Description
Painting Enamel & Lustres with Elizabeth Jane Campbell
Level: Intermediate to Advanced – Ideal for those with some prior enamelling experience.
Over the course of two days, you’ll explore the rich and expressive techniques of painting with enamels and lustres to bring colour, pattern, and illustrative detail into your enamel jewellery designs.
Painting on enamel involves mixing finely ground glass with a medium to create a paint-like consistency, which is then applied to a pre-enamelled surface. Each layer is carefully fired in a kiln—hot enough to fuse the glass, but controlled to preserve your design. Once fired, the painted decoration becomes a durable, glassy surface that is waterproof and fade-resistant. Lustres can then be added as a final embellishment, adding a beautiful metallic shimmer to your work.
This is a thoughtful, meditative process that builds colour and depth slowly, requiring precision and patience as you fire between each layer. Throughout the course, you’ll gain hands-on experience with both enamel paints and lustres, experimenting with their effects and learning how to incorporate them into your own jewellery practice.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll leave with a series of test pieces and samples, a deeper understanding of these techniques, and the inspiration to develop your experiments into finished designs.
What to bring:
- We’ll provide everything you will need for your Painting Enamel & Lustres workshop, including pre-enamelled blanks
- A sketch/notebook plus a pen/pencil for notes could come in handy for this workshop
- Please bring along glasses and/or a visor if you need them
- Wear appropriate clothing for a studio environment, including closed-toe shoes. Why not order a CSSJ apron to make you feel right at home in your workshop?
- Students will not be permitted to eat lunch in the studio due to health and safety issues relating to enamel powders. This means you will need to arrange to eat lunch at a cafe/ outdoors/ in your car, etc.
- Tea, coffee and biscuits are provided. Please bring your own lidded cup for use in the studio. While we do not have a dedicated lunch area, you are welcome to eat at your desk, and we can also recommend nearby places to eat if you prefer.
Course Info
21 & 22 February: Saturday 10 am – 4 pm, Sunday 11 am – 4 pm
Please factor in some buffer time after 4 pm in case your project takes a little longer.
Central Scotland School of Jewellery, Craft Central, High Street, Dunblane
Please note that classes may be cancelled if there are insufficient bookings. In the unlikely event of a cancellation, you will be notified the day before the scheduled class and will receive a full refund.
