This course offers an introduction to the craft of metal carving through the creation of metal ornaments. Trainees will learn to use traditional tools and master the basics of matt tracing and repoussé. The week alternates between technical learning, ornamental research, and the creation of a personal piece.

At the end of the course, trainees will be able to:

• Understand the different techniques of plate carving
• Adapt a chosen motif to carving
• Design a simple three-dimensional object from a plate
• Cut with a bocfil
• Recognize the basics of silver soldering

Chasing is a precious and ancestral skill that involves working the surface of metal cold, without removing or adding material. Using specific tools—chisels, hammers, and punches—the craftsman creates relief, textures, or patterns directly within the metal mass.
This technique, used since ancient times, allows for three-dimensional drawing with finesse and precision. It is central to many disciplines: jewelry, goldsmithing, sculpture, art restoration, and contemporary design.
The training offered introduces students to the fundamentals of chasing, discovers the tools, explores suitable metals, and creates their first compositions. Step by step, each student learns to observe the material, feel the movement, and develop their eye.
Combining technical rigor and personal expression, this practice offers a unique immersion into the world of hand-worked metal, a time suspended between precision, patience, and creativity.

Schedule

Day 1

Morning

• Quick roundtable discussion
• Introduction to chasing
• Discovery of samples and tools
• First tests with plating on a ball

Afternoon

• First tests with chisels using simple shapes
  (straight and curved lines)

Day 2

Morning

• Work on the proper holding and use of chisels
• Tests on different thicknesses of brass plates

Afternoon

• Tests on specific patterns or shapes

Day 3

Morning

• Defining a pattern on a predefined surface
• Choosing the chisels to use
• Crafting on a test plate to test the pattern and chisels
• Beginning of chiseling

Afternoon

• Chiseling continued

Day 4

Morning

• Developing the chosen pattern continued
• Working on the final plate
• Testing the chisel

Afternoon

• Chiseling and chisel continued

Day 5

Morning

• Cutting the pattern with bocfil

Afternoon

• Reporting of achievements
• Self-assessment and end-of-training report
• Workshop cleanup

Kim Jude

A graduate of the École Boulle chasing workshop in Paris, Kim Jude honed her expertise alongside renowned artisans in France and abroad. In 2019, she opened her own workshop, where she elegantly combines the worlds of jewelry, lighting, and decoration.

Her work draws on multiple influences, blending history and nature. Her style evolves between the geometric purity of Art Deco and organic forms, such as flower petals or butterfly wings. Across a wide range of objects, from chandeliers to earrings, she masterfully combines finely chiseled brass with blown glass, creating pieces that are both precious and poetic.

• Classroom, multipurpose room, workshops with professional equipment
• Materials provided
• Individual and collaborative work
• Workshop work
• Active participation and experimentation of participants are encouraged

• Collective and personalized monitoring of work, regular updates
• Self-assessment of technical skills
• Collective feedback
• Half-day attendance sheet
• Certification of completion issued by Campus MaNa