Pencil Drawing and Wax Modelling with Bibi Cheung
- Date
- 15 Apr 2025 - 17 Apr 2025 · All day
- Price
- £489 (8 places)
- Venue
- The Goldsmiths’ Centre, London EC1M 5AD
- Programme type
- Technical Skills Training
Join talented wax carver Bibi Cheung on a journey into the world of jewellery creation and craftsmanship. You will study pencil drawing as the first step towards visually and methodically planning your jewellery designs in this intense three-day course. Finally, with Bibi's expert guidance, you will turn your 2D sketches into a stunning wax model, based on the theory of the lost-wax casting process.
Bibi will help you take your designs from sketches to wax masterpieces and offer invaluable advice to make sure your items are ready for a successful casting. Gain knowledge about weight calculations, alloy selection, trouble-free assembly techniques, and build competency over the entire jewellery creation process. By the end of the course, you will hold a complete, fully polished, cast-ready wax model in your hands, based on your original concept sketches.
*Note: Please refer to the additional information below if you would like to bring your own set of jewels to the session. We recommend coming to the session prepared with some design ideas in order to get the most out of it. While it's not required, participants are welcome to cast their wax model in metal.
FAQs:
Delivered in person at the Goldsmiths’ Centre, this course will help you with:
- Innovation and originality: learning from case studies and participating in design review will introduce you to a range of strategies and concepts. This gives you a competitive edge by stimulating creative thinking and assisting in the creation of distinctive designs that stand out in the marketplace.
- Differentiate your portfolio: learning how to turn intricate 2D sketches into 3D wax sculptures will enhance the quality of your designs, open up new avenues for business growth, client collaboration, and industry recognition.
- Efficient production process: Optimising the overall quality and productivity of your business is crucial to your success. Improve meeting deadlines and manage client expectations by injecting some expertise into your practice.
With our limited class sizes, you will get the opportunity to study this ancient jewellery-making technique with a leading contemporary master who will provide you with both 1:1 and group tutoring to help you gain a deeper grasp of the specialist skill of rendering.
Please bring your own basic tool kit including but not limited to:
- Set of needle files.
- Set of pliers.
- Half-round hand file with handle.
- Small ‘well-defined’ steel rule and a sharp scriber.
- Piercing saw frame.
- A pair of gemstone tongs.
- Vernier gauge.
- Loupe.
- Lighter.
- Pair of dividers.
- Tooth brush.
- Old paint brush.
- Protective clothing or clothing you do not mind getting dirty e.g. apron, and closed-toe shoes.
Optional:
- Coloured stones of any shape, cut and size above 5mm (except beads as these are not suitable for this course).
- Any old files, large or small, not in use for metals.
- Spectacles or head visor (if required) to work on small details.
What will I be provided with?
- All wax materials in required size and quantity.
- All drawing equipment necessary.
- All carving tools and equipment necessary.
Beginner and Intermediate: Some practical experience and basic understanding of the listed skill required.
To get the most out of this course, participants should be able to work independently on basic tasks, such as piercing, filing and measuring and have experience in being in a workshop setting.
We believe that talent should not be held back. Here at the Goldsmiths’ Centre, we are open, accessible and inclusive to all. Our Access Grants help anyone to build thriving creative careers, supporting jewellers, silversmiths and allied industry practitioners to access our training courses for free.
If you need help to cover fees for our business and technical skills short courses, please apply for one of our Access Grants. To find out more and read our application criteria, click here: Apply for an Access Grant
The Access Grants are delivered by the Goldsmiths' Centre and funded by the Goldsmiths’ Company Charity.
Who is the tutor?
Bibi Cheung (MA, FIPG) is an award-winning jewellery artist, goldsmith, sculptor, engraver and gemstone setter and educator. With a passion for both artistic excellence and fine craftsmanship, Bibi holds a Master's Degree in Visual Culture in Jewellery and Applied Art from the prestigious City of London Polytechnic (Sir John Cass) and London Guildhall University. Her jewellery has been recognised by institutions such as De Beers, The Goldsmiths’ Company, The British Jewellery Association, and luxury retailer David Morris. In 2022, Bibi became a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Goldsmiths (IPG). A gifted educator, Bibi actively teaches specialised jewellery making techniques to pass on her knowledge to aspiring artists. She aims to balance artistic skills with practical capabilities in her thoughtful approach. Along with her daughter Katerina, Bibi runs the successful jewellery brand TVRRINI. With decades of experience and the highest accolades in her field, Bibi Cheung provides an unparalleled opportunity to learn from one of the world's leading jewellery makers.