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Creative Courses in the Cowshed 

Inspiring Art and Craft Courses in the Lake District at Cowshed Creative 

 - something for everyone

Raku workshop
Landscape painting at Cowshed Creative
View from Cowshed Creative
On the farm at Cowshed Creative
Landscape workshop in the Lake District

You'll arrive to the stunning scenery of the Kentmere valley and work in a beautiful converted barn which makes a perfect art studio with kitchen below

​Relax on a sofa in front of a roaring fire with a cup of coffee to start the day and when it's fine enjoy eating lunch out in the garden.  Visitors are welcome to have a wander around the farm at the end of a creative day

Platinum Award - excellent rating on Craft Courses

We are so proud to receive this award for excellent 5 star 

provision from students recommendation & verified by Craft Courses 

★★★★★   The place was amazing – a beautifully converted barn in stunning surroundings.       

 Michelle.      Craft Courses website

★★★★★     Another great art course at Cowshed!  The venue is terrific with a great        

welcome tasty food

 & excellent facilities

 Steve        Craft Courses website

★★★★★     Cowshed Creative is a great day out. Lovely, quiet, picturesque location.

 There are plenty of 

different

courses to choose  from. Definitely worth

a visit

 Jane    Google My Business

You can BOOK our courses directly through our secure payment system, but if you prefer to pay by bank transfer please email us

2025 Programme
2025 Programme

Welcome to Our 2025 Workshop Programme

We are delighted to offer a wide range of workshops 

with our talented team of artists and craft tutors

Please get in touch if you would like any

information about our courses or vouchers

Aug
March

March 2025

Willow Garden 

Structures

On this craft course, learn the skills to create your own willow ‘tipi’ garden supports that will stand you proud in your borders. 

These beautiful willow structures are the perfect natural addition to the garden providing support for a wide variety of flowering plants and veg; roses, sweet peas, runner beans, peas and miniature squash. Create your own contemporary look using traditional rural crafts skills.  No previous experience is required.

21 March  10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Seaglass Jewellery Course

Early summer is a great time to comb the coast for sea glass, that's been tumbled smoothe by the waves. Transform and recycle the subtle coloured pieces into jewellery that is perfect for summer.  On this workshop you will learn to use a range of tools and develop jewellery making skills, working with sterling silver alongside your sea glass, to create beautiful finished pieces of  jewellery.

22 March10 - 4

£80  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Spinner Ring – Silver Jewellery

Spinning rings are created from two rings; the small middle ring spins around the wider inner band encircling the finger. The spinning motion is perfect for meditation and reducing stress. Join us and learn a range of jewellery techniques and create unique, contemporary pieces of silver, brass and copper jewellery that will be a joy to wear or make a perfect gift.  This workshop is suitable for beginners and more experienced makers 

23 March  10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Bountiful Baskets

 Start your Journey 

Learn a traditional rural craft and make your own timeless round basket with a handle. This two day course is for anyone who likes to use their hands, enjoys the smell and creaking of willow as they work on their woven basket and wants the satisfaction of creating something unique with lots of practical uses. 

This two day course will equip you with the skills to make a truly original basket and provide you with the confidence and ability to work on further baskets at home.  No previous experience required

28 & 29 March 10 - 4.30

£165 Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Colourful Aluminium 

 Jewellery

Join us for a splash of colour in this exciting and playful process.  No experience needed, just enjoy experimenting with felt pens, stamps, paint brushes, inks  and dyes to transform aluminium.  In the afternoon you will learn how to create jewellery from some of your patterned metal and take home earings, bangles, or pendants.  

30 March 10 - 4

£80  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

April

April

Textures in the Lakeland Landscape

Gouache and Inktense

Focusing on the beautiful mosses and lichens, this workshop looks at ways to combine drawing and gouache painting to create marks, texture and colour in your landscape paintings. The day will start indoors developing skills and then we will go outdoors, weather permitting, to work directly from observation:

4 April  10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Drawing Animals 

Develop the drawing skills you need to draw animals confidently. You will experiment using simple shapes and lines, be introduced to basic animal anatomy and explore the concept of gesture. With lots of opportunities to try out different media, you can create your own animal portrait in a medium of your choice.. 

Date: 5 April

£78 Teas, coffee and home made traybake

Stacking Bangles Jewellery 

Create three stacking bangles in sterling silver, brass and copper, set off with a charm.  This workshop is perfect for beginners and those with some experience. You will learn to measure for a comfortable fit, use a jeweller's saw, create texture on your work, solder, file and finish.  You can  create original pieces that are fun to wear and make great gifts.

26 April   10 - 4

£76  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Seaglass Jewellery Course

Early summer is a great time to comb the coast for sea glass, that's been tumbled smoothe by the waves. Transform and recycle the subtle coloured pieces into jewellery that is perfect for summer.  On this workshop you will learn to use a range of tools and develop jewellery making skills, working with sterling silver alongside your sea glass, to create beautiful finished pieces of  jewellery.

27 April 10 - 4

£80  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Pottery - Hand Building 

 & Raku Firing

2 day course

Raku is a really amazing process that includes firing your own pots outside in a custom made ‘open’ kiln to create unique patterns and designs on your pieces. Raku firing is one of the most dramatic and daring ways to fire pottery. It was developed in Japan in the early 1550s by Zen Buddhists to create ceramics for the Japanese tea ceremony.

The first day you will develop hand-building skills to create a range of pots or models that will exploit raku glaze effects.  These will be dried and biscuit fired ready for you to experiment with glazes and oxides the following week. Chris will guide you through the stages

The following week, prepare for an exciting workshop working with an outdoor kiln with controlled use of fire and smoke!  ‘Raku’ loosely means ‘happiness in the unexpected’.  The effects you can achieve can be stunning. 

30 April & 7 May  10 - 4

£175  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

May

Draw a Pony in Charcoal

Drawing or painting horses is an exciting challenge! This innovative workshop will show you ways of representing a horse or pony with dramatic charcoal techniques. You will be taught in a carefully structured way and given time to work at your own pace, whilst being shown how to understand your subject and apply the techniques.

10  May 10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

May
May

Silver Clay Jewellery 

Create your own silver pendant or earrings inspired by the natural world.  Silver clay is fun, fast to learn and full of creative alchemy.  Perfect for beginners and those with some experience.

​

Silver clay is an exciting material a bit like putty.  You can mould it like clay, sculpt it into any shape and create wonderful textures.  It is fantastic for retaining fine imprinted detail. When fired on the day, it transforms like magic into a piece of pure silver.

11 May  10 - 4

£80  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Contemporary  Calligraphy 

An enjoyable introduction to the art of beautiful lettering. In this workshop learn how to shape loops and swirls with a dip pen and pointed calligraphy nib, before discovering alphabets and flowing, dancing words and phrases!  At the end of the course you’ll have the option to create a piece of colourful calligraphy art. Suitable for absolute beginners

16 May 10 - 1

£48  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Stacker Ring:

 Silver Jewellery Course

Stacking rings are ideal to mix and match with your existing jewellery. On this course you will practice in brass or copper and then, move onto silver.  You will explore various ways to texture the metal and learn different jewellery making techniques, including shaping, forming, soldering and basic stone setting.  You will leave at the end of the day with a set of three  shiny new rings proud in the knowledge that you made them yourself.

17 May10 - 4

£76 Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Spinner Ring – Silver Jewellery

Spinning rings are both contemporary and mystical. Created from two silver rings; the small middle ring spins around the wider inner band encircling the finger. The spinning motion is perfect for meditation and reducing stress. Join us to create a unique piece of silver jewellery that will be a joy to wear or make a perfect gift and learn a range of jewellery techniques in one day.  This workshop is suitable for beginners and more experienced makers 

18 May 10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Lino Cut with Collagraph Detail

Be inspired by plant or animal imagery and learn how to create and print your own linocut. You will be caarefully guided through each step of the process - no experience is needed. You will also have the opportunity to enhance your print using collography; adding printed textures using a range of materials. 

22 May 10 - 4

£80  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

June

June

Willow Garden 

Structures

On this craft course, learn the skills to create your own willow ‘tipi’ garden supports that will stand you proud in your borders. 

These beautiful willow structures are the perfect natural addition to the garden providing support for a wide variety of flowering plants and veg; roses, sweet peas, runner beans, peas and miniature squash. Create your own contemporary look using traditional rural crafts skills.  No previous experience is required.

6 June 

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Mosaic workshop

Mosaic in a Day 

Join us for a fun and relaxing day learning the art of mosaic on this craft workshop.  Create a colourful plaque to hang on a wall, a trivet for those hot pots on your table or brighten up coffee breaks with your own mosaic tray.  You will learn about different materials and how to use mosaic tools, with lots of tips on design and pattern. Treat yourself to a great day out and take home an original mosaic of your own

7 June  10 - 4

£78 Tea and coffee and home made traybake

A Creative Approach 

To Landscape

Explore ideas and creative techniques to understand the landscape and our response to it.  Fresh and expressive methods will be demonstrated and taught; giving you innovative ways of responding to the landscape, using paint and mixed media. The course will cover expressive techniques and ways of working that will lead you to: - find that initial idea

- explore it using colour theory, mark-making and composition.

19 June10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Colourful Aluminum Jewellery

Join us for a splash of colour in this exciting and playful process.  No experience needed, just enjoy experimenting with felt pens, stamps, paint brushes, inks  and dyes to transform aluminium.  In the afternoon you will learn how to create jewellery from some of your patterned metal and take home earings, bangles, or pendants.  

21 June 10 - 4

£80  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Indigo Dye & Shibori Techniques

Shibori is the Japanese art of indigo resist dyeing. In this hands-on craft course you will learn the basics of Shibori inspired folding, binding, clamping and stitching techniques.  Dipped in Indigo, you will create your own stunning patterns on fabric. Create a stash of samples, working up to a Shibori cushion or cotton scarf.  Perfect for the summer!

22 June 10 - 4

£78  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Lino Printing with Bun-Head

Learn the art of linocut printmaking with Polly Marix Evans whose work features a small and feisty character known as Bun-Head. Polly will talk you through all the processes from sketching your image, transferring it to your block, carving, proofing and printing a final piece. You’ll work in black & white, with the option to add colour with different paper or dashes of coloured ink applied either with lino stamps or brushes.

27 June 10 - 4

£80  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Seaglass Jewellery Workshop

Summer is a great time to comb the coast for sea glass, that's been tumbled smoothe by the waves. Transform and recycle the subtle coloured pieces into jewellery that is perfect for summer.  On this workshop you will learn to use a range of tools and develop jewellery making skills, working with sterling silver alongside your sea glass, to create beautiful finished pieces of  jewellery.

28 June 10 - 4

£80  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Stacker Ring:

 Silver Jewellery Course

Stacking rings are ideal to mix and match with your existing jewellery. On this course you will practice in brass or copper and then, move onto silver.  You will explore various ways to texture the metal and learn different jewellery making techniques, including shaping, forming, soldering and basic stone setting.  You will leave at the end of the day with a set of three  shiny new rings proud in the knowledge that you made them yourself.

29 June10 - 4

£76 Tea and coffee and home made traybake

July

July

Pottery: Hand Building 

2 day course

 & Raku Firing

Raku is a really amazing process that includes firing your own pots outside in an ‘open’ kiln to create unique patterns and designs on your pieces. Raku firing is one of the most dramatic and daring ways to fire pottery, developed in Japan in the 16th century 

The first day you will develop hand-building skills to create a range of pots or models.  These will be dried and biscuit fired ready for you to experiment with glazes and oxides the following week.  Chris will guide you through the stages

The following week, prepare for an exciting workshop working with an outdoor kiln with controlled use of fire and smoke! 

         'Raku’ loosely means ‘happiness in the unexpected’.  The effects you can achieve can be stunning. 

2 & 9 July 10 - 4

£175  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Porcelain Clay Pottery 

​Make your own bespoke plaques, jewellery, bowls and tea-lights in porcelain.  You will create textures and patterns in your clay work using some simple and truly effective techniques for printing onto clay using lace, a variety of fabrics and natural materials. In the afternoon, introduce colour into your work by painting with under glazes. Enjoy developing your own unique pieces and style.

3  July 10 - 4

£78 Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Wire Seed Pods

and Wild Grasses

​Inspired by grasses, cow parsley, poppies and much more, on this workshop you can create your own bunch of wire seed heads to display in a vase.   You will learn to handle different gauges of wire to create a variety of wire drawings using leaves, plants and flowers for observation. Bring along your own photos or plants, as well as taking inspiration from those provided. No previous experience needed

5 or 6  July 10 - 4

£80 Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Mosaic workshop

Mosaic in a Day 

Join us for a fun and relaxing day learning the art of mosaic on this craft course.  Create a colourful plaque to hang on a wall, a trivet for those hot pots on your table or brighten up coffee breaks with your own mosaic tray.  You will learn about different materials and how to use mosaic tools, with lots of tips on design and pattern. Treat yourself to a great day out and take home an original mosaic of your own

11 July 10 - 4

£78  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Bountiful Baskets

 Start your Journey 

Learn a traditional rural craft and make your own timeless round basket with a handle. This two day course is for anyone who likes to use their hands, enjoys the smell and creaking of willow as they work on their woven basket and wants the satisfaction of creating something unique with lots of practical uses. 

This two day course will equip you with the skills to make a truly original basket and provide you with the confidence and ability to work on further baskets at home.  No previous experience required

6 & 7 Sept 10 - 4.30

£165 Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Sept

Sept

Lakeland Mosaic

Reclaim and Re-cycle

Create your own contemporary mosaic, where art, geology and ecology converge!  Enjoy the expressive qualities of the different stone and learn to create an eye-catching image of an animal, flowers or an abstract piece to hang on your wall. You will use local materials such as slate and rhyolite, foraged and reclaimed stone, brick and quartz with shell, glass smalti and re-cycled ceramic detail. A  great way to celebrate all things Lakeland

11 Sept 10 - 4

£78 Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Creative Adventures Together

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