1949 Courses

A beginners printmaking class.

Learn to join wood together without nails or screws

Course Objectives The delegates are able to demonstrate: knowledge of hazards and risks associated with working at heights, specific to WTG (Wind Turbine Generator). understanding of current national legislation regarding working at heights. correct identification of PPE, including identification of European/Global standard markings e.g. harness, hard hat, lanyards, etc. knowledge and skills to correctly inspect, service, store and don the relevant PPE, e.g. harness, lanyards, fall arresters and work positioning equipment. correct use of the relevant PPE, e.g.harness lanyards, fall arresters and work positioning equipment. This includes correct identification of anchor points and correct ladder conduct. correct use of evacuation devices. how to approach rescue situations in WTGs and use rescue equipment efficiently.

If you would rather have a one-to-one tutoring rather than a group lesson, I can acommodate for this.  I teach broad pen, pointed pen and brush styles. 

Dive deeper into floristry with our Floristry Foundation Course. Master floral design, create stunning arrangements & explore sustainability. Sign up today!

Professional Guitar Setup Course Introduction The Pro Guitar Setup course is designed for up to 6 people and the aim is to teach the art of setting up both electric and acoustic guitars with confidence. The course is both theory and practical, we discuss all the setup points and how to adjust the guitar to get the best setup out of it, we use a Gibson Les Paul and a Stratocaster to demonstrate all of these points. Not only do we discuss and show you how to adjust the finer points but we also discuss and show how to maintain your instrument, covering fretboard treatment and fret polishing. Who is the course for? The course is designed for all levels from the complete beginner looking to get the best setup out of their guitar to working techs who want to brush up or who are broadening their skills. We are confident that you will leave with the knowledge and awareness to setup your own guitars and having had the practical application of this new found knowledge, the confidence, which is often lacking with the majority of people to maintain their instruments. What will you learn? Theory Measure & Adjust Neck Relief: Detailed theory & practise. Action heights: Correct Height, adjustments & discussion Radius the Bridge Saddles Floating Bridges: Balancing & Setting up Intonation: Adjusting Intonation Fretboard cleaning Fret Polishing Electrics: Maintaining the Pots and checking the electrics Schematics Pickup Heights Re-Stringing: Gauges & how to string correctly Cleaning: Different finishes and how best to clean Practical We then move on to putting these points in action starting with; How to assess the guitar with mind to all of the points, this is so key to gaining confidence and certainty, knowing the points to start with enables you to adjust safe in the knowledge that if you go too far with the neck relief you have a starting point and using certain increments you can be sure of how much adjustment you are making, it seems to be a common problem with people adjusting their own neck, not knowing a starting point and it is the very first thing that we check when setting up guitars.. The most important point is how much Relief is in the neck, this is measured using a Notched Straight edge for greater accuracy. We will also show you how to assess the neck relief by eye, this enables you to easily determine the relief in the neck without the use of any specific tools. Once the relief is measured we check the Action height at the 12th fret as well as at the 1st fret, this gives us a good picture of how the guitar is setup currently. With the Pro Guitar Setup Points that we give you, we are then able to look at where the guitar needs some work and then put that into action. Getting the balance between the neck relief and action heights is key to a good setup, with the guitar adjusted to where we want it we then go onto the maintenance part of the setting up. Personal attention The course does have a set agenda but we often meander around topics and are happy to do so, most of us have had many different guitars and they nearly always have some curious tales and they are always good to discuss as they will bring up certain points about setup which will add to the discussion and possibly unraveling the complexity that is often misunderstood in getting your guitar setup right.

Explore what equipment and surfaces you will need for acrylic painting, cover the basic of colour mixing, brush-handling and simple palette-knife uses, as well as using mediums.

If you want to bag-make with genuine leather but are nervous of trying it, this weekend is ideal for you. It will give you the confidence to make your own leather bags at home and you’ll make some fab friends along the way! VERY IMPORTANT! Before booking, please check that your machine can cope with sewing at least 6 layers of faux leather or vinyl. Flat sewing is fine – if the machine can do that, we can manage lumps and bumps! **This retreat is a little different from many others in that making a bag isn’t the point of the weekend, although you will indeed make one. The focus is on learning new transferable techniques and skills that you will be able to use on so many bags you make in the future. We have our own ‘Retreat Suite’ of rooms, including a spacious, light and airy sewing room which is equipped with a display screen so everyone can easily see demonstrations from a working viewpoint. We also have our own bathroom and kitchen facilities. If you wish, you are free to continue work after dinner and until as late (or early!) as you like. You will need to bring your own sewing machine, fabric scissors and any other favourite sewing tools, but everything else is provided. We’ll have a good selection of fabrics, vinyls and leather for you to browse and purchase if you wish, at retreat-only prices.  Come and join us in the exclusive Facebook group Bag Makers Retreat at https://www.facebook.com/groups/bagmakersretreat/ for all the latest retreat info, chat, gossip and more, plus a chance to meet other like-minded folks.  If you have dietary requirements, please tell me before you book, so I can be sure we can meet your needs. All meal main courses are included in the retreat fee, as are Saturday and Sunday lunches and breakfasts. Starters, desserts and drinks with meals are not included but the meals are so huge you probably won’t want starters and desserts anyway!! Tea and coffee is available whenever you need, but you do have to make it yourself!  If you’d like to stay an extra night or two, maybe to arrive on Thursday or leave on Monday if you have a long drive, let me know and I’ll check availability with our host. If you’d prefer to travel by train, we are happy to ferry you to and from the station, just ask. Please aim to arrive no later than 2pm as we have a lot of pattern cutting and fabric choosing to get through on Friday! Friday The fun starts here as you arrive at your weekend home-from-home – a beautifully refurbished, 4-star 18th century coaching inn with all the comforts you would expect. You’ll have time to settle into your own delightfully comfortable en-suite room which has all the anticipated little luxuries, before an introductory get-together with me and your companions in the sewing room at 2pm. You’ll be given your own copy of the bag pattern, which is very beginner- and strong domestic machine-friendly (see note in bold at the top of the page), but which will incorporate a lot of features and techniques that are also in much more complex designs, making this an excellent springboard to any leather or other bag you want to make. Then you can wallow in the plentiful stash of leathers and fabrics to choose from. All the leather, fabrics, interfacing, stabiliser, threads and bag hardware you need are supplied. As soon as you’re ready, you can start preparing and cutting out your pattern and some of the bag pieces so we can hit the ground running in the morning. After a superbly-cooked and substantial evening meal at around 6pm or so, you are welcome to continue working in the sewing room or to simply relax and chat there before bed. Saturday After an excellent breakfast, we can really start work learning some new skills and beginning work on construction. You’ll work at your own pace from around 9am with no pressure – I want your weekend to be fun and not stressful! We will walk through the techniques together and I will be there the whole time to answer questions and troubleshoot any tricky bits. You’ll also have the chance to try sewing with faux leather , if you haven’t already, and we’ll explore ways and techniques to use and apply rivets.  Refreshments are freely available all day and you can take a break whenever you wish. A light lunch (with homemade cake!!) is also provided and we’ll have a short break in the middle of the day. The rest of the day will be similar to Friday – sewing, dinner at 6ish and more sewing if you wish to before bed. Do feel free to have a walk or just sit outside for a breather if the weather is kind. Sunday How can it be Sunday already?? Breakfast over, we’ll get back to work. You will need to allow a few minutes to pack and check out of your room, as it has to be made ready for Monday’s guests. Apart from that, it’s uninterrupted sewing (with refreshments and lunch breaks!) until your bag is finished. We’ll be heading off for a lightish lunch at 12.30pm or so. We have the sewing room for the rest of the day. If you don’t quite get done, there’s absolutely no need to worry as you’ll easily be able to complete your bag at home. If you finish earlier feel free to head home whenever you’re ready. Amongst loads of other hints and tips, you’ll learn – Choosing and handling leather How to make professional quality rolled handles Creating and applying custom bag feet How to create a zipped pocket the pro way How to use edge paint and get a professional finish with it Sewing the bag together and topstitching Reducing bulk with leather A sneaky way of getting your bag right-sides-out without ugly seams! An easy way to add a zipper pull without tools Working with different types of rivet machine and loads more. You’ll have an exclusive pattern, created just for the Retreats, which includes comprehensive mini-tutorials and full instructions. And I hope you have a lot of fun and make new friends while you learn!!  I never abandon my students at the end of the course so if you get stuck on anything at home, you are welcome to give me a shout on Messenger and we’ll sort out your problem together. The not-so-small print Book your place using the simple booking system below – just click on your choice of dates and go from there. The full price is £465.00. The deposit of £65 is non-refundable if you cancel but can, however, be credited towards a future retreat booked within the next 6 months. It is completely refundable if I or the venue cancel. The booking page only shows the Friday, but the course is running until Sunday. The balance of £400.00 is payable by approx 6 weeks before the retreat date and payment instructions will be sent to you in good time. Cancellations 4 weeks or less before the retreat date can only be refunded if someone on the waiting list can come instead. If you book, pay and attend without pre-checking that your machine can sew the required thicknesses, as detailed in the note at the top of the page, I’m afraid no refunds will be given if it proves that your machine can’t cope during the Retreat. I may have a machine available to lend, but can’t promise one. *Don’t worry that your booking confirmation may be headed Unicorn Studios – it’s just the site that I’ve run my booking system from for years… it’s not a scam!! *

Join our expert enamelling and jewellery tutor Sally Lees to learn introductory enamelling techniques in this exciting one-day course. You will learn a wide range of enamelling techniques for copper and make samples to refine your skills and technique. You will explore techniques including sifting; sgraffito; stenciling; drawing on enamelled surfaces with graphite pencils; using wet pens and painting with wet enamels. This course is ideal for students with no experience of enamelling. However, more experienced students can join the course and use the time to further experiment with these techniques or try them for the first time. WHEN: Saturday 13th July 10-5pm WHERE:  Workshop 925 based at The Mayford Centre, just outside of Woking and very close to Guildford. Unit F9 The Mayford Centre, Mayford Green Woking, Surrey  GU22 0PP TUTOR: Sally Lees WHAT DOES THE DAY INVOLVE? Join our expert enamelling and jewellery tutor Sally Lees to learn introductory enamelling techniques in this exciting one-day course. You will learn a wide range of enamelling techniques for copper and make samples to refine your skills and technique. You will explore techniques including sifting; sgraffito; stenciling; drawing on enamelled surfaces with graphite pencils; using wet pens and painting with wet enamels. This course is ideal for students with no experience of enamelling. However, more experienced students can join the course and use the time to further experiment with these techniques or try them for the first time. To see the day in action see our Instagram post here DURING THIS DAY SESSION YOU WILL… Learn how to prepare copper before enamelling. Understand how to fire enamels to the right temperatures to create attractive results. Practice how to sift onto copper to create an even surface to be able to decorate it. Explore and practice sgrafitto and stenciling enamelling techniques. Learn how to draw onto enamelled surfaces using graphite pencils. Learn how to wash enamels and use them to paint patterns onto enamelled surfaces. Understand the principles decorating metal with enamels and the processes of firing enamels at the correct temperatures to achieve specific effects. You will be shown a series of demonstrations throughout the day and can try all of the techniques demonstrated or you can decide to concentrate on a particular technique – this is your ay to explore enamelling and the vast potential it offers. Please note, this day is not focussed on working on finished designs or working with silver. Enamelling takes time to learn and explore. You will be working with a series of copper blanks – some of which have holes so you are able to slot them onto earring hooks or place a jump ring on them for a pendant if you are pleased with your sample. The aim of the course is to introduce you to the techniques and processes and for you to experiment and put into practice what you have been shown, not to create finished designs at this stage, this will be something you can work towards once you have gained some experience. EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: None, all abilities are welcomed. We support you throughout the session and provide demonstrations to show you the techniques and steps needed to create your project. CLASS SIZE: 6 WHAT IS INCLUDED? All tools and consumables are supplied. We will supply copper sheet for your samples, but please feel free to bring along any pierced designs you might have of your own or anything you would like to experiment with. YOU WILL BE PROVIDED WITH: Copper sheet is supplied. WHAT TO BRING: A sketch book – to note your practices throughout the day, especially important for those who would like to recreate their samples again at home or on future occasions. If you want to bring along any silver to experiment with, you are welcome to do so. Please wear closed toe shoes – no sandals or flip flops as you will be working with hot metal and tools. Please bring along any lunch, snacks and drinks for the session. We have tea and coffee supplies you are welcome to help yourself to but make sure you bring enough refreshments and supplies to keep you going during the day. We have a fridge, microwave and kettle which you are welcome to use. PAYMENT OPTIONS: You can pay via our website or in our workshop in person using our card machine. If you prefer to pay directly, you can email us on hello@workshop925.com and we can invoice you manually to arrange a bank transfer. For classes over £80, instalment options are also available. Please email us on hello@workshop925.com to arrange. Gift Voucher – if you have a voucher to redeem, please email us before booking on hello@workshop925.com

Watercolour for Beginners – Saturday 8th June – 10:30-13:30- Friends Meeting House Manchester During this course, you will discover how a deeper understanding of painting techniques can equip you with the practical methods and skills to help you with any future paintings you want to attempt. Suitable for people of all levels of experience; from those who are new to watercolour painting, to more experienced artist, this foundational course in watercolour painting, unites primary techniques so that you can expand your creativity in one coherent approach. This fully guided course covers topics such as: · Seeing shape: Translating three-dimensional objects into simple shapes before painting. · Mark Making: Exploring different types of marks and developing good brush control. · Understanding Basic Techniques: Learning fundamental techniques such as creating washes, wet-on-wet, wet -on-dry, glazing, lifting, and blending. · Colour Mixing: Learning how to mix colours to create a wide range of hues and values. · Composition: Exploring the principals of composition and design to create visually interesting drawings. · Subject Matter Exploration: Experimenting with different subjects such as still life and flowers. General Info: ⏳ Duration: 3 Hours 📍 Location : Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester , M2 5NS 👤 Age required: 16+ with a valid ID ♿ Accessibility: This venue is wheelchair accessible What We Will Provide: · Watercolour Paper & Drawing board · Drawing pencils, eraser, and sharpener · A range of watercolour paints . Tuition from our resident watercolour artist .Instructional handbook