Designing for Surface Decoration Short Course

Course description

Refine your hand drawing and painting skills and explore how surface decoration and pattern design can be used in a range of products such as textiles, ceramics and wrapping paper. This beginners course will take you from idea generation and initial research through to finished artwork for a variety of different artefacts.

Who should take this course?

This course is suitable for anyone who has some background in design and is interested in developing their skills in 2D and 3D form.

Equally it could be a great place for you to refresh existing skills or make the transition from managing designers to designing yourself.

Ultimately, the course will support anyone who is full of creativity that they wish to explore with like-minded people.

Related courses

This course can be a follow-on from the Drawing and Painting for Textile Design course, or it can be taken independently.

Entry requirements: None

Level: Beginners

Please note: This course is for students aged 18 and older

Clear, easy to understand lessons:

Our tutors will explain things in easy to understand, accessible English. If they need to use any special terminology they will make sure they explain what they mean.
New methods will be shown to students through live demonstrations, in a way that’s crystal clear and easy to understand.

Experience life on campus

Network and share ideas with students from across the globe
Access the technology and materials relevant to your discipline
Shop in our college shops for any materials you might need
Ask questions of your tutor in real time
Receive feedback and critique on your assignments
Experience the many sights of London on your down time

A certificate of completion:

You've put the work in so we want to make sure you have something to show for it!
As long as you attend a minimum of 80% of your classes, we will provide you with a certificate of attendance.
We always recommend you attend all of the classes so that you get the most out of the experience!
Certificates are great to complement your cv.

Available dates

If no dates are showing then please sign up to our mailing list to find out about upcoming dates and new course developments.

Details

Topics covered

There will be short projects set by the tutor for you to work on. Alternatively, you can work on a longer project or on a particular idea of that you wish to develop.

You will be encouraged to develop your own ideas as creatively as possible using a range of specific drawing and painting techniques as used by designers in the marketplace.

Although computers will not be used in the studio the projects you complete can be further developed on computers in your own time.

Upon completion of the course you should take away with you new practical hand drawing and painting abilities and a portfolio of new ideas.

Materials

Please bring with you to the first session:

A4 sketchbook
Glue stick
Scissors
Apron
Palette
Water jar
Windsor & Newton Gouache Starter Pack or Acrylics
Selection of painting brushes
Selection of coloured pencils
Selection of coloured felt tips
HB pencil

On this course you will be given a project brief to design a textile collection for a specific purpose. In order to fulfil the brief in the time given it is essential that you conduct some preliminary visual research beforehand. So the most important part is to decide a theme which may be simple ie. flowers, fruit, or more abstract ie. time, space, movement, or an ethnic theme ie. Indian or African art, etc. Primarily the subject needs to be something that you find interesting. When you have decided upon your theme, gather together drawings, images from magazines or postcards, colours, small pieces of fabric, packaging etc - anything that you feel will inspire you and keep your interest during the course. These materials will be used to make a 'storyboard'' which will form the basis of your design collection.