plenty of %u201Ccanes%u201D left to make many more beads or component pieces for other matching wearable art or accessories.
Materials Needed: At least 8 colors of clay, making sure you have at least 3 ounces of the colors you want most dominant. Please precondition the clay before class. If you have your own clay, bring it, otherwise it is available for purchase here.
Bring to Class: Lunch, an empty box and plenty of baggies, a new tissue blade (you may purchase them from me if you would like), a pasta maker specifically for use with clay, if you have one, a roller, bead piercing tools.
Tuition: $160 Deposit: $40
The New Alchemy of Precious Metal Clay
Precious Metal Clay (PMC) is revolutionizing the field of metalworking. Developed and patented by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation of Japan, PMC feels just like potters clay. Pure silver is ground to a consistency of flour and mixed with an organic binder and water. When the finished object is fired in a kiln, the organic binder and water are burned off and the intense heat of the kiln fuses the microscopic particles into 99.9% fine silver! In this beginners class, you’ll learn techniques for construction, finishing, firing and tumbling this amazing material.
I am a certified instructor in PMC clay. My beginner class is a two day workshop which introduces the novice PMC artist to new techniques and materials. It requires no previous experience. The class fee includes a package of lump clay, a container of slip, and a syringe, a sheet of PMC clay and a basic tool kit. The session will start out with an explanation of PMC and a demonstration of different techniques. You will have plenty of supervised practice time and individual help if needed. You can choose your own projects from class notes that will give you the basic guidelines to follow while leaving room for your own creativity. You will be able to create one or more items in the class. In addition to different construction techniques, you will also learn how to fire, tumble and finish your projects, you’ll leave with finished pieces of jewelry. Additional supplies will be available for purchase at my studio.
There is no additional materials fee, the Tuition Fee includes over $100 worth of Precious Metal Clay and Tools.
Bring to Class: Lunch (for all day classes), plastic food wrap, a deck of cards, a placemat or other nonstick, smooth work surface, a ziploc bag, a small container with olive oil, a small paint brush, a small jar or cup for water, a small glass or plastic jar with a lid (like a film container), a needle tool, small scissors-like nail scissors, an x-acto knife, needle files, a small ruler with inches and millimeters, wet/dry sand papers, 220 grit and 1500 grit. Not required, but useful are different hole punches and/or rubber stamps.
Most of these items are available at my studio, if not for purchase, then to use while here.
Tuition: $320 Deposit: $50
