LEARN-TO Hand Render Jewellery [APR]

Date: Monday 28 April, 2025

Start Time: 10:00am

End Time: 4:30pm

Venue: FORGE

Eleanor Clifford will guide you through every step of illustrating jewellery designs with gouache and watercolours in this one day intensive hand rendering workshop. You will learn about the brushes, paints and other the essential tools needed, gain skills and learn illustrative techniques to create accurate and beautiful drawings to communicate your designs to your clients.

See "What shall I bring?" below for details of paints and brushes to bring to the workshop. We will provide a list of supplier options when you book.

Special discount to FORGE Friends, enter your code at checkout.

What will I Learn?

You will produce a variety of step-by-step paintings to develop your skills in jewellery rendering, using both traditional gouache and watercolour techniques. This intensive workshop will cover:

Understanding the properties of fine watercolours and gouache to enhance jewellery illustrations

Techniques for rendering cabochon gemstones using watercolour effects

Using the wet-on-wet method for stones like amber

Applying granulating watercolour properties to depict fluorite and labradorite

Creating texture with the salt technique for lapis lazuli, moss agate, and jade

Step-by-step gouache techniques for rendering fine metal surfaces, focusing on rings

The final project will bring all these skills together in a complete hand-rendered jewellery design. By the end of the session, you will have all the tools needed to render your own jewellery pieces with confidence.

What will happen on the day?

This will be an intensive day of learning, designed to guide you through every step of illustrating jewellery designs with gouache and watercolours. We’ll start by familiarising you with the art materials used in the course, ensuring you feel confident with the brushes and paints—no prior painting experience is required, as we'll cover all the basics.

In the morning, we’ll focus on key projects that teach the techniques for rendering gemstones. We will then move on to rendering precious metals. You will then use all of these skills combined in a final exercise, where you'll select and render your complete jewellery design.

What skills do I need?

All levels – No previous experience is required. However, attending the LEARN-TO: Hand Render class or having some prior experience in hand rendering may be helpful.

What should I bring?

Paint Palette

Gouache Paints:

Winsor & Newton Designer Gouache, 14ml tubes in the following shades:

- Permanent White

- Permanent Yellow Deep

- Burnt Sienna

- Jet Black

Watercolour Brushes:

A selection of brushes in "pointed round," "round," and/or "mop" shapes, with sizes ranging from:

- Smallest hair length: 0.5mm

- Longest hair length: 1.5cm

What should I wear?

Clothes: Casual and not too precious, as this may be a messy class. Avoid long, loose sleeves that might interfere with your work.

Shoes: Casual flat shoes and no open toed sandals.

Hair: Tie long hair back.

Who is my instructor?

Eleanor Clifford is a goldsmith and jewellery artist from Dorset with 11 years of experience in the trade. She studied Jewellery and Silversmithing at the Birmingham Jewellery School and has and has since been simultaneously working on the bench, as a jewellery designer and tutor.

How do I get there?

See contact page for details on public transport and parking.

£135.00