Last week I was invited up to County Durham to teach a fan bird course for beginners as part of the Auckland Castle project.
I really enjoy teaching this course, it’s a great mix of careful carving with chisels, gouges and knives working up to the moment when we fold out the feathers to create the wings.
The concentration in the room is super high and there’s not a small amount of tension as well, especially for me as I want everyone to succeed.
All our hard work paid off in the end though and everyone went home with fantastic wooden birds and lots of new skills as well.
If you’d like to learn to make these beautiful birds yourself, I’m teaching several more fan bird courses this summer. Please contact the organisors directly to book your place:
- 13 August 2017 at Greenwood Days, Derby
- 19th August 2017 at Auckland Castle
- 11 November at RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate
