Various crafts
Online craft courses are not a new phenomenon but the platforms offering them are now coming into their own, now that people are looking for ways to occupy themselves at home. West Dean College’s multidisciplinary programme includes bookbinding, printmaking, and the basics of tapestry weaving. Yodomo offers everything from spoon carving and basket-weaving to candle making and upcycling, with lessons from a range of teachers – and has launched a platform to advise makers on creating revenue streams online in light of the coronavirus crisis. Similarly, Creative Live offers several courses in needlecraft, papercraft and jewellery design, as well as in marketing, sales and operating successfully on Etsy. The tutors on Craft Courses are also now turning en masse towards teaching virtual classes.
Skillshare and the Centre for Excellence offer thousands of classes added by its online community of makers and teachers. Udemy and Domestika have a range of courses geared towards improving your business and professional skills, while recruitment service Reed has a list of courses that give you CPD points and professional accreditation – in stitching, floristry and more. Art Girl Rising, a campaign that supports women in art, has sessions on marketing and selling your art, building an online community and the business of art.
With exhibitions in flux, museums are also trying to reach their audiences online, including through craft classes. The Craft Contemporary website offers step-by-step instructions for easy craft projects with items and materials you have easy access to, including hammered flowers, paper marbling with shaving cream, landscape painting with yarn and printmaking with bubbles. The Make and Do section of the V&A website has a range of activities, including sewing your own versions of Mary Quant dresses, a Frida Kahlo-style huipil tunic, works inspired by Freddie Robins and DIY with plywood.