Masterclass with Ian Bennett
Date: April 16th and 17th.
This course is a way to bring together your interior artist and sculptor and combine it with the hatter that we all carry within us.
Styrofoam is a type of foam that expands and becomes a light and very fine material.
It has a much finer structure than polystyrene and is much stronger.
The beauty of working with Styrofoam is that you can make any shape you want. Styrofoam makes the impossible possible.
You can take my bases as inspiration, or create a piece of your own, whether it's a teardrop, a small beret, or even a heart-shaped one. Everything you can imagine!
If this still doesn't attract your attention, a pamela wing can also go through the same creation process to demonstrate the versatility of this technique.
Starting simply with this technique-based course, we will teach you how to use and create with Styrofoam, using tools to carve and sculpt foam. This course brings out the inner sculptor in all of us! This course is designed to develop and bring to life your wildest hat ideas.
Creating lasts with Styrofoam allows the manufacturer to actually create their own lasts, it is a lightweight material, so it can be easily transported and, at the same time, is durable. Once treated, it is durable, allowing for multiple uses. Another additional benefit of Styrofoam is that when you have created that last that is unique to you, if you really like your last, it can act as a great template for a carpenter who can create a last made of wood that will last for years and years!
At the beginning of the course students should submit an illustration of their ideas/designed lasts that they want to do during the 2 day course to Ian Bennett to ensure that they can create and paint the desired Styrofoam last within the time limit we have available. (This is even more important if a student wants to combine the Styrofoam course in which the last is created and then use it as a last in the next Leather and Feathers course).
Lunch at noon included in the course, materials not included in the course price.
Date: April 18th and 19th
Leather:
Have you ever wanted to make a piece out of leather? Draw attention with elegant lines and spectacular feathers? The aim of this course is to familiarize you with leather, enjoy how you work with it and make the most of this durable and versatile material.
I will show you how to form and prepare everything necessary for such a creation. These materials will then become part of the hat and can be used with a Styrofoam last (which you can do in the previous course) or with a wooden last (The student must provide this wooden last, it is not included in the course).
We will be able to do it with a layer of skin or superimposed pieces. The skin must be very soft and very light (of lamb for example) and very light.
The leather will cover each side of the last, can be like my photo last (in British colours) or a small last, a small beret, a base shaped like a tear or heart or a simple crown and wing.
Once the horming process is finished and the forms are covered, they will be assembled in the same way as a conventional hat.
Feathers:
I love PLUMAS! They can be simple, clean, eye-catching or even extravagant. We're going to use the tools of the hat shop of a lifetime and I'm going to teach you how to transform pre-dyed feathers into a beautiful and spectacular montage by cutting, curving and shaping them.
For this class we will take the image of my photo as inspiration, using ostrich feathers (15-30 cm) or cut longer ostrich feathers. Each feather will be steam-worked, cut and shaped, curled and wired. This will be attached to the leather hat we have made before to create an impressive finished piece.
At the beginning of the course students should present an illustration of their ideas/designed lasts that they want to do during the 2 day course to Ian Bennett to ensure that they can create and paint the desired Styrofoam last within the time limit available. (This is even more important if a student wants to combine the Styrofoam course in which the last is created and then use it as a last in the next Leather and Feathers course).
Lunch at noon included in the course, materials not included in the course price.