Digital masterclass workshops in Devon for textile designers

BARNSTAPLE, U.K. - Aug. 21, 2014 - PRLog -- Internationally acclaimed textile designer and screen printer Sam Pickard is to hold Masterclass workshops on the use of digital technology for textile design. The intensive course, Photoshop® for Textile Design, spread over four mornings in January and February 2015, will take place at Sam’s studio in South Molton in North Devon on the edge of Exmoor. The course will be run by Sam and her husband Peter Bishop, who is a graphic designer with more than 30 years’ experience and an Adobe Certified Instructor in Photoshop®.

Photoshop® for Textile Design will take place on Friday mornings from 23^rd January to 13^th February 2015. The price for each course is £250.  For more information about the Photoshop® workshops, please visit www.sampickard.bigcartel.com The course will be taught using iMac computers, and participants will need a basic level of computer literacy on either a PC or iMac.

“We are very excited about these Photoshop® classes,” says Sam. “The workshops are aimed at professionals with an interest in textiles and printing and who want to learn new digital skills. In recent years, digital technology has had a huge impact on textile design, and many professional designers may wish to update their skills. These courses will allow them to broaden the range of fabric designs they can sell to their clients and we are planning further weekend and two day courses in 2015.”

Both Sam and Peter have considerable experience in teaching Photoshop® courses. Sam lectured in Photoshop® skills at Bath Spa University and Peter has taught extensively in the graphic design world, having worked for many of the top London design agencies including Saatchi and Saatchi and Wolff Olins, as well as WPP, the largest advertising agency in the world.  Peter is an Adobe Certified Expert and Instructor in Photoshop® and has also lectured in QuarkXpress®, Illustrator® and InDesign®.

“We have both taught Photoshop® to large classes,” explains Peter. ”In our new workshops we will have a maximum of 3 participants, so we can give each person our full support and attention. There are very few Photoshop® courses in the South West that offer this amount of one to one coaching.

“Many hugely talented textile professionals are not making the most of the current digital opportunities,” adds Peter. “Learning how to use Photoshop® can be a revelation. It can be so liberating when you realise the huge range of possibilities digital technology offers. In the past, textile designers were restricted by the size of the silk screen, and could only work with a limited number of colours.  With Photoshop® they can use millions of colours in a single print. Photoshop® is a very sophisticated programme, and a lot of people just tinker at the edges.  If you learn how to use it properly, with many of the short cuts, you will be able to produce a better product, much more quickly.”

Digital technology has helped Sam to create many of her textile designs, which often push the boundaries of the latest print technology. Over the years she has won numerous awards for her work, including the prestigious RSA Design in Industry Award and the RSA Travel Award. Two of her designs were also short listed for the British Design Awards, in 2007 and 2010. She has exhibited at top shows including 100% Design, the Chelsea Crafts Fair and New York and San Francisco Trade Fairs.

Sam is also holding two day workshops on Textile Screen Printing. These will take place at her studio in South Molton on 16^th and 17^th October and on 20^th and 21^st November 2014. For more details visit www.sampickard.bigcartel.com

Editors’ Notes

1.      High res pictures available from ND Media. info@ndmedia.co.uk

2.       For more information see www.sampickard.bigcartel.com .

3.       Sam has her own online shop. www.sampickard.co.uk

4.       Sam trained at Camberwell Art College. After winning the prestigious travel award from the Royal Society of Arts, she studied wood block printing in India. Returning to London, she worked as a print and dye technician at East London University.  In 1996 Sam set up her own business as a textile designer/printer, helped by a Crafts Council Development Award. In 2008 she gained an MA (Distinction) at Bath Spa University.

5.       Peter has worked at many of the top London design agencies, including Banks & Miles, Newell & Sorrell, Wolff Olins, Sampson Tyrrell, Coley Porter Bell, Saatchi and Saatchi and also Pineapple Design in Brussels. He has worked at the highest level in every aspect of graphics including editorial, packaging, advertising, corporate identity and web design.

6.       Peter also holds a Certificate in Education (PCET).

7.       Press release issued by www.ndmedia.co.uk  Contact info@ndmedia.co.uk