Lois
Junior Member
Posts: 27 
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Post by Lois on Aug 13, 2014 3:05:57 GMT
I am teaching my first day long workshop this weekend! My workshops to this point have been 2 or 3 hour sprints so I am excited to have a whole day for a project. We will be making a northern landscape wall hanging. Just wondering if anyone would like to share what you think makes for a good workshop experience? Have you had any bad workshop experiences? Thanks!
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Post by Pandagirl on Aug 13, 2014 3:17:04 GMT
Good luck Lois! Please post your experience. I fortunately haven't had a bad experience. Workshops are great when people have a chance to exchange ideas and techniques while working.
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Lois
Junior Member
Posts: 27
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Post by Lois on Aug 13, 2014 3:59:41 GMT
I definitely agree Marilyn. I am so excited to spend a whole day chatting and felting! I definitely do not get many opportunities to do that, with my kids, and job, and life. So good for the soul! I will post about it for sure. Thanks!
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Post by lyn on Aug 13, 2014 9:25:21 GMT
Hello Lois
Good luck! From a participant's point of view, a day workshop is largely valued on what is taken home at the end. A finished piece is my ideal.
With that in mind, it's a good idea to have a rough time plan so that at various points in the day you can check that you are on track, and if not you can have a quick adjust!
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Aug 13, 2014 12:23:14 GMT
The two felting workshops I attended were terrific, but my one word of advice applies to other workshop experiences; and that is, "less talking, more demonstrating."
;-)
Look forward to hearing about your experience!
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Post by Shepherdess on Aug 13, 2014 13:19:18 GMT
I find it best not to be doing my own piece at the same time but to keep circulating as people work. I like to think the teacher is there for the students and not as an aside to doing her own work. I usually dong wet felting. For me I like it when everyone can progress at their own pace without any deadlines. Very slow people usually know who they are and know they may not get done. There is also usually one person who thinks its a race and wants to be first finished each step. I make them wait for at least one more person to catch up. You can usually waist enough time talking and helping others for at least one person to catch up. I show the next step when I have a couple of people at that point but am available to help the person that is slower to get there. don't always demon on the same persons piece. Or is you have several of your own peices at different stages that can work too.
Hope that's not to much advice.
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Post by MTRuth on Aug 13, 2014 16:44:44 GMT
You've gotten some good advice that I agree with. It is important to keep track of the time. I have found time management in teaching is really essential so that you don't run out of time and rushing around at the end.
Do you have handouts? People like to take home information about the important steps of what they've learned. Since you're doing landscapes, are you planning on spending any time on the principles of design? Many people have no art background and don't understand the importance of value, scale, balance, contrast, and having a focal point.
I like to have about 15-20 minutes at the end to do a short "critique" of everyone's work. Not picking anyone's piece apart, but asking each person what they like about their landscape, what they don't like, what they would do differently next time etc.
Have fun and let us know how it goes.
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Post by Shepherdess on Aug 13, 2014 18:05:28 GMT
Yes a hand out is important for when they go to make one at home. My hand outs are general instructions not detailed ones. geared to help those who have taken the class. they would not work as stand alone instructions. I do not hand them out until the end. I found that people do not listen to what you are saying if they have the hand out.
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Lois
Junior Member
Posts: 27
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Post by Lois on Aug 14, 2014 0:57:29 GMT
Thanks for the great advice everyone. I will be giving a hand out with basic wet felting instructions and supplier list. I will touch briefly on design principals and have print outs of good compositions for us to discuss and refer to. I will be bringing paper and pencils if they want to help plan their project. Time management is the trick for sure. Of course I have no idea if the participants are familiar with felting at all, so that will decide the pace somewhat. The workshop is at the Summer Splash Art Festival in Fort Smith so it's a plane ride away. I haven't been out of Yellowknife for months and getting a bit stir crazy, so this is a treat. The highway has been closed alot because of all the fires so we are feeling more trapped than usual. All your ideas are wonderful.
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Post by Pandagirl on Aug 14, 2014 2:16:59 GMT
Good luck and have fun!
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Post by Shepherdess on Aug 14, 2014 12:26:27 GMT
Have a great time. The fires have been terrible.
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Post by MTRuth on Aug 14, 2014 16:12:11 GMT
Sounds like you'll do great - let us know how it goes. Sorry the fires have kept you closed in. We've had a lot of smoke from fires but nothing too close.
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