Tutor: DJ Pettitt
I love square books! This small journal, measuring about 6” square, is one of my favourites, as it fits so nicely in my hand. 

First we’ll create textured backgrounds on Stonehenge paper, which will be the base for our book covers. Then we’ll pile on more texture, enhancing the piece with paint, collage elements, fabric and optional stitching, and then attach them to canvas panels to create the covers.  The inside of the book will contain 6 blank signatures, which you can later fill up with journaling,photos, paint—wherever your passion takes you!

We’ll finish our books with a no-stress, simple binding. You’ll not only walk away with a great little book, but with additional collaged pieces that you can use for your own art projects at home.

  This fast, and versatile background technique is one that you’ll use over and over again.

No kit fee DJ will provide a handout, waxed linen, template for binding

Supply List:

• Two, 6" X 6" canvas panels (examples here)
• Small container Regular Matte Gel Medium
• Small container white gesso
• Small container black paint. Craft paint works great
• 3-4 bottles of acrylic paint in colours you like for backgrounds. Any brand will work. I use Golden Fluid paint.
• Inexpensive 1/2" flat brush
• Stonehenge paper. Available at :Dick Blicks (Sample book includes 6 pieces in each of the 6 signatures  i.e groups of pages. Please pre-cut or tear 36 pieces, 6" X 12"  and these will be folded in half). We'll also use Stonehenge to create the covers
• Two, 6" x 6" pieces for the covers and several extra to paint for future projects.
• A few small, collage elements to add to your covers; thin paper, tissue, old letters, phone book page, even thin, lightweight fabric will work
• Fabric scraps for creating the signature wraps, linings inside the covers, and the spine. Include one, 6" X 12" piece for linings inside the covers (cut it just a bit larger so we can trim it). Home decorator fabrics, vintage quilt pieces, velvet, tulle, upholstery fabric, lace and trims, and recycled clothing are a few ideas
• Book binding needle. I use a 3" doll sculpting needle available at most fabric stores
• 18 beads or buttons for binding your book. These should be about 1/4" in diameter. 2 hole or shank buttons work best. Vintage Shoe buttons are also wonderful used on book spines. Beads should have a large enough hole to accommodate the needle
• Paint Palette. Needs to be flat. Foil will work, or foil covered cardboard
• Palette knife - A trowel shape is best. Flat ones won't work. My favourite is a cake knife such as Ateco #1385, but regular trowel shaped palette knives are fine
• Glue stick
• Old credit card for spreading glue
• General Supplies: Scissors, pencil, ruler, paper towels
• Small cutting mat to lay signatures on as you punch holes
• Japanese screw punch with a 1/16" tip, or a 1/16" punch and hammer
• Optional: Sewing machine and thread, if you would like decorative stitching

Cost of Class: $290

Friday April 13th 2012

Beginning with a metal jar lid, students will learn how to construct a hinged bracelet similar to the examples using cold and soldered connection techniques. The projects will focus on problem solving while combining found objects with fabricated components and mechanical attachments.

• Supply list:
  Sheet copper or brass (24 or 26 gauge) approx. 15 cm x 15cm minimum
• 2 or more bottle/jar metal lids ( approx. 3.5 cm to 5cm in diameter like Snapple, Starbucks Frappuccino, baby food jars,etc.). Remove the plastic seal inside the lid…I usually  burn it with a torch (outside of course)…then you can let it rust, crush it, or otherwise alter it to make it just a little grungy if you want
• Brass or copper wire in 20 and 14 gauges
• Bring a variety of found objects such as buttons, game pieces, old jewelry, fossils, minerals, and industrials materials (chain, electronic parts, etc.) to incorporate into the design of the completed piece.

Tool list:
Basic jewelry making tools will be needed, including round nose and flat nose pliers, wire cutters (flush cutters recommended)
• Small hammer
• Jeweler’s saw and #0 or #00 blades
• Bench Pin
• Bench block (YOU MUST bring something for dampening the hammering noise such as a shot bag or towel)
• Dremel Tool or similar rotary tool for drilling and #56 drill bit or 1/16 inch drill bit
• Hole Punch Pliers (1.25mm) available Here
• Center Punch

Cost of Class: $290

Friday 13th April 2012

Tutor: Ro Bruhn

This workshop involves decorating papers with acrylic paint and inks using stamps, stencils and lots of 'found object' stencils.

We will decorate a heavier sheet of paper for the cover. The papers will then be stitched by hand into the cover and trimmed with fabric and buttons down the spine. These journals can be used as diaries, for sketching, collaging or whatever takes your fancy.

Requirements list:

There will be a kit fee of $30 payable to the tutor in class, your kit will include all of your papers, paints, inks, waxed thread and fabrics and buttons for the spine.

There will be additional pre-cut fabric and button kits available to purchase, incase you want to make more journals later.

Cost of Class $160.00

Friday 13th April 2012

Tutor: DJ Pettitt

Join me for a day of inspiration and creativity as we use photographs to create a one-of-a-kind hanging art piece. Using simple supplies such as paint washes, glue, trinkets, old jewellery, buttons and fabric scraps, I’ll show you how to make an extraordinary art piece that you can hang in your home, or give as a gift. This process can also be transferred to many other mixed media projects and activities.

Create your art piece any size you would like, and I’ll guide you as we layer and assemble the composition. Learn about adding colour washes over your images, layering fabric and ephemera, incorporating dimensional elements, adding hand stitching, optional machine stitching, and protecting your work.

We’ll also explore various ways to create a hanger to match the “mood” of your piece.  Maybe your work calls for a hanger with found metal objects and chain, or perhaps a more romantic feel using, fabric, ribbon and some hand-stitching.

Using the treasures you bring, I’ll provide you with a number of options to display and present your work.

No kit fee (DJ will provide a handout and wire)

Supply List:

Cost of Class: $290

Saturday April 14th 2012

Tutor: Richard Salley

In this class you will learn to use a variety of materials…brass, copper, Faux Bone™ …and a variety of skills…etching, sawing, shaping, riveting…to create an ancient looking layered pendant.

Through the use of ancient fonts for the etching, and by aging and distressing the metals, you will craft a pendant with an ancient look that suggests it was found in an archeological dig. You will also learn to make a hook and eye clasp along with how to braid a 4-strand neck cord to complete the piece.

The goal of the class will be to make one or more mixed metal pendants similar to the sample photos. The skills you learn will be easily transferred to your own future projects.

Note: if you have a family crest that you think would work well for the shield, bring along a copy-machine or laser printer copy with you.

Materials List:

Tool List: Students should bring the following tools to class:

Optional:
Dremel Tool or similar rotary tool for drilling and #56 drill bit or 1/16 inch drill bit
Hole Punch Pliers (1.25mm) available at Fusion Beads

Richard will supply etchant solution, patina, Faux Bone ™, leather cord and brass escutcheon pins and a $10 materials fee will be collected in class.

Cost of Class: $290 plus $10 materials fee

Saturday 14th April 2012

Tutor: Maha Ghobrial

Have you thought of making your very own precious metal jewellery? Design your own, make that very special present for that special someone, or even have that very special memory preserved for ever, like a child’s finger print or a special photo.

Precious Metal Clay (PMC) is a versatile, easy to use material developed in the early 1990's in Japan by Mitsubishi.  PMC consists of microscopic particles of pure silver mixed with a water based binder which has the feel and working properties of modeling clay.

Using very simple tools it is easy to shape and texture the clay to form pieces of jewellery. When the clay is fired the  binder is burnt off and the particles fuse together resulting in a piece of fine silver jewellery (99.99%).  It is possible to fire PMC using a small butane torch or a kiln.

PMC can be combined with glass, enamel, polymer clay, resin, paper, and many other techniques. Join in this easy & fun class and you will be going home with few pieces of your very own hand-made jewellery.

If you are a complete beginner expect to make 1-3 pieces of jewellery. One of which we will set a stone in (stone supplied). If you have experience with PMC already, we can explore more complex techniques like hollow forms, KemBoo (bring your own gold foil please), hinges, & much more. There is something new for everyone.

All tools required for use during the class will be provided, but you might want to bring that special texture that you have.

Cost of Class: $190

Saturday April 14th 2012

This includes 16gm PMC clay, syringe & use of paste in the class (valued at $50) Additional clay can be purchased from Maha if you wish to make more pieces or you can bring your own.

Tutor: D.J. Pettitt

Bring pigment ink or laser/toner copies of your personal photos (non-inkjet) printed on fabric and/or paper, and we'll creatively alter and transform them for later use. We'll use pencil, gesso, acrylic paint, different mediums, and collage materials to enhance your photos.

You'll leave with several painted photos mounted on different substrates that can then be included in future projects. This one-day class will forever change the way you look at your collection of photographs!

No drawing or painting skills required. Class is open to all skill levels. No kit fee. I'll provide a handout and one of my images

Supplies:

Cost of class $290

No Kit Fee

Sunday April 15th 2012

Tutor: Richard Salley

In this class students will fabricate a locket with a hinged cover using a variety of cold connection techniques, including:
Riveting
Wire staples
Prong closures
Wire forming, shaping and hardening
Hook and eye clasp construction

The locket cover itself will be etched using ferric chloride. Students will be taught to transfer designs for etching using acetone transfer, rubber stamp and free-form techniques.

Supply List:

• Students should bring the following to class
• 22 or 24 gauge Sheet Copper approx. 15cm x 15cm
• 1 or more of your favourite rubber stamps - used for the pattern you will etch in the sheet metal
• A photograph (or copy of a photo) to put in the locket
• 1 m or so of 14 gauge
• 4 m of 20 gauge copper wire.

Tool List: You will need basic jewellery making tools including:

• jewellers saw and #2 saw blades
• metal files
• round and flat nose pliers
• needle nose pliers - available at hardware/home improvement stores
• small hammer suitable for flattening wire and riveting
• wire cutters
• bench block and bench pin

Optional but very useful…
Dremel or similar rotary tool with cutting discs and #56 drill bit

Cost of Class: $290

Sunday 15th April 2012

Tutor: Jen Crossley

Learn how to make this unique doll pendant. In this class you will learn how to metal etch in a very simple way and construct a mini book to be hidden inside our metal etched covers, all being put together with a beautiful hand cast bronze dolls head which will be in the kit.

This pendant will be finished and ready to wear after your class is finished. 

Materials List:

• Scrap of wood to drill into
• Glue
• 1/8th eyelet setter
• Sharpie fine liner
• 1/8th copper eyelets
• Masking Tape
• Stazon Black ink pad
• Paper towel
• Rubber stamps for design on etching