Arts & crafts

In today’s busy world, carving out time for calm and creativity is more important than ever. Creativity for Calm: Collage offers a gentle introduction to collage as a mindful art form that supports relaxation and emotional well-being. Over five weekly sessions, you’ll explore different collage techniques, from cut-and-paste compositions to intuitive layering and found image storytelling. This course is perfect for beginners or anyone seeking a calming creative outlet. Each session includes a short guided warm-up, an exploration of inspiring examples, and step-by-step support for creating your own work. You’ll also be encouraged to reflect on how creative practices can be integrated into your daily routine as a form of self-care. You’ll gain confidence using everyday materials, learn how to trust your creative instincts, and discover how art-making can help quiet the mind. Whether you’re looking to start a new hobby, deepen your creativity, or simply enjoy a mindful pause in your week, this course invites you to slow down and enjoy the therapeutic power of collage. By the end of the five weeks, you’ll have a collection of personal artworks—and a toolkit of calming creative practices you can return to anytime.

This is a wonmen's only course. Combine your craft skills with key work skills in this textiles course. If you’re a whizz with threads, yarns, and fabrics, why not consider ways to earn a living from your creative skills? This is the perfect course to study if you enjoy handicrafts and would like to learn employability skills to help you get a job in craft-making. This textile crafts course has a business element to help you understand work options in this area. Textile design courses are also great if you’re returning to education after a long break, or want to develop a hobby.

Unleash your creativity in our "Crafty Creations" course, where you'll learn to make a stylish tote bag, a charming brooch, trendy wristbands, and transform a scarf into a fashionable top. This course is designed for beginners and provides all the guidance you need to create your own accessories. Whether you're looking to add a personal touch to your wardrobe or explore a new hobby, this course offers a fun and supportive environment to develop your crafting skills.

This course introduces you to the art of Traditional Italic Calligraphy, a graceful script known for its elegant, slanted letterforms. Perfect for beginners and those with some experience, you'll learn the basics of Italic calligraphy, including pen grip, stroke techniques, and letter formation. Alongside the traditional form, you’ll also explore variations of Italic, including italicized serif and more contemporary styles. Through easy-to-follow exercises and demonstrations, you’ll practice both lowercase and uppercase letters, focusing on smooth, flowing writing. By the end of the course, you’ll feel confident creating beautiful calligraphy for cards, invitations, or personal projects

Explore the beauty of Uncial calligraphy in this relaxed and friendly course, perfect for learners of all levels. We’ll combine the classic shapes of traditional Uncial with the more expressive, modern style of Pointed Uncial. Using both broad-edge and pointed pens, you’ll learn how to form letters, build rhythm, and add your own creative touch. With step-by-step guidance, plenty of practice, and a supportive atmosphere, you’ll gain confidence and enjoy the process of learning a timeless script. By the end, you’ll create a finished piece that brings together tradition and personal style.

This follow on course offers you the opportunity to plan and develop a personal outcome based on the photographers and styles covered in the previous course. You will be encouraged to reflect on your progress so far, evaluating which of the photographers inspired you the most and why? You will then be encouraged to choose just one Photographer to research and explore in depth, analysing and responding to their work in your own original way. Whilst researching, you will be practising how to make a photography journal, printing and writing about the development of your ideas.

Have you always been afraid to draw and paint outside in public? This course will give you confidence to sketch outside with tips on how to draw quick sketches of moving people from location in St James Park by the lake; there will be sketching and watercolour demonstrations, combined with drawing theory, showing ways to use a variety of materials and different styles of drawing from thumb nail sketching to building up a final composition . Combine Watercolour and fine liner pen techniques to add to your art skills, tackling geese, trees, people and the lake. Bring your painting equipment along and join us.

This Intermediate Pixlr Online Photo Editor course is aimed at Beginners with some basic knowledge of photo editing who would like to learn further skills. Or perhaps you are a keen amateur photographer and would like to improve your images. You will learn how to enhance your images by adding a variety of Pixlr built in effects and adjustments. Add and customize text colour, style, border and curve the text. Pick colours in an image to paint with. Remove unwanted marks and objects using a variety of tools. Clone areas in an image. Combine and manipulate images. Replacing colours and use layers. Learn how to repair an old photograph using various techniques.

What would improved digital skills mean for your career or everyday life? No matter what your job role is, the chances are your day-to-day life would be easier with enhanced computer skills. This beginner’s Microsoft Word and PowerPoint course will help you learn the basics of Word and PowerPoint. This knowledge can help you in a wide variety of routine situations. These can include creating CVs, helping your kids with their homework, or preparing presentations for family events. You will learn how to Enter and Edit text in a document, save and print your work, format and align text, add images, create a poster and customise Templates in Word. Create Striking Presentations with images, and designs. Run slide shows and produce audience notes.

Discover accessible ways to improve your skills in drawing the human form. Through a variety of different techniques to enhance our looking and understanding of all aspects of drawing the human figure – nude and clothed, you will be encouraged to get out of your comfort zone and see the subject afresh. You are encouraged to use this as an opportunity to use and get to know different materials and how they can influence your depiction in a natural rather than measured way. You will learn through demonstrations of techniques and through feedback and guidance given by your tutor on this online course with references to artists art work.