Sculpting and Casting with Jesmonite

Another exceptional workshop!.

Anna was a wonderful tutor and this was a great course to introduce you to the material. We had the opportunity to try many different types of jesmonite and make our own creations with the mould-making materials provided. We were shown different techniques for casting and laminating it, and received extensive handouts to take away too, which are very useful for future reference. I would recommend bringing any silicone moulds you already own as this way I was able to cast quite a lot during the class. I would definitely recommend!

Really good course, a good informative starter into the world of Jesmonite. Anna, the teacher was excellent and showed us some interesting techniques. The obby listing is a little unclear- it doesn’t specify that the course is two days but it was on sat and Sunday 10-4.

This was a great course: as enjoyable as it was instructive. The course content was geared to introduce beginners to the potential of Jesmonite for sculptural use. It covered a range of basic techniques. We were all able to experiment and came away with a set of extremely useful notes for future reference. The tutor was excellent (and charming with it) and paid careful attention to the various interests and objectives of the individuals in the group. The group members were also lovely!

Very enjoyable course with knowledgeable, friendly and helpful tutor. Loads of jesmonite material to play with and an excellent opportunity to try different variations of the material without having to invest in large quantities initially. I took some small plastic tubs and moulds with me but you can make simple metal moulds at the workshop otherwise. Easy to find - great view of the Thames - free parking and good places for lunch! Came away with much better understanding of the material and lots of ideas. Thanks very much.

The tutor Lauren was very clear and covered a lot of information in two days. I learned a lot and am confident enough to continue working with Jesmonite on my own!

A really enjoyable workshop covering many topics (colouring, using lookalike stone, metal fillers, and quadrelax glass), I felt that I learnt a lot and left feeling very inspired. The tutor was very knowledgeable, and able to suggest ideas to help me develop my work.

Good teaching. Generous with the materials. Helpful staff. Only negative comments are: There must be a reason that 5/10 students turned up believing that we would be making our moulds from which to cast something in jesmonite. It was certainly not clear that the only mould making was constructing basic metal forms. There were no handouts. We all took notes but the tutor said that hand outs would be sent to us by email ; none have arrived yet. They would have been useful during the course. I know that the jesmonite info sheets give all the technical stuff but even just a list of suppliers and details of accessories such as the silicon spray and the spray on wax release agent would have been useful. But all in all a very worthwhile course.

I enjoyed the course and there were plenty of positives, including: - An abundance of Jesmonite to 'play' with - The tutor had a good range of knowledge/experience with the product and it's ancilliaries - The cafe as the nearby rock climbing facility was excellent - An enviable workshop with loads of equipment and resources - I had a go at alginate modelling which wasn't on the 'curriculum' - The jump right in and do as you please mentality was great for me but maybe not for others? However, the negatives were: - No joining instructions so I didn't have a clue what to do or where to go when I got to the sculpture building. Not even a telephone number. So I stood around trying to figure out what to do until I could get to where I needed to be - by accident - No H&S briefing. At all. Frightening really! - I could and should have brought more moulds. There needs to be more emphasis on this in the course particulars. Although you are able to use the equipment to cut and shape steel, this didn't really appeal to me - Maybe some handouts wouldn't go a miss - A blackboard/whiteboard to write pertinent information on. Especially the tutor's name which I couldn't remember in the class and can't remember now - The surrounding area is quite rough and I felt quite vulnerable on my own so be aware of this in the winter when the nights are darker quicker - Some recommendations of local hotels and restaurants would be good for those who are not local

Really informative and fun course with plenty of time to experiment with different techniques.

It’s was amazing, teaching was individual and well paced font of information. Group size was just right. I learnt so much and loads of material to use. I highly recommend sculpture work shop courses.

I left the course feeling confident that I can continue to use Jesmonite independently as well as apply it in a wide range of different ways in my practice. Instructor was knowledgable, helpful and informative. We had a series of demonstrations that we could then go away and try out on our own ideas. I came away with a range of exciting and dynamic objects.

Potentially a good course slightly let down by the Tutors lack of knowledge. He was a stand in as the programmed tutor was unavailable;able at the last minute. He tried hard but was unable to answer a number of queries of mine about casting vessels in Jesmonite. He also recommended an approach that failed - on the other hand we were being experimental so that was not all bad. I'm glad i went.

Excellent introductionI would have liked more time for construction (rather than casting)It would have been helpful to encourage people to bring moulds with them. And to provide paper towels.

Really good course, learnt a lot and enjoyed exploring with the different mediums. Tutor Lauren was great, really knowledgeable and could ask her anything. Be prepared to make your own moulds and have an idea of what you want to make before you go. Only slight comment is that there was a lacking of basic things like paper towels, other than that, really good workshop.

Good course before t not received information email from instructor as promised.