Arts & crafts

This Mosaic course is designed to introduce you to new craft skills and help you develop a new craft, whilst designing different images and relaxing, enjoying, being creative with others. Giving you also a chance to make your own plaque, mosaic piece for the table or as a wall hanging. Design and develop your own piece using a verity of broken tiles of different colourful ceramic tiles and upcycleing old crockery as well as a number of different other items, such as beads and pebbles. Making your own fun decorative mosaic piece, either for your own home or as a present for someone special, lots of brightly coloured broken ceramic tiles and crockery will be used. Come and join other like-minded people and create a masterpiece!

This is a follow on course for the Maths: Practical Maths for Crochet Pattern Writing course that also ran at St Mary's Community Centre, Pontefract. In this course students will learn about the different mathematical concepts needed to write a pattern for a crochet jumper or cardigan. We will look at 3 different methods of making a fitted cardigan or jumper (square block method, side to side method or top down/bottom up method) and the maths required to create the same item in different sizes. Students will then choose their favourite hook, yarn and stitch, and set about writing their own unique crochet cardigan or jumper pattern from scratch. 

Learners will work with a friendly and skilled tutor to improve confidence in their ability to develop existing and new artistic skills and creativity. You will explore and develop the skills of a variety of crafts to make unique dimensional projects, experimenting with and using a variety of resources, including recycling when possible. You will learn through a range of different teaching and learning activities. This will include watching and following step by step demonstrations, with one-to-one help and guidance to develop personal skills. You will learn in a safe, welcoming and supportive environment, working together with fellow students and the tutor. The course is for everyone, from the complete beginner to those wanting to improve their craft skills. No prior knowledge is needed, just a desire to learn and develop your skills and creativity.

This four week course will explore one aspect of accessories through time. We will look at the history and significance of gloves; a discussion on fans and fan language; a session of the dangerous territory of handbags and their contents; hats, veils and their erratic fashion fortunes and finally a specific look at gentlemen's' accessories - the walking stick, the fob and others. The course will consider the history of these items and also their cultural significance as well

Explore the exciting world of paper-crafting on this comprehensive course on creating beautiful mini-albums and journals. Unleash your creativity as you engage in the art of combining paper, embellishments and various techniques to craft unique and personalised keepsakes. Join other like-minded crafters and our enthusiastic tutor on this creative course and learn how to showcase and preserve cherished memories for yourself or as a thoughtful gift for a family member or friend. Gain confidence and experiment with different skills, and materials to craft beautiful and meaningful keepsakes. On this course you will: Gain proficiency in basic paper-crafting techniques, such as accurate measuring, cutting, scoring and layering. ncorporate different styles of pockets, tuck-spots and tags. Learn how to add found objects and ephemera pieces to your journal Look at ways to include scraps from your stash, including paper, fabric scraps, buttons, ribbon and lace This course is for beginners and for those who are creating mini-albums and memory books for the first time or would like to add to their existing skills. The only requirement is that you have some basic paper- craft supplies on hand, such as card, patterned papers and glue. A full resource list will be available on Canvas for each project.

Are you looking for a relaxing hobby to help you unwind? Creating moments of calm in the day is essential for our emotional well-being and mental health. Step into the world of mindful crafts with this course and enjoy art for relaxation. This creativity course allows you to explore your art skills to find practices that soothe you. This watercolour painting course can help you find a relaxing hobby.

This drawing course is for beginners who wish to find out about the basic skills of drawing. The course content will cover a range of drawing techniques whilst investigating the qualities of the drawing materials. You will learn about expressive mark-making, quick timed sketching, contour drawing, tonal drawing whilst recording from primary and secondary resources. You will be discovering the importance of line, tone, cross hatching, shape, pattern, and texture and how to scale up using a grid system. You will be using a variety of media which will include, pencils, fine liners, chalk, and charcoal pencils.

This course is designed to enhance your photography skills and take your craft to the next level. Whether you’re an aspiring professional photographer or simply passionate about photography, this course will provide valuable insights and practical techniques. At WEA we offer a supportive and collaborative learning environment where participants can exchange ideas, receive constructive feedback, and elevate their photographic skills to new heights. While the course doesn’t lead to formal qualifications, it provides an excellent platform for building a portfolio. You’ll have the chance to experiment, refine your techniques, and create a body of work that reflects your unique vision.

Ever wished that you had the skill to add figures to your artwork? Not quite ready to attend a life drawing class? This short course is an ideal introduction to the basics of figure drawing. Our experienced and supportive tutor will lead you through exercises covering proportion, posture, character and clothing. It will give you the confidence to create characters to include in your own paintings and feel able to tackle figure drawing from life. We will not be working from a life model. A great short course to get you started with figure drawing.

Explore your creativity through clay. You will learn about the materials, tools, and techniques to hand build pots using air drying clay. Create your own unique pieces of ceramic art, learning skills and techniques to complete your work with surface decoration, pattern, and texture. Ideal for beginners, the tutor will guide you through the process in a fun and supportive class. Join us to enjoy some calm creativity and find a new hobby for the summer.