Sculpture making practice.
Philosophy
“Material-based teaching focused on the visual qualities of surfaces and form, as well as technical knowledge. As a school, Materia Prima brings together making and understanding — each session grounded in process.”
Materials & processes
Cast, mould, build, layer — hands-on with real materials from your first session.
Online Workshops
Launching our first online series — material-led sculpture practice and mould-making.
Three live weekend sessions exploring clay relief, object moulds, and body casting from your own workspace.
Live online. You’ll get a materials list when you book, and the recording stays available afterwards.
Clay and Plaster Relief
Online
Model a relief in clay using found and everyday objects, pour plaster over it, and lift out your first cast.
Saturday 7 November
12:00–14:00
Small cohort
£30
Object Cast
Online
Make a two-part alginate mould of a simple object sized to fit in hand and cast a copy in plaster.
Saturday 14 November
12:00–14:00
Small cohort
£30
Body Cast
Online
Cast your own hand and learn the principles of how to mould body parts.
Saturday 21 November
12:00–14:00
Small cohort
£30
Saturdays 7, 14 and 21 November. £90 if booked separately.
Mentoring
One-to-one guidance on your own project — from material choice to finished piece.
Individual mentoring
One-to-one guidance on your own project, from material choice to finished piece.
From £120 per session
- Your project, your pace
- Technical guidance
- Studio access included
You'll pay now — we'll follow up to schedule your session.
Who it's for
Artists
Adding casting and mould-making to an existing practice, or translating a drawing into an object.
Designers
Prototyping surfaces, forms and finishes by hand before committing to production.
Architects
Model-making with real material behaviour — weight, set time, shrinkage, texture.
Curious makers
No background required. A few hours with plaster changes how you look at everything cast.
Practical
Do I need any experience?
No. Group workshops are built for complete beginners, and mentoring is shaped around whatever level you arrive with.
Is everything provided?
For mentoring in the studio, yes. For online workshops, you buy your own materials from a list we send when you book.
Can I take my work home the same day?
Usually. Plaster and jesmonite pieces are demoulded in the session; larger or slower casts are left to cure and collected later.
Do you run private and group bookings?
We do — studio days for teams, universities and celebrations. Tell us the group size and date in the enquiry form.
Is this classical sculpture training?
No — you'll learn real technique in each material, but there's no single 'correct' result you're expected to reproduce.
Get in touch
Tell us what you'd like to make — we'll reply with dates and availability.
Studio
London, United Kingdom
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