We are bringing the colour to Summer in Wellington!​

 

The focus of this week is to develop student's understanding of how to bring colour into their work, focusing on glass enamels and using different metals and patina.  With a whole week to explore there is plenty of time for an exciting adventure in jewellery making. 

This programme is open to learners of all levels. Complete beginners will gain foundational jewellery making skills and can expect to produce 2 or more well-finished pieces. More advanced students will be able to develop their existing abilities and learn some new techniques. Depending on where they are in their jewellery making journey, they may wish to spend more time on design fundamentals, and/or discussing their developing practice with their tutor mentors. There is also the option for those advanced students looking to create works to sell to have a business discussion with Annie Collins about their next steps. 

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Our class size is a maximum of 10 students. This group size allows for flexibility in how students work and what they create, though we are unable to introduce additional techniques beyond those planned for the week.

If you have specific questions about your level, the curriculum or what you can make please email us.

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Course Curriculum:

 

Monday: Introductions and Metal Work

Health and Safety induction and studio familiarity session. This is followed by getting stuck into texturing on copper and brass. Beginner level students will be shown how to anneal (heat) their metal to texture and shape it using forging or hammering techniques, as well as how to drill holes in their metal to prepare for enamels and an introduction to piercing. 

Those with some metal work experience will be shown riveting  - a cold connection technique as well as how to create tab settings, which are a simple but very secure and effective claw setting particularly useful for enamelled items. 

 We will discuss the plan for the week and how to incorporate these textured pieces with our vibrant glass enamels.

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Tuesday: Colour!

Explore the amazing world of glass enamels on metal!

Beginners to this technique will be guided through the basics, while those who have some experience can begin taking their skills a step further. 

Glass enamels come in a powder form and are carefully applied to the surface of silver and copper, then fused in the kiln. This day is about learning how to create colourful components to add into your silver projects. Or how to create a larger enameled feature piece to frame in silver for brooches, pendants or even for framing as a miniature artwork on the wall!

We will explore both transparent and opaque colours as the time frame of the week will give you a rare opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the process. 

Techniques explored include:  stencil,  stamp application - dry sifting

• Cloisonne / using silver foil under transparents - wet packing

Additional techniques if time permits include: 

•  Scraffito, graphite drawings,  and for experienced students, plique a jour. 

 

Wednesday: Connections And Design

How do we incorporate these beautiful glass enamels into our designs? Students will practice their cold connections such as rivets and tab settings, as well as soldering skills to join their pieces together. They will carefully plan the next steps in creating their final pieces and be helped along with their designs.

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Thursday: Production

Students will work on their final designs. They may need to revisit some enamel application and firing. Today will be the perfect time to look at patina and how that can influence colours on metal. 

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Friday: Finishing And Exhibition

This day will be spent getting pieces into a finished state ready to exhibit in the evening! Finishing is a very important step in jewellery making, it is what takes a piece from "student work" to "saleable". Our tutors will encourage those on the selling path to really up their quality. 

From 4.30pm on Friday we will display student's works to friends and whānau, and have some drinks and nibbles to celebrate!

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Course fees include a generous metal pack, and enamels allowance. Extra materials will be available to purchase and advanced students are welcome to bring along their own materials.