Two days | £180 total | All materials included

Want to know more?

What you’ll make

Over two days you’ll carve a Viking-style beast—the kind you see on old longboat prows, but rendered as a complete creature rather than just the head. It’s a project with enough complexity to develop your technique: flowing lines, depth variation, working the stone to suggest movement and form.

The stone will be Portland or Ancaster, both harder than Maltese limestone and requiring more attention to how you use the tools. You’ll finish with a substantial piece that shows what’s possible when you give stone carving proper time.

What you’ll learn

The course works best if you already understand the basics – tool handling, reading stone grain, working safely – but it’s not essential. An ambitious beginner willing to concentrate and learn as they go can manage this course, though the learning curve will be steeper than if you’d done the foundation course first.

You’ll learn planning for complex forms, managing depth and flow across a surface, achieving the detail that brings carved work alive. Also tool maintenance – sharpening chisels properly, understanding when a tool needs attention, why edge geometry matters. These aren’t dramatic skills, but they separate adequate work from good work.

If you’ve carved wood, some of that transfers. But stone responds differently enough that previous experience helps without guaranteeing anything.

Materials & tools

Everything’s provided: Portland or Ancaster stone, full tool set, sharpening equipment, safety gear. You’ll work at a dedicated carving station both days with proper lighting and ventilation.

Your finished beast goes home with you on the second day.

Schedule

Saturday & Sunday: 10am – 4pm each day

Two consecutive days over a single weekend. Morning tea/coffee is included, and a lunch break between 12:30-1:15pm – the Secret Cafe is next door if you don’t bring your own.

I run this course as a full weekend double session, a format which keeps the project in your head overnight, and helps you build momentum rather than having to refresh yourself a week later.

If a full weekend doesn’t work for you, two consecutive Saturdays can be arranged instead – contact me to discuss. You lose some momentum with the gap, but it’s better than not doing the course at all.

Who this is for

Anyone who wants to develop stone carving skills with a structured project. If you’ve done the foundation course (with me or elsewhere), this is a natural next step. If you haven’t but you’re willing to learn as you go, that works too – just be prepared for a steeper start.

Practical details

Location: The Stone Man Workshop, Luddendenfoot, Halifax, HX2 6EQ. Free parking on site.

What to wear: Clothes that can get dusty (they will), closed-toe shoes. Long hair tied back. In winter, wear warm layers – this is a working studio with limited heating and a large up-and-over door, so it can get cold.

What to bring: Lunch on both days if you prefer not to use the Secret Cafe next door. Water and tea/coffee are provided throughout.

Group size: Maximum 6 people, which means individual attention when you need it.

Between days: Your work-in-progress stays at the workshop overnight on Saturday.

Ready to carve your beast?

One weekend per month available throughout the year. The two days are booked as a single unit. If you need two consecutive Saturdays instead, contact me to arrange.

If you’re booking with a gift voucher, contact me by phone or email rather than booking online.

Questions about the course or whether it suits your level? Email studio@philipobriensculpture.uk.