Art workshops Florence Arts courses Florence

Jewellery

Jewellery courses at Metallo Nobile - trade school for jewellery crafting and design

Jewellery crafting. Handwork and metalworking techniques for creating jewellery.
Specialist workshops and courses with expert florentine teacher.

For further information visit the site www.metallo-nobile.com

Fresco

• Bon fresco.
• Imitation fresco.
• Shiny stucco and encaustic.
• Graffito.
• On tile.
• On alternative support.
• On canvas (self-detaching).
• Strappo (conservation technique).

Painting

• Use of coloured pencils and pastels technique.
• Use of normal and oily temperas.
• Use of oil-colours for glazing and printing painting.
• Copies of Old Masters to practise these techniques, with special attention to fourteenth-century tempera on board and gold ground techniques.
• Landscape oil painting from life.

Drawing

• Acquisition of manual skill.
• Execution of a copy (from Masters of various periods) of a facial detail using the squaring technique and employing pencil, red chalk, sepia and charcoal.
• Use of the chiaroscuro technique to emphasise volume.
• Execution of a copy without squaring, using only the median and diagonal co-ordinates to divide the composition.
• Imitation of Old Master landscapes, on small-size paper using pen and ink, ballpoint pen and felt pen.

• Drawing from life.
• Chiaroscuro hatching using 45° technique or pencil point.
• Enlargement by means of squaring.
• Landscape drawing from life.
• Study of composition, still life and drapery.
• Line drawing practice (charcoal drawing, timed drawing and drawing from memory).

Painting reproduction

• Choice of the original work and historic contextualisation.
• Analysis of the image.
• Study of materials.
• Preparation of new materials.
• The drawing.
• The application of colour.
• The finish and final effect.
• The ageing process.

Trompe l'oeil

• A brief history and introduction into the technique of representing depth pictorially.
• Practise in drawing and painting prospective and creating the atmosphere of a far off object or a landscape.
• Use of various painting techniques: Acrylic and oil painting; Faux painting techniques on marble and wood; A painting project on a free standing panel of canvas or wood.

Sculpture

In terracotta
• The various types of clay; the utensils and their correct use.
• Modelling techniques for sculptures in the round, in low and high relief and "a colombino" (statues which are hollow inside with a uniform thickness).
• Production of imaginative works, using a pre-existent model or a model from life, also using photographic material and anatomical atlas.
• Firing of the work and application of cold varnishes or polychromes, using tempera or oil colours and wax finishing.
• Bronze casting includes the production of an original model in wax.
• The creation of a cast in plaster or silicon gums to reproduce the model, into which the wax is then poured.
• Touching up of the work to prepare it for casting.

In wood
• Types of wood and utensils.
• Study and analysis of a bas-relief, followed by the execution of a copy of the entire work or a detail.
• Study and analysis of a sculpture "in the round".
• Copy from life through the creation of a clay model, followed by a reproduction in wood.

Pottery

• Clay modelling techniques.
• Wheel techniques.
• Colour techniques.
• Glazing techniques.
• Terracotta techniques.
• Enamel firing techniques.
• Notes on the materials used in processing.
• Lessons on ceramic design, concentrating on the colouring of the object.

Florentine mosaic

• Types of stones.
• Utensils and their use.
• The machines for cutting the stones.
• The design.
• Transfer to adhesive paper.
• Gluing of the paper to the stone.
• The cutting.
• The composition of the artefact.
• Filing.
• Finishing.
• Polishing.

Leather bags and belts

• Knowledge of the materials: quality of the leather and tanning techniques.
• Cutting of the leather by hand and by machine.
• Bench assembly and stitching.
• Finishing.
• Metallic accessories.
• Marketing.

Leather shoes

• The design.
• The quality of the materials.
• Anatomy of the foot.
• Knowledge of the utensils.
• Use of the cutting knife.
• The shape and the heel.
• Base models for the manual method.
• Stitching, assembly and finishing phases.

Inlay

The program foresees the execution of an inlay with floral motive realized with the traditional technique and performed with use of three veneers through the following phases: preparation of the sketch, assemblage of the woods, cutting with coping saw; assemblage and sanding, glueing with animal glue, cleaning and stuccatura, polishing with shellac buffer.

Inlay with India Ink
Inlay with a classical motive from the 1500s realized with use of two veneers and elaborated again with a fine brush and India ink during the polishing phase.

Geometric Inlay
Realisation of geometric compositions using various veneers. Cutting is done with a wood cutter

Perspective Inlay
Realisation of a piece with a landscape or architectural motive with use of veneerings. The cut is performed with the same technique used for geometric inlay and realized with use of cutter.

Glass, textile and wood decoration

Textile decoration
• Pictorial techniques on fabric and fixing of colour.
• Technique with bath and knots.
• Use of colours in water soluble powders.
• Batik technique, mixing of waxes and application on various fabrics.

Glass decoration
• Decoration of glass with apposite colours.
• Lead decoration applied with soldering iron.
• Polishing of glass with acids.
• Engraving of glass with special tools.
• Decoration of glass with applications of plastic material tried at high temperatures.

Wood decoration
• Techniques for decoration wood, untreated or treated.
• Preparation of untreated wood with layer of gesso or putty.
• Preparation of previously treated old wood.
• Techniques for the removal of old layers of paint or wax.
• Faux marble effect, floral decorations and gold leaf decorations.
• Shabby and Craqueleur techniques, arte povera and the venetian style.
• Finishing techniques.

Florentine marbled paper

• Decoration of paper with acrylic colour in a bath of vegetable glue and techniques of decoration with special combs.
• Preparation of glues, proportions and resting times.
• Construction of special tools for combing of colour.
• Preparation of colours, dilutions an addition of soaps or waxes for creating different effects.
• Test of colours.
• Methods of spraying colour on the surface of the glue.
• Creation of decorated sheet.
• Use of sheets to decorate objects like albums, boxes, pencils, pen holders, letter holders, and cards.

Antique paper and book restoration

• A brief history of paper.
• Techniques of restoration and conservation.
• Presentation of a project file.
• Individual compilation of a project file.
• Practise doing a restoration project (cleaning, cuts, tears, patches, and techniques of sewing).
• Methods of conservation and creating of a cover (for books).
• Presentation and creation of samples.

A minimum of 48 hours course

Furniture restoration

• Knowledge and care of working tools.
• Types of timber.
• The different woods (for the reconstruction of the missing parts).
• Organic adhesives and gluing techniques.
• Construction of the missing parts and consolidation of the item of furniture.
• Materials and techniques of polishing and varnishing.
• Complete restoration of a wooden item.

Restoration of paintings

• The concept of restoration, and study of the nature of the painting.
• Practice in preparation of the supports, in accordance with traditional techniques (canvas and board).
• Consolidation techniques.
• Re-framing techniques.
• Techniques of pictorial integration.

Window dressing

• How to design a shop window; the creation of layout drafts and production of a scale model.
• Basic techniques.
• Analysis of the types of shop window.
• Study of the lighting.
• Layout drafts.
• Representation techniques (drawing and colour).
• Modelling and technology of the materials.

Interior design

• Introduction to the world of design: from the techniques of graphic representation to the characteristics and properties of the materials up to the history and evolution of design.
• Notions of geometrical drawing and graphic representation.
• Organization of a planning process and first conceptual elements of project analysis.
• Technical and graphic representation of a project.

Gilding

Restoration of gilded works
• Presentation of materials.
• Velinatura (application of a protective film).
• Antiparasitic treatment.
• Old priming consolidation.
• Old lacquer consolidation.
• Cleaning.
• Stuccoing.
• Imitation supplemental treatments.
• Ageing.

Gold leaf gilding
• Gilding techniques: guazzo and missione gilding.
• Use of rabbit and fish glues.
• Bologna gesso.
• Bole: technical features.
• Mecca (special alcohol-based varnish).
• Sgraffito.
• Engraving.
• Pastiglia.
• Burnished gold and film-coated gold.
• Gold and silver ageing techniques.

Picture framing

• Aging of wood.
• Choice and sampling of colours.
• Treatment with coloured aniline.
• Study of the choice of the materials used for decoration (twigs, potpourri, fabric, metal, etc).
• Basic treatment for frames in groundwood.
• Finishing techniques with tempera/enamel.
• Sponge technique.
• Combing technique.
• 'Pennellato fiorentino' technique.
• Doughs (coloured with sand, wood shavings, pebbles, etc).
• Decorations with copper wire.
• Treatment and assembly with drift wood.

Costume jewellery

With metal
• Assembly techniques.
• Use of tools and materials.
• Study and choice of components.
• Planning and sketching of pieces to be created.
• Jewellery during its production.

With copper
• Planning of a piece to be created with copper wire.
• Working the copper wire.
• Decoration.
• Crochet work.
• Finishing techniques.

With strings and cords
• Basic techniques.
• Knots and closures.
• Macramè.
• Choice and sampling of colours.

All pieces are created with beads made of glass, semi-precious stones, resin or wood.

Bookbinding

• Technique for making book and binder covers for albums and diaries etc.
• Creating objects using different techniques.
• Colour shaded paper.
• Patchwork.
• Fabric/leather.
• Antique effect.
• Sand and different materials.
• Closure techniques.
• Creating decorated cards and envelopes.

Creative workshop for framing, costume jewellery and bookbinding

Picture framing
• Introduction to the basic techniques of aging and treating wood.
• Choice and sampling of colours.
• Study of the assembly of the materials (natural and non) used for decoration.
• Construction of the frame.

Costume jewellery
• Introduction to methods and materials used in costume jewellery.
• Simple model making with silver plated copper wire.
• Creation of small pieces of jewellery.

Bookbinding
• Basic techniques for making book covers.
• Study of materials.
• Construction of objects (diaries, photo albums).

Basic course of 24 hours