Summer 2025
September 20

Do you have a furniture piece you are thinking about embellishing? This one-day class will be a great opportunity to try out and test a wide variety of embellishment styles and techniques. Surface embellishment is a way to add visual interest and value to your woodwork. In this one-day course, you will be encouraged to play and explore as you learn ways to take your woodwork to a whole new level of WOW!

Imagine opening a cabinet door and being greeted by a burst of color or delighting in the texture of a carved drawer front.  Consider the visual impact of ebonized legs supporting a tabletop or the discovery of the gilded interior of a box. These are all examples of ways embellishment can be used to enhance a project. These techniques can be used on furniture, turned objects, boxes, and more. They can even be used to transform a cheap, mass-produced item into a lovely, thoughtful gift.

In this 1-day action-packed technique class, you will learn a variety of ways to embellish their work.  In between demos, there will be plenty of time for hands-on practice of the techniques.  

In this course, we will explore the following techniques:

• ebonizing 

• pyrography (wood burning)

• gilding

• milk paint

• creating textures

• fun with fire! (AKA torching your wood)

• unexpected use of color

• color with texture

• texture with gilding

• ebonizing with pyrography

• whatever combo your heart desires!

Tools

Required:

• tape measure, 6" steel rule (I like to use a hook rule, many are available on Amazon), and other layout tools you love

• sketchbook

• pencils 

Recommended:

• a small object to gild — a rock or shell or seed pod or…

• a small object to burn, paint, embellish as you see fit — a box or picture frame or …

Prerequisites

Open to all.

Class Information and Registration

Class runs from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday in Building 304 at Fort Worden. Map
Please read our What to Expect page for general information about the school.
Please also read our Registration Policy, and sign up for the waitlist if the course is full.

Class size: 8
Cost: $200
Materials Charge: $25