All pieces shown in the images above were made by beginners during my silver workshops
Join me on this week long online creative course beginning on Sunday August 21st aimed at teaching you how to gather seasonal plants and flowers and use them to make intricately beautiful silver 'fossil' pendants.
Halfway through this course I'll be holding a 1 hour zoom session to answer questions and give you live demos of some of the techniques so you can see this wonderful alchemical process in action.
What you'll learn:
The seasonal plants to look out for in late summer and which ones of these make stunning silver fossils
The flowers and leaves that make the most beautiful botanical pendants, including a botanical diary of the best species to use.
An overview of how both creative activity and contact with nature improve mental health
A detailed step by step for using leaves and flowers to make intricate jewellery pieces
What you'll have access to:
3-4 hours of creative videos containing detailed tutorials, demonstrations and techniques I've developed over the last 11 years of holding silver clay workshops.
An hour-long zoom session in which I'll answer any queries you may have and demonstrate several of the techniques
An exclusive discount on all tools and materials you'll need at Metal Clay Ltd (UK) and Artclay World (US & Canada)
Tools and materials
I've collaborated with Metalclay Ltd in the UK and ArtclayWorld in the US to develop a special kit tailored for my silver workshops and courses and the techniques I teach. Buying a kit provides you with everything you need to make one or more pendants except for a means of firing your pieces (ordinary gas hob/cookertop or camping stove). The kit gives you 20% off buying the tools and materials iseparately. You can find the UK version here and the US version here.
You will receive all the details about the course and recommended materials etc 2-3 weeks before it begins on 21st August. In the meantime if you have any questions about this course, please send an email to: [emma at minniedog.co.uk]
Emma Mitchell is an author, mental health advocate, naturalist, illustrator and designer-maker. She studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge, spent time in academia studying molecular cell biology and was an technology consultant in emerging technologies in Silicon Fen until 2008, when her struggles with depression and anxiety led her to begin writing about the positive impact of both nature and time spent creatively on mental health.
Emma has written and presented films for BBC Springwatch and appeared on BBC Countryfile, Radio 4's Woman's Hour and Ramblings. She is a Guardian Country Diarist and has contributed pieces on nature and mental health for the Times, Big Issue, inews & Psychologies magazine.
Workshops
Emma has been teaching creative workshops with a focus on mental health for more than a decade. She taught Anita Rani to cast yarrow in silver on BBC Countryfile and has taught classes at the Victoria & Albert museum, Cambridge University Botanic Gardens and Highgrove.
In Emma's classes students learn the techniques needed to make and draw beautiful things, but crucially she combines this with teaching the science that explains why and how spending time creatively can shift brain biochemistry to improve mental health.