Stone Carving for Beginners

About

There is something very special about learning a traditional skill like stone carving in an environment which is so dedicated to the continuation and advancement of the craft. City & Guilds of London Art School has an unbroken tradition of teaching sculpture, stone carving and woodcarving since 1879, and today, our stone carving graduates continue to work on the world’s great cathedrals, buildings and monuments.

This one week course gives you a unique opportunity to try out these skills for yourself, in excellent facilities and guided by our inspirational teacher. Low relief stone carving provides the perfect platform for the beginner, and working with hammers and chisels you’ll come out with a small carved stone panel that you can be proud of.

Using the medieval ornamental and figure reliefs as source material, you will be guided through the process of transferring your chosen image from the manuscript onto stone, once this is completed we will teach you the techniques of cutting stone and adding colour and texture by breaking or scraping the surface. In the process, you will learn what tools you need and how to use and maintain them, as well as some historical background on decorative styles.

Alternatively, if you complete the Relief Modelling in Clay course that takes place during the previous week, you can use the piece you created there as the basis for your stone carving.

Join us and become a part of the great tradition of British stone carving!

Suitable for beginners.

Led by expert tutor and stone carver Ghislain Puget

'A practical, inspiring and enjoyable introduction to stone carving which is what I hoped for and expected. I feel confident that I could do my own carving projects now.‘ Thomas Hudson

‘An excellent introduction to stone carving or in my case a refresher and an opportunity to improve one’s technique.’ Mike Patrick