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View Full Version : Art clay certificate vs diploma??!!



Charley261
18-02-2012, 01:21 PM
Hi all, I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with either of these two qualifications that they could share?

I've been using art clay silver for a year or so and feel my knowledge and techniques are limited as I have been teaching myself. My nearest school is the mid cornwall school of jewellery which looks great and offers both a diploma and the AC certificate courses, but I'm having trouble deciding between the two types of course (or even whether to just keep buying books and getting tips from the net as the courses are so expensive!), I do really like the sound of the diploma but the discount on art clay is very tempting!!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks

Charlotte

(N.B. I'm not worried about becoming a qualified teacher)

Julia Rai
27-02-2012, 01:45 PM
Hi Charlotte,

The decision about which course to do will depend completely what you want to do ultimately and what you want to learn. You say you're not interested in teaching so I assume you just want to get more experienced as an artist and designer. The Art Clay certification will teach you techniques for working with Art Clay lump and syringe but doesn't allow any design freedom. You have to make the projects exactly as the curriculum specifies. If you find a good teacher, you'll certainly learn lots of tips and hints.

The Diploma at MCSJ has more design freedom and also includes an element of silver work alongside metal clay tuition. It also covers working with both brands of silver clay and all varieties - lump, syringe, sheet/paper as well as combining sterling and glass with silver clay. It is brand neutral and independent which means there are no discounts attached to the qualification.

If you want to buy cheaper clay, I'd start by asking around the suppliers for their wholesale rates. You may find that you can get cheaper clay without taking any qualifications. You may need to buy larger quantities than you're used to to qualify but it keeps.

I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Julia

caroleallen
28-02-2012, 08:13 AM
Hi Julia and welcome. How are things in your part of the County?

Charley261
01-03-2012, 09:44 AM
Thanks very much Julia, I hadn't thought of enquiring about wholesale discount on the clay, I could do that and stick with the diploma as I do really like the sound of it's freedom in design and the wider variety of techniques that are taught.
Thanks again, Charlotte