Weekend Stone Carving Workshop

Join this stone carving workshop and learn how to transform rough stone into beautiful, personally meaningful sculptures. This creative activity welcomes complete beginners with no prior experience needed.In this hands-on class, you'll discover the fundamental techniques of stone carving under the guidance of expert instructors who will support you through each step of the process. Your teachers will provide all the necessary tools and materials, showing you how to use them safely and effectively as you bring your vision to life.By the end of the course, you should feel confident to be able to design and carve a simple sculpture in relief and have mastered basic hand tool techniques using a pitcher and flat chisels.FAQWho is it for? This is for students who want to gain experience and knowledge of carving a sculpture in relief. This course teaches how to carve a form on a background, all the stages from the design, waste removal, undercutting, carving movement, textures and smoothing. It is suitable for beginners and those with some experience. Maltese limestone is a fine-grained soft stone and is easy to carve. You don't have to be strong as techniques will be taught that minimise impact and make carving efficient, but you have to be able to hold a mallet and chisel. It is also best to carve standing up.What does it cover? This course covers design, the making of the relief sculpture and finishing techniques. First, there will be an introduction to the health and safety of carving limestone. The correct way of working and safe workshop practice. I will bring examples of the stages and a finished piece in Maltese Limestone. How to mark up the design, taking the waste away by using various chisels, making textures using Bouchard hammers and picks, before finishing with abrasive papers. By the end of the course, students should feel confident to be able to design and carve a simple sculpture in relief and have mastered basic hand tool techniques using a pitcher and flat chisels.What will it be like? Teaching will be done through demonstrations of techniques and methods to the whole class and on an individual basis according to needs, and to monitor progress. The stages of the sculpture will be followed step by step. There will be handouts during the day on the process, geology, further reading, suppliers and techniques.What else do I need to buy or do?Goggles and dust masks are provided, but stout boots or shoes are required. No open toed sandals. Bring an apron as it can be dusty. All materials and tools included. Read more details