Latest reviews

23 Mar 17'

Amanda Baggaley reviewed: The Annie Sloan complete chair makeover Workshop at La Di Da Interiors

"Nice group of people and fun. Enjoyed learning basic upholstery techniques especially."

23 Mar 17'

Jean Lindsay reviewed: Silk painting

"Really enjoyed this course, learned such a lot and Kat is a brilliant teacher, so patient and willing to help. I came away with two lovely silk pictures that I am going to frame. Would do the course again."

23 Mar 17'

Pat Twomey reviewed: Creative Woven Textile Courses

"Last year I spent a wonderful week learning to weave with Susie who is an excellent tutor. I stayed in the accommodation which was so good slept like a baby, the food was just great and the surroundings were very restful. The other people on the course were very pleasant to be with. Came home with a cushion front which I made up and gave to my son who is very happy with it. Would recommend any course that is running here."

23 Mar 17'

Jodie reviewed: The Pottery Cave - Evening beginners classes

"Caroline is fantastic! She allowed our class to work on our pieces with individual expression and I found it so relaxing and therapeutic. I can't recommend this class enough - perfect to get into ceramics and perfect to wipe away any life stresses."

23 Mar 17'

Alison Thompson reviewed: A Practical Dry Stone Walling Workshop Central London

"I had a wonderful day in the beautiful Bedfordshire countryside on the Dry Stone Walling course. Its something I've always wanted to do - I have my husband to thank for booking it for my birthday' John has great way of putting you at your ease, his passion, extensive knowledge and experience for dry stone walling, together with his never ending patience made the course a very enjoyable and rewarding day. Its very fulfilling to know whilst you are improving your own skills, something you help to create will fit naturally into the landscape and will be a home for nature for years to come. Travelling the countryside and seeing all the dry stone walls will mean a lot more in the future!"

23 Mar 17'

Nicola reviewed: Art & Craft Days - Beginners Furniture Painting Workshop with Autentico Chalk Paints

"I had a wonderful day yesterday; it went far too quickly! Ann was lovely and explained things very well and has inspired me to paint so many things. I am used to painting and decorating and although I had painted furniture before it hadn't turned out very well and now I know why thanks to Ann. Simple tips make all the difference. I came with an old fashioned magazine rack and went away with something beautiful and proud to have in my home and say "I did that". Lunch was amazing and the cakes were out of this world, thank you very much for providing such a lovely spread."

22 Mar 17'

Ollie Dineen reviewed: Furniture making course: Fundamentals of Furniture Making Part 1 (beginner)

"I thoroughly enjoyed the Fundamentals of Furniture Making two day course in March. Aiden was very welcoming and his enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, the subject was both impressive and inspiring. The tools and set up of the workshop were of a very high quality and you benefit from a lot of one on one assistance throughout the course. I found that by the end of the second day I had learnt a lot and to have a finished piece was really rewarding. I would recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in learning more about fine furniture making."

22 Mar 17'

Fiona reviewed: Dry stone walling course Lancashire/Yorkshire/Manchester/Leeds/Sheffield/North West

"A timeless weekend in the open air, curlews calling over the moor, sheep grazing in the field, toads hibernating, quietly building something that could last for centuries."

22 Mar 17'

Francesca Busca reviewed: London School of Mosaic: One Day Courses (and more)

"Southbank Mosaics is a delightful place with a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere where you can fully express your creativity whilst being followed by an amazing team. I feel recharged after each visit. I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of age and skills: you will be surprised of how much you can learn in the short time of a course. And then, I bet you'll be itching to come back for some more!"

22 Mar 17'

Leah reviewed: Make a silver ring or bangle

"I spent two days in Lucy's beautiful studio learning about wax carving for casting and improving my soldering skills. Lucy is a fantastic teacher who understood exactly what I wanted to gain from my 1 to 1 tuition with her. She has an incredibly wide knowledge of techniques and skills and I learned lots of tips and tricks that I hadn't found from my research online or in books. She also takes photos along the way and sends them over after so you have something to refer back to which was very helpful! I learned so much during my time with her, she has given me the confidence to continue learning these new techniques at home, I will definitely be back!"

22 Mar 17'

Jose Nicolson reviewed: London School of Mosaic: One Day Courses (and more)

"I have attended a few courses at Southbank Mosaics and they are always excellent! The tutors are inspirational and offer patient encouragement to all levels of students. The studio is a lovely place to work, in the evenings you can hear top class musicians practicing for concerts while you work on your mosaics. I've met some lovely people and made some good friends."

22 Mar 17'

David Howells reviewed: Introduction to Green Wood Furniture Making - 2 Day Course in South Devon

"I can't recommend this course enough. Pete is a lovely bloke with a passion for what he teaches, in an informative, but very relaxed manner. If working with wood is your passion, or something that you would just like to have a go at, then this course is for you. To create a lovely piece of furniture from a log and a rough sawn hardwood board, was more than I had expected. We started by sawing the log with a 2 person pull saw, and then splitting the log using traditional methods. The split log is then axe shaped into rough legs, which are then shaped on a draw horse and draw plain. Sitting on a draw horse, outside on a lovely morning , with the beautiful scenery around was a tonic for the soul. The legs are then finished with a spoke shave, and tenons are machined onto the ends. The top is free formed from sawn timber, and planned and shaped by hand (There's no sandpaper allowed on this course). Finally the legs are attached the top, and after final finishing, we were all left with a piece of furniture we were proud of. If you are thinking of this course, you will not be disappointed. On my particular course the other student were a great bunch that made the weekend even better."

22 Mar 17'

Louise Greenwood reviewed: Creative Vibe - Glassblowing Sessions

"A fantastic way to spend the day. Ricky is an excellent teacher, very clear and helpful. The day is very hands on and great fun. There were two of us on the course and we were involved the whole day supporting each other in the creation of our pieces. We got to make a sculptural piece, paperweight and final piece of our choice. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to have a go at glassblowing."

22 Mar 17'

Claire thomas reviewed: Annie Sloan Techniques for Colour & Style in Upcycling Furniture at La Di Da Interiors - Advanced

"Loved the course and the ladies on it. A wonderfully relaxing morning. Wish I'd known about the afternoon as I'd have loved to do more. Thank you x"

22 Mar 17'

Paul reviewed: Whittling course

"I attended Martin's Spoon carving course on the weekend of the 18/19 March '17. This course is highly recommended, whether you are a complete novice or have some experience. Martin is an excellent tutor, with a calm and patient style. The workshop is a very tranquil space with stunning views over the surrounding countryside. The course covers, Health and Safety, tool selection care and use, sharpening,wood types to use and those to avoid,and finishing. The teaching starts with basic knife cuts on Hazel sticks, moving on to axe work and the making of the first project, a butter spreader. The second day is devoted to making a spoon, which introduces the crook knife. I came away happy to work on my own, in safety, with Knife and Axe and more importantly enthusiasm. An excellent set of course notes is provided. Finally, the lunches are excellent! Thank you Martin. Paul."

22 Mar 17'

Jeremy Prescott reviewed: A Practical Dry Stone Walling Workshop Central London

"A very good day's course, with "hands on" experience, much encouragement and good notes, all under the watchful eye of master stonewaller John Holt. A great course to find in London."

22 Mar 17'

Lynn Baxter reviewed: London School of Mosaic: One Day Courses (and more)

"I've attended indirect and direct Mosaic courses at Southbank and they are brilliant. All the equipment and materials are supplied for you to produce an individual mosaic of your choice. You receive excellent guidance and encouragement from the experienced tutors/artists on techniques for ceramic and glass tiles and use of shape and colour to create shading and depth in your design. They are very patient and help you discover your own style There's a friendly relaxed atmosphere and I've met interesting people at the classes"

22 Mar 17'

Steven Loud reviewed: A Practical Dry Stone Walling Workshop Central London

"I had a brilliant day. I'm considering building one in my garden. I will attend another course before doing it as I was just getting the 'knack' and then the day ended. John is an excellent teacher with his patience and enthusiasm."

22 Mar 17'

Sarah Harvey reviewed: M

"Superb day with Maddie Janes in Jersey last weekend. We were hands on pretty much straight away and after a skills lesson we were making our own mosaic. So many materials to choose from and thanks to Maddie's wealth of knowledge and patience, we all came away with a lovely piece of work for a first attempt! Thoroughly recommended this course."

22 Mar 17'

Marco reviewed: Full day leather craft workshop

"I attended the full day workshop and had a fabulous day. It was the first time I worked with leather and Rosanna was patient, helpful and very knowledgeable. I made a credit card holder, a wallet and a passport cover, which I have been using in my day to day life. I would definitely recommend the course to anybody interested in leather crafting. Thank you Rosanna, Marco"

22 Mar 17'

Mel reviewed: Mixed Media Painting Workshop in Brighton Seaside Home

"I went on this course not really knowing what to expect, but after a really fun day I came away feeling excited by the prospect of making more mixed media pieces. I found Laura to be a really supportive and encouraging workshop leader, which was lovely especially when I really wasn't sure how the artwork was going to turn out. We learned new techniques and had the chance to experiment with different types of textures and paints before starting on our main project, which made me feel more confident when I was creating my artwork. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and would recommend it to anyone looking to experiment with a new craft with an inspiring and knowledgeable tutor."

21 Mar 17'

Kirsty reviewed: Stitchless bags workshop - learn how to craft your own leather bag with no stitching

"What a great way to spend a morning with friends. Good designs to choose from and wide variety of coloured leathers. It was a well managed course with all of us completing our bags on time (with embossing too!) - and there was time for tea and delicious cake."

21 Mar 17'

Susan reviewed: Tapestry Weaving Workshops

"An excellent course. Fiona's instruction was very clear with lots of lovely resources to use, ideas and encouragement for future projects. The studio is in an interesting area with nice cafe's for lunchtime. Best of all it was inspiring."

21 Mar 17'

Kaye reviewed: Make a silver ring or bangle

"I spent a most enjoyable , stimulating and rewarding day with Lucy , who is an excellent teacher. She was supportive, encouraging , flexible and responsive, and her style and enormous subject knowledge really fired my imagination. I will certainly be returning in the summer to learn more. I would recommend Lucy to anyone who is interested in experiencing a range of techniques and the luxury of one to one tuition with a very skilled and talented jeweller ."

21 Mar 17'

Paul Chadwick reviewed: Blacksmithing - one to one - Hammer Skills

"Absolutely amazing. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Bob picard, who was a very good instructor. Complete patience with me, even when I was struggling. I was made to feel comfortable in every aspect of what we did. Also I would like to add, Bob made me look for my own mistakes, this i believe makes everyone get a better grip on what it is they are doing. I would do it all again, and from this experience will one day open my own forge. Paul chadwk"