Workshops with
The Painted Fern Studio
Here at The Painted Fern Studio, we’ve created a variety of options to suit your venue or event. Whether its indoor or outdoor, an hour or a weekend, Summer or Winter, we have options to cater for all. Many of our workshops are suitable for a range of ages & can bring everyone together by reconnecting with nature & our creativity.
All of our workshops contain a nature walk to forage for materials as well as inspiration with our guide, learning basic skills such as building campfires, tree & plant identification, knife skills & can also incorporate drawing & painting skills from our expert tutor. With 10 yrs teaching experience & professional artistic practice, you can be safe & secure in the knowledge your in the right hands. Whether your a country hotel, woodland retreat or just looking to book a private group workshops for you & your friends, we can put together your perfect course.
To view upcoming workshops available at our partner venues, please see below.
Course Examples
Charcoal Making
Take a beautiful guided walk along the river bank to the Willow trees, here we will find the beautiful wood which makes the magic happen. After pruning, we’ll learn how to strip the bark, build a camp fire & make a charcoal kiln. Once we have our black gold, we’ll use these wonders to create our drawings of the environment where the sticks themselves came from with our expert tutor. Experiment with making ink, brushes, mark making…. the possibilities of this course are endless.
Time frame
2hrs - 2 days
Age Range
6 yrs +
Introduction to Eco Dye & Printing
A glorious guided walk through gardens & woodland will reveal the leaves which will take the basis for this course. Learn how to identify which tree’s & plants will give you the best prints while taking inspiration from the beautiful surroundings. After learning how to build a camp fire, you’ll be taught the science & history behind the fabrics & dye process, scouring, mordants & finally into the printing. We’ll experiment with making our own dyes & how the different mordants can adjust the colours, once dye baths are used we’ll make sure nothing goes to waste as we turn our natural dye into inks to take home with you. There’s even the option to create prints on paper as well as fabric. You’ll never look at nature the same way again!
Time frame
6hrs - 4 days
Age Range
6 yrs +
Wild Child Workshops
Children have the most special connection to the natural world. They can connect at a level that as adults we strive to re discover. With technology taking over our lives, there’s never been a better time to get back to basics & get let their imaginations run wild. Our Wild Child Workshops offer children an array of activities which you can pick & choose from:
Natural fibre friendship bracelet making
Natural dream catcher & suncatcher making
Outdoor Sculpture
The Big Weave
Natural Paint Brushes & paint making
Crown & wand Making
Printing with nature - clay, sun prints, leaf prints, eco prints, flower pounding,
Mask making
Eco Print conquest - Den’s & Flags with capture the flag
All activities can also be paired with forest school activities too: Den making, seed bomb making, toasting marshmallows, music making, storytelling plus many more………
Time frame
n/a
Age Range
5 yrs +
Seasonal Sensation workshops
Every season holds a different kind of magic & we have workshop options for all of them! Obviously there would be far too many options to list here, so we will just add some examples to get you started, but feel free to get in touch for more seasonal delights. We can even cater a seasonal wild food buffet to really take over your seasonal senses.
What you never knew about nettles
nettle dying
nettle cordage
nettle banquet
The Brilliant Bramble
Bramble dying & Eco Printing
Bramble basket making
Bramble botanical ink making
Spring showcase
Daffodil dye
Dandelion crafts - cordage, weaving, flower pounding
Latvian Egg Dying
Time frame
6hrs - 2 days
Age Range
12 yrs +
Renew, recycle, regift
With the current ecological & financial state of the world, its more important than ever to make the most of what we already have, find creative ways to renew them & treat someone you care for. All our Renew, Recycle, Regift workshops offer free places to those struggling mentally, financially or emotionally in this tough climate & are all done using as much recycled & foraged materials as possible.
Eco Print old clothing in the “dirty pot”
Simple stained glass with recycled frames
Wonderful “Weeds” - Making the most of what’s free
Sketch book making
Rocking the Rag - making home décor from old rags
Time frame
6hrs - 2 days
Age Range
12 yrs +
Student
“I have learnt techniques & skills I have never accessed in other art classes I have joined”
Student
