A Week in the Life of Art School offers funded places and takes place at Gray’s School of Art, running across 5 days in the summer. The week will run from Monday 4 August - Friday 8 August 2025.
'A Week in the Life of Art School' is created in collaboration with Gray’s School of Art, ACCESS RGU, Engage, Mobile Art School and Look Again Aberdeen and is fully funded by Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University and Access to Creative Education Scotland.
About the week
Running from Monday 4 August to Friday 8 August 2025, the programme features a variety of creative workshops spanning both 2D and 3D disciplines. Participants can choose between half-day (2 hours) or full-day (4 hours) sessions and have the flexibility to join a single workshop or engage in multiple workshops throughout the week.
You're also invited to an artist talk and group critique, where two artists will share insights into their creative practices, reflect on their journeys through art school, and discuss the role of group critiques as a key part of the art school experience.
On Friday 8 August, participants will work together as an installation team to curate and install art works created during the week. The week will culminate in an exhibition titled ‘Mini Revel’, and participants are encouraged to invite friends and family to join in celebrating their work.
Applicants must be at least 16 years old at point of joining on 4 August 2025. Spaces are limited and subject to availability. Applicants who meet wider access criteria will be prioritised.
Workshop timetable
2 hour workshops
Offered once or twice daily. Participants may join a single workshop or multiple workshops throughout the week. A lunch break is scheduled at 12:00 – 13:00 for those attending both morning and afternoon workshops.
AM workshop
- Registration: 09:50 - 10:00
- Workshop: 10:00 - 12:00
- Departure: 12:00 - 12:15
PM workshop
- Registration: 13:00 - 13:15
- Workshop: 13:15 - 15:15
- Departure: 15:15 - 15:30
4 hour workshops
Longer, in-depth workshops that run across both morning and afternoon sessions with the same group. A lunch break is included from 12:00 – 13:00.
AM workshop
- Registration: 09:50 - 10:00
- Workshop: 10:00 - 12:00
Lunch break
- 12:00 - 13:00
PM workshop
- Registration: 13:00 - 13:15
- Workshop: 13:15 - 15:15
- Departure: 15:15 - 15:30
Monday 4 August
AM 10:00 - 12:00
PM 13:15 - 15:15
All day 10:00 - 15:15
Tuesday 5 August
AM 10:00 - 12:00
PM 13:15 - 15:15
All dy 10:00 - 15:15
Wednesday 6 August
AM 10:00 - 12:00
PM 13:15 - 15:15
All day 10:00 - 15:15
Thursday 7 August
AM 10:00 - 12:00
PM 13:15 - 15:15
All day 10:00 - 15:15
Friday 9 August
AM 10:00 - 12:00
PM 13:15 - 15:15
About the workshops
Freestyle Fabric Screen Printing
Monday 4 August, 10:00 - 12:00 or 13:15 - 15:15
Explore polychromatic printing; a screen-printing technique used in the textile industry to create hand-drawn effects with dyes. Freestyle paint directly onto screens, then transfer your design to fabric using print paste. Experiment with brushes, sponges, and spray bottles to create different marks and textures. Once curing is complete, you’ll get to take home your hand-painted A3 fabric at the end of the week.
Thinking Through Making: A Design Workshop
Monday 4 August, 10:00 - 15:15
In this workshop, you'll explore thinking through making by responding to a client brief focused on homeware design. Through hands-on studio practice, you'll engage with product design and ceramics using slab building, slip casting, and mould making techniques. The work produced can contribute to your portfolio for applying to an undergraduate degree at Gray's School of Art.
The Art of Media: Writing, Filming, and Editing
Monday 4 August, 10:00 - 15:15
In this workshop, explore script writing, visual storytelling, and on-camera presentation. Get hands-on with teleprompters, video software and green screens while building communication skills. Check out our TV studio, respond to a news brief, and together, learn about editing and production techniques. Ideal for aspiring media and journalism creators, or any creative - learn to tell compelling stories and promote yourself and your work across platforms.
It's a 20-minute walk from Gray's to the Riverside Building, where our TV studio is located, so registration begins slightly earlier at 09:40. The day concludes with a return to Gray's by 15:30.
Zine-Making Inspired by David Carson
Tuesday 5 August, 10:00 - 12:00 or 13:15 - 15:15
Create your own ‘zine’ (pronounced ‘zeeen’) in this hands-on workshop inspired by the rule-breaking style of graphic designer David Carson. Dive into zine culture and DIY design, combining found images, text, and personal stories into experimental layouts. Learn simple, cost-effective folding and binding techniques to craft a self-published booklet.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own imagery and text to aid their own storytelling.
Creating a Digital Portfolio: Photography Techniques
Tuesday 5 August, 10:00 - 12:00
If you're considering applying to Gray's School of Art, join this workshop to learn how to photograph your work as part of your portfolio preparation. Bring a selection of your own artwork or portfolio, and together as a group, we'll explore various techniques to capture and showcase some of your work in a digital format. You're encouraged to bring your own mobile phone or camera to capture your pieces.
Stretch Your Own Canvas
Tuesday 5 August, 10:00 - 12:00 or 13:15 - 15:15
In this workshop, you’ll learn how to stretch your own canvas from start to finish, building practical skills in both woodworking and canvas preparation. Working together, you’ll cut wood to create stretcher bars, assemble the frame, and measure, stretch, and staple the canvas. Each participant will make a canvas approximately 300mm x 450mm to use in upcoming drawing or painting workshops.
Playful Forms: An Exploration in Jewellery Design
Tuesday 5 August, 10:00 - 15:15
Explore playful design in this hands-on workshop and dive into the creative practice of jewellery designer Aubin Stewart. Begin in the Design Haus with bold paper cut-outs to experiment with shape, colour, and composition. Develop prototypes, then translate them into accessories in our Jewellery Workshop using Perspex and aluminium. Learn to cut, drill, and hammer as you create vibrant pieces from reimagined offcuts.
Exploring Design Approaches: From Sketch to VR
Wednesday 6 August, 10:00 - 15:15
Design your own chair in this dynamic workshop, inspired by Ben Durack’s work in the Tall Ships Makers Programme. Explore diverse design approaches through brainstorming, sketching, and prototyping with materials like paper and cardboard. Experiment with virtual reality to bring your ideas to life, transforming early concepts into immersive design experiences.
Print Like a Bauhaus Designer: Letterpress Poster Making
Wednesday 6 August, 10:00 - 12:00 or 13:15 - 15:15
Explore traditional letterpress printing in this hands-on workshop, learning to set type by hand using wooden letter blocks and vintage equipment. Create bold, graphic A4, posters inspired by the Bauhaus movement, closely connected to our art school. In celebration of Gray’s 140th anniversary, draw inspiration from the theme ‘Gray’s 140,’ experimenting with type, layout, and colour to create your own prints.
Sculpting with Polystyrene
Wednesday 6 August, 10:00 - 12:00 or 13:15 - 15:15
In this workshop, you’ll learn to sculpt and carve polystyrene, transforming your sketches into 3D sculptures. Gain hands-on experience with tools like handsaws, electric carving knives, and learn to operate a bandsaw; equipment used for cutting various materials. At the end of the week, your sculptures will be featured in our ‘Mini Revel’ exhibition at Gray’s.
Please note, some of workshop will take place outdoors.
Artist talk & group crit
Wednesday 7 August, 13:15 - 15:15
Meet artists Carla Angus, a graduate-in-residence, and Issy Angus, a graduating student from Gray’s School of Art. They will share insights into their artistic practices and reflect on their educational journeys through art school. The conversation will also explore the concept of ‘group crits’ - a core element of the art school experience.
Experimental Life Drawing: A Figurative Focus
Wednesday 7 August, 10:00 - 12:00 or 13:15 - 15:15
Join this playful life drawing workshop featuring a live (clothed) model.
Throughout the session, you’ll observe the human figure in a variety of poses and be encouraged to respond creatively; sketching with different mediums and experimenting with line, form, colour, and tone to express movement. Acrylic paint will also be part of the artistic exploration.
If you're taking part in the Stretch Your Own Canvas workshop, you're encouraged to bring your own canvas to draw or paint on.
Exploring Photography with a DIY Pinhole Camera
Thursday 7 August, 10:00 - 15:15
In this workshop, you’ll construct your own pinhole camera using recycled materials and learn how to capture and develop photographs in a darkroom. Explore composition, lighting, and timing, while gaining knowledge of basic camera operations, experimenting with long exposure techniques, and understanding both analogue and digital photography processes.
The Big Build: Collaborative Sculpture Workshop
Thursday 7 August, 10:00 - 12:00 or 13:15 - 15:15
You’ll work collaboratively to design and build a large-scale sculpture as part of a group project. Starting with your own sketches, you’ll explore how to translate two-dimensional ideas into three-dimensional form using a cardboard construction kit called Makedo. The final sculpture will be showcased at Mini Revel, a group exhibition taking place at Gray’s at the end of the week.
Exhibition Installation
Friday 8 August, 10:00 - 13:00
Following your participation in workshops throughout the week, you are invited to be part of the installation team, who together will install artwork in preparation for an exhibition called the ‘Mini Revel’.
All artworks must be ready to install at Gray’s School of Art for Friday 8 August 2025, 10:00.
Mini Revel Exhibition
Friday 8 August, 14:00 - 16:00
Exhibition 14:00-15:00. De-install and departure 15:00 - 16:00
As a workshop participant you are invited to exhibit artwork from the programme as part of a ‘Mini Revel’. This exhibition is a celebration of your week in the life of art school and
is a chance to meet different participants. You are encouraged to invite friends and family to celebrate your first exhibition at Gray’s School of Art — or your second, if you joined us last year.
Apply Now!
Last chance to sign up: 22 June 2025.