Embrace your creativity and learn a new skill for the new year, with everything from painting to jewellery-making on offer here in Gloucestershire.
In this hot list, SoGlos handpicks 10 creative craft workshops to try at New Brewery Arts in Cirencester, from half-day workshops to short courses – with many starting in January 2022.
About the sponsor – New Brewery Arts
As well as exhibiting a broad array of beautiful arts and crafts in its gallery, New Brewery Arts in Cirencester is passionate about connecting the community with craft through its workshops and courses.
Offering half- and full-day workshops to give something new a try, to longer courses designed to perfect a skill, there’s plenty to choose from whether you’re a seasoned crafter or a complete beginner.
For more information, or to book a workshop, visit newbreweryarts.org.uk.
1. Indian block printing at New Brewery Arts
Try your hand at the ancient technique of Indian block printing. Sign up for a half-day workshop and explore a range of samples to inspire your creativity, before having a go at creating your own unique patterns on paper and fabric.
Indian Block Printing with Clare Walsh takes place on Saturday 15 January 2022, costing £55 per person, including all materials and a textile print to take home.
2. Pottery at New Brewery Arts
From trinket dishes to plant pots, pottery is a fun and tactile way to get crafty. Beginners Pottery with Miranda Wells covers everything from throwing clay on a potter’s wheel to decoration and glazing in a five-week course, taking participants from complete beginner to completed project.
Beginners Pottery with Miranda Wells takes place on Wednesday evenings from Wednesday 19 January to Wednesday 16 February 2022 and costs £140.
3. Enamelling at New Brewery Arts
Create your own handmade jewellery, keyrings, brooches and more in a beginner-friendly workshop devoted to enamelling on copper. Create colourful designs before firing in a kiln to take home the same day.
Kiln Fired Enamelling with Katie Sanderson takes place on Friday 14 January 2022 and costs £90, with all tools and materials included.
4. Jewellery-making at New Brewery Arts
New Brewery Arts hosts a variety of jewellery-making workshops, from creating your own Tatty Devine-inspired necklace to mastering the art of silversmithing.
There are Make Your Own Necklace workshops with Stina Richardson on Saturday 22 January and Saturday 12 March 2022, where participants can use sterling silver, pearls and semi-precious stones to create their very own unique necklace for £55 per person, with all materials provided.
5. Watercolour painting at New Brewery Arts
With painting offering a swathe of therapeutic benefits, the new year feels like the perfect time to take up this relaxing hobby after all the chaos of the festive season. Budding artists can learn the fundamentals of watercolour in a 10-week course, which covers everything from choosing the right materials to colour mixing, as well as painting exercises to build your confidence.
Beginners Watercolour with Lorraine Green takes place on Monday afternoons from Monday 17 January until Monday 28 March 2022 and costs £250.
6. Stained glass-making at New Brewery Arts
Stained glass isn’t just for church windows, with New Brewery Arts hosting a 10-week course, where participants can create their own unique design for a panel or hanging decoration.
Stained Glass with Daniella Wilson-Dunne takes place from Wednesday 19 January to Wednesday 30 March 2022, with sessions in the morning and the afternoon, costing £250 with materials included to create up to an A3 sized panel.
7. Portrait drawing at New Brewery Arts
Ideal for sketching fans and suitable for all levels of experience, New Brewery Arts’ one-day workshop on portraiture explores a variety of drawing techniques, as well as informative advice on form, proportion and experimentation, working with a real-life model to help perfect your portraits.
Portrait Drawing with Alexandra Woods takes place on Saturday 15 January 2022 and costs £95 with all materials included.
8. Oil painting at New Brewery Arts
Get acquainted with oil painting in a colourful one-day workshop at New Brewery Arts. Focusing on colour mixing, application, complimentary colours and how to achieve realistic flesh-coloured tones for painting people, this workshop is ideal for beginners.
Introduction to Oils with Alexandra Woods takes place on Saturday 8 January 2022, costing £90, with all materials included.
9. Linocut printing at New Brewery Arts
Suitable for complete beginners, a one-day course in linocut printing gives participants the chance to learn how to prepare, cut and print using this versatile technique – creating their very own A5 or A6 block and a variety of finished prints to take home on the day.
Linocut Printing with Beth Jenkins takes place on Saturday 29 January 2022 and costs £90, with all materials included. Participants may want to bring their own nitrile gloves if they don’t want inky hands at the end of the day!
10. Bookbinding at New Brewery Arts
Perfect for poets, writers and journaling enthusiasts, the four-week beginner bookbinding course at New Brewery Arts teaches participants how to make bespoke diaries, notebooks, sketchpads and books. Starting with simple pamphlet binding before moving onto notebooks, by the end of the course, you’ll be able to make your very own hardback book.
Beginner Bookbinding with Emily Northen takes place on Wednesday mornings from Wednesday 19 January until Wednesday 16 February 2022 and costs £130 with all materials included – although participants are welcome to bring their own decorative papers for their books.
For more information, or to book a workshop, visit newbreweryarts.org.uk.
