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Creative Courses in the Cowshed 

Inspiring Art and Craft Courses in the Lake District at Cowshed Creative 

 - something for everyone

Platinum Award - excellent rating on Craft Courses

We are so proud to receive this award for excellent 5 star provision from student recommendation & verified by Craft Courses after running art & craft workshops in the Lake District for only 12 months 

★★★★★   The place was amazing – a beautifully converted barn in stunning surroundings.                                                                            Michelle.      Craft Courses website

★★★★★    'Another great art course at Cowshed!  The venue is terrific, with a great welcome,                        tasty food & excellent facilities.'    Steve            Craft Courses website

★★★★★    'Cowshed Creative is a great day out. Lovely, quiet, picturesque location.

Great food  and welcoming hosts. There are plenty of different courses to choose  from. Definitely worth a visit          Jane Johnson   Google My Business

You can BOOK our courses directly through our secure payment system, but if you prefer to pay by bank transfer please email us

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Welcome to Our 2024 Workshop Programme

We are delighted to offer a wide range of workshops 

with our talented team of artists and craft tutors

Please get in touch if you would like any

information about our courses or vouchers

March

March

Willow garden craft workshop in the Lake District ©Cowshed Creative

Willow Garden Structures

On this craft course, learn the skills to create your own willow ‘tipi’ garden supports that will stand you proud in your borders. 

These beautiful willow structures are the perfect natural addition to the garden providing support for a wide variety of flowering plants and veg; roses, sweet peas, runner beans, peas and miniature squash. Create your own contemporary look using traditional rural crafts skills.  No previous experience is required.

22 March  10 - 4

£75  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Silver Clay Jewellery Workshop

Create your own silver pendant or earrings inspired by the natural world.  Silver clay is fun, fast to learn and full of creative alchemy.  Perfect for beginners and those with some experience.

​

Silver clay is an exciting material a bit like putty.  You can mould it like clay, sculpt it into any shape and create wonderful textures.  It is fantastic for retaining fine imprinted detail. When fired on the day, it transforms like magic into a piece of pure silver.

24 March 10 - 4

£75  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

April

April

Stacker Ring:

 Silver Jewellery Course

Stacking rings are ideal to mix and match with your existing jewellery. On this course you will practice in brass or copper and then, move onto silver.  You will explore various ways to texture the metal and learn different jewellery making techniques, including shaping, forming, soldering and basic stone setting.  You will leave at the end of the day with a set of three  shiny new rings proud in the knowledge that you made them yourself.

13 April 10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Earrings and Pendants

Silver Jewellery 

Focusing on a range of jewellery making techniques, the workshop is designed to develop your skills, explore surface pattern and textural possibilities and encourage you to create your own silver jewellery designs. Expect to make pendants or earrings that are tactile and unique as every pass through the rolling mill is different, and every hammer blow brings exciting changes to your piece. This workshop is perfect for complete beginners and those with some experience.

14 April  10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Modern Calligraphy Workshop

An enjoyable introduction to the art of beautiful lettering. Learn how to shape loops and swirls with a dip pen and pointed calligraphy nib, before discovering alphabets and flowing, dancing words and phrases!  At the end of the course you’ll have the option to create a piece of colourful calligraphy art. Suitable for absolute beginners

19 April 10 - 1

£48  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Water in the Lakeland Landscape

Water colour & Pastel

Be inspired by the becks and gyhlls in the lakeland landscape. Based in the stunning Kentmere Valley, you will be encouraged to explore ways of working with watercolour paint and soft pastels to record moving water to create rich colour, texture, highlights and definition. The day will start indoors developing skills and then we will go outdoors, weather permitting, to work directly from observation

20 April 10 - 4

£76  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Colourful Anodised 

Aluminium Jewellery

Join us for a splash of colour in this exciting and playful process.  No experience needed, just enjoy experimenting with felt pens, stamps, paint brushes, inks  and dyes to transform aluminium.  In the afternoon you will learn how to create jewellery from some of your patterned metal and take home earings, bangles, or pendants.  

26 April  10 - 4

£75  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Spinner Ring – Silver Jewellery

Spinning rings are both contemporary and mystical. Created from two silver rings; the small middle ring spins around the wider inner band encircling the finger. The spinning motion is perfect for meditation and reducing stress. Join us to create a unique piece of silver jewellery that will be a joy to wear or make a perfect gift and learn a range of jewellery techniques in one day.  This workshop is suitable for beginners and more experienced makers 

27 April  10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Seaglass Jewellery Course

Early summer is a great time to comb the coast for sea glass, that's been tumbled smoothe by the waves. Transform and recycle the subtle coloured pieces into jewellery that is perfect for summer.  On this workshop you will learn to use a range of tools and develop jewellery making skills, working with sterling silver alongside your sea glass, to create beautiful finished pieces of  jewellery.

28 April 10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

May

May

Bountiful Baskets

 2 Day Craft Course

Learn a traditional rural craft and make your own timeless round basket with a handle. A course for anyone who likes to use their hands, enjoys the smell and creaking of willow as they work on their woven basket and wants the satisfaction of creating something unique with lots of practical uses. 

This two day course will equip you with the skills to make a truly original basket and provide you with the confidence and ability to work on further baskets at home.  No previous experience required

11&12 May 10 - 4.30

£158  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Hand Building and Raku Firing

2 day course

Raku is a really amazing process that includes firing your own pots outside in a custom made ‘open’ kiln to create unique patterns and designs on your pieces. Raku firing is one of the most dramatic and daring ways to fire pottery. It was developed in Japan in the early 1550s by Zen Buddhists to create ceramics for the Japanese tea ceremony.

The first day you will develop hand-building skills to create a range of pots or models that will exploit raku glaze effects.  These will be dried and biscuit fired ready for you to experiment with glazes and oxides the following week. Chris will guide you through the stages

The following week, prepare for an exciting workshop working with an outdoor kiln with controlled use of fire and smoke!  ‘Raku’ loosely means ‘happiness in the unexpected’.  The effects you can achieve can be stunning. 

16 & 23 May  10 - 4

£162  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Mosaic in a Day Workshop

Join us for a fun and relaxing day learning the art of mosaic on this craft course.  Create a colourful plaque to hang on a wall, a trivet for those hot pots on your table or brighten up coffee breaks with your own mosaic tray.  You will learn about different materials and how to use mosaic tools, with lots of tips on design and pattern. Treat yourself to a great day out and take home an original mosaic of your own

19 May  10 - 4

£75 Tea and coffee and home made traybake

June

June

Silver Clay Jewellery Workshop

Create your own silver pendant or earrings inspired by the natural world.  Silver clay is fun, fast to learn and full of creative alchemy.  Perfect for beginners and those with some experience.

​

Silver clay is an exciting material a bit like putty.  You can mould it like clay, sculpt it into any shape and create wonderful textures.  It is fantastic for retaining fine imprinted detail. When fired on the day, it transforms like magic into a piece of pure silver.

1 June   10 - 4

£75  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Lakeland Landscapes in Print

Monoprinting with Gelli Plates workshop

An ideal introduction to printmaking.  Be inspired by the stunning Kentmere landscape to record images using monoprinting techniques with gelli plates. Create textures, marks, forms and shapes as you layer and play with the ink, working with simple stencils and found materials to create a range of prints. ​ No need for a printing press or any previous printmaking, drawing or painting experience.

2 June. 10 - 4

£75  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Indigo Dye & Shibori Techniques

Shibori is the Japanese art of indigo resist dyeing. In this hands-on craft course you will learn the basics of Shibori inspired folding, binding, clamping and stitching techniques.  Dipped in Indigo, you will create your own stunning patterns on fabric. Create a stash of samples, working up to a Shibori cushion or cotton scarf.  Perfect for the summer!

29 June 10 - 4

£75  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Mosaic in a Day Workshop

Join us for a fun and relaxing day learning the art of mosaic on this craft course.  Create a colourful plaque to hang on a wall, a trivet for those hot pots on your table or brighten up coffee breaks with your own mosaic tray.  You will learn about different materials and how to use mosaic tools, with lots of tips on design and pattern. Treat yourself to a great day out and take home an original mosaic of your own

30 June  10 - 4

£75  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

July

July

Small Treasure Pouch Basket

Learn to make a beautiful miniature basket using traditional basket weaving techniques. Different to willow baskets these are done in plaiting or twining technique. The basics are relatively easy to learn and are very meditative; relaxing the mind.  You will work with different plant fibres and learn which  materials you can forage.   Enjoy creating something unique that is ideal for storing special finds and gems or would make a great gift

5 July  10 - 4   TBC

£76  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Wire Seed Pods

and Wild Grasses

Inspired by grasses, cow parsley, poppies and much more, on this workshop you can create your own bunch of wire seed heads to display in a vase.   You will learn to handle different gauges of wire to create a variety of wire drawings using leaves, plants and flowers for observation. Bring along your own photos or plants, as well as taking inspiration from those provided. No previous experience needed

7 July 10 - 4

£76  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Hand Building and Raku Firing

2 day course

Raku is a really amazing process that includes firing your own pots outside in an ‘open’ kiln to create unique patterns and designs on your pieces. Raku firing is one of the most dramatic and daring ways to fire pottery, developed in Japan in the 16th century 

The first day you will develop hand-building skills to create a range of pots or models.  These will be dried and biscuit fired ready for you to experiment with glazes and oxides the following week.  Chris will guide you through the stages

The following week, prepare for an exciting workshop working with an outdoor kiln with controlled use of fire and smoke! 

         'Raku’ loosely means ‘happiness in the unexpected’.  The effects you can achieve can be stunning. 

10 & 17 July 10 - 4

£162  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Stacking Bangles Jewellery workshop

Create three stacking bangles in sterling silver, brass and copper, set off with a charm.  Perfect for beginners and those with some experience. You will learn to measure for a comfortable fit, use a jeweller's saw, create texture on your work, solder, file and finish.  You can  create original pieces that are fun to wear and make great gifts.

13 July  10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Seaglass Jewellery Course

Early summer is a great time to comb the coast for sea glass, that's been tumbled smoothe by the waves. Transform and recycle the subtle coloured pieces into jewellery that is perfect for summer.  On this workshop you will learn to use a range of tools and develop jewellery making skills, working with sterling silver alongside your sea glass, to create beautiful finished pieces of  jewellery.

14 July 10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Aug

Aug

Animal Drawing in Mixed Media

Join us on our traditional Lakeland farm to develop the basic drawing skills you need to draw animals confidently.using a range of media.  You will experiment using simple shapes and lines, and explore the concept of gesture. With lots of opportunities to try out different media, you can create your own animal portrait in a medium of your choice.. 

Date: 30 August

£75 Teas, coffee and home made traybake

Colourful Anodised Aluminium Jewellery

Join us for a splash of colour in this exciting and playful process.  No experience needed, just enjoy experimenting with felt pens, stamps, paint brushes, inks  and dyes to transform aluminium.  In the afternoon you will learn how to create jewellery from some of your patterned metal and take home earings, bangles, or pendants.  

31 Aug 10 - 4

£75  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Sept

Sept

Modern Calligraphy

An enjoyable introduction to the art of beautiful lettering. Learn how to shape loops and swirls with a dip pen and pointed calligraphy nib, before discovering alphabets and flowing, dancing words and phrases!  At the end of the course you’ll have the option to create a piece of colourful calligraphy art too. Suitable for absolute beginners

13 Sept 10 - 1

£48  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Seaglass Jewellery Workshop

Summer is a great time to comb the coast for sea glass, that's been tumbled smoothe by the waves. Transform and recycle the subtle coloured pieces into jewellery that is perfect for summer.  On this workshop you will learn to use a range of tools and develop jewellery making skills, working with sterling silver alongside your sea glass, to create beautiful finished pieces of  jewellery.

14 Sept 10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Spinner Ring – Silver Jewellery

Spinning rings are both contemporary and mystical. Created from two silver rings; the small middle ring spins around the wider inner band encircling the finger. The spinning motion is perfect for meditation and reducing stress. Join us to create a unique piece of silver jewellery that will be a joy to wear or make a perfect gift and learn a range of jewellery techniques in one day.  This workshop is suitable for beginners and more experienced makers 

15 Sept 10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

October

Oct

Bountiful Baskets

 2 Day Craft Course

Learn a traditional rural craft and make your own timeless round basket with a handle. A course for anyone who likes to use their hands, enjoys the smell and creaking of willow as they work on their woven basket and wants the satisfaction of creating something unique with lots of practical uses. 

This two day course will equip you with the skills to make a truly original basket and provide you with the confidence and ability to work on further baskets at home.  No previous experience required

 5 & 6 Oct 10 - 4.30

£158  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Textures in the Lakeland Landscape

Gouache and Inktense

Focusing on the beautiful mosses and lichens, this workshop looks at ways to combine drawing and gouache painting to create marks, texture and colour in your landscape paintings. The day will start indoors developing skills and then we will go outdoors, weather permitting, to work directly from observation:

11 Oct   10 - 4

£76  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

​

Dec

Dec

Natural Christmas Wreaths

Join us for a fun, festive workshop and create a stunning Christmas wreath using natural foliage, cones and dried flowers, all sourced locally.  Alongside a roaring wood fire, chat, make, nunch on some Christmas eats and be inspired by arist and gardener, Belinda Worsely and her natural approach to wreath making.  The perfect way to get in to the Christmas spirit.

Date: TBC

Includes teas, coffee and Christmas bakes & treats

Book

Creative Adventures Together

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