artybirdcarnforth

Summer School 2012

This year we have changed our program style for Summer School and are offering four workshops of 3 days each. We are going to use 2 venues this year: Greenland's Farm and Carnforth High School.

The Greenland's Farm Village is an Open Farm with a wide range of sheep that Roger breeds for the craft market, including a flock of Saxony Merino. We are hiring a room there but will also have access to the farm to go out and draw and take inspiration from the beautiful landscape, to bring back into our textile work. There is ample parking, a café, farm shop, garden centre, craft workshops and children's play area. The Farm Village is 5 minutes from Junction 35 on the M6.

The courses held at Carnforth high School, Lancashire are in light, well-equipped rooms with ample parking and disabled access. The school is a 10-minute walk from the train station and just off the M6 motorway at junction 35. Mighty Bites is across the road offering a range of quality and value hot and cold meals at lunchtime.

The course fee includes refreshments, materials and equipment. The day starts at 10.00 and ends at 4.00, allowing time for leisurely breakfasts and evening activities. If you would like local accommodation lists then Rosie can send one to you.

If you wish we can award an ArtyBird certificate for anyone attending and completing a course that can go in your CPD file. Please let us know prior to the course so we can prepare this for you.

Workshop One - Monday July 9 to Wednesday July 11

Drawing from Nature. Making in Textiles with Rosie Jackson and Kate Horner

This course is based at Greenland's Farm. Students will be given a sketchbook and we will go out on the farm to draw. For those who are lacking in confidence we will give lots of demonstrations and tuition.

We will come back into the classroom where we will review our drawings and look at how we can develop them in textiles. Kate will offer ideas in felt and Rosie in embroidery. Students can specialise or mix the ideas. We can demonstrate a wide range of techniques to meet student requirements. This course is open to students from beginners to advanced. The course fee is £150.

Workshop Two - Monday July 30 to Wednesday August 1

We are offering 2 options here and they are held at Carnforth High School.

Option 1 - Embroidered Textile Jewellery with Rosie Jackson

This is a fun three-day course where we will be looking at making bracelets, cuffs, pendants, earrings and brooches using nature as an inspiration source.

Creative techniques such as layering, burning, free machine embroidery and bonding will be used alongside machine and hand embroidery.

Some knowledge of a sewing machine and basic hand embroidery stitches would be beneficial. The course fee is £150.

Option 2 - An Introduction to Creative Computing with Kate Horner

Back by popular demand!!

I designed this course last year for artists and makers who wish to use
PhotoShop within their design work. This is a powerful design tool that can
open up new dimensions and directions. I will show you how to use a few
tools within PhotoShop to combine images and create new ones. There will
be lots of time to work on building up a personal portfolio of work.

Please bring with you your digital camera, USB lead to connect it to the
computer and ample batteries. You can import and export images on a USB
memory stick. These can be bought from Nexus in Carnforth if you do not
have one. Please bring your sketchbook and current work if you would like to
work with these alongside photographs. The course fee is £150.

We will be using PhotoShop Elements 5.

Workshop Three - Monday August 6 to Wednesday August 8

We are offering 2 options here and they are held at Carnforth High School.

Option 1 - Sewing Machine Know How with Rosie Jackson

Have you a sewing machine that you are unsure of what it can do?
Do you need a little confidence and guidance on how to use it?
Then this is the course for you. We will be looking at:
" Tension, buttons and dials
" Basic patching and piecing techniques
" What are the different feet for: zips, blind hems, piping and buttonholes
" Automatic Stitches
" Free Machine Embroidery

We won't just be sampling - hopefully you will leave with a patchwork cushion cover with zip, a small embroidered panel and a few small free machine embroidered pictures for cards. The course fee is £150.

Option 2 - Intermediate Creative Computing with Kate Horner

Continued by popular demand!!

This course continues from the introductory course. I will introduce some new tools within PhotoShop. These will be around the selecting process and ways in which you can draw and collage on the computer to create strong textile designs.

You will be asked to bring in a small project to work on with photographs, sketches and small items that can be photographed or scanned. Also bring in a few materials of the craft area you work in that fit with your project that we could utilise within the work.

Images already in digital form should be at 300ppi, no bigger than 7"x5", as a tif. file and on a USB memory stick. These can be bought from Nexus in Carnforth if you do not have one. The course fee is £150.

We will be using PhotoShop Elements 5.

Work shop Four - Monday September10 to Wednesday September 12

Felt Local with Kate Horner and Maggy Lightfoot

This course is based at Greenland's Farm.

Kate and Maggy are passionate about using local wool in felt making. Maggy and her husband Gary have set up North West Wool. They source local fleeces and have them processed for felting and spinning. We will look at their range of wools and a variety of felt making techniques. Kate and Maggy have very different approaches to their use of these wools and they will share these with you.

Day 1 - You will experiment and explore the different wools.
Day 2 - You will go out onto the farm and draw in tone to gain inspiration for your felt. For those who are lacking in confidence we will give lots of demonstrations and tuition. We will bring the drawings back into the classroom and discuss different ideas for moving your drawings on into felt.
Day 3 - You will make a finished piece.

The course fee includes a kilo of locally sourced, prepared wools for you to use on the course and take home. If you wish to bring any exotic fibres, yarns or fabrics with you to include in your work then feel free to do so. The course fee is £199.

For any enquiries or to book a place contact Rosie on 015242 62711 or rosemaryjackson@yahoo.co.uk

Please click here for a pdf of this information

Images of work produced by students who have attended our Summer Schools

Important Information:
When enrolling on a course you will need to complete, sign and return the
Application Form, Terms and Conditions and Permission for Photography, thank you.

Before applying and paying for a course, please consult with the tutor about suitability and availability.
Your contact is Kate Horner, click to e-mail.