Making Miniature Furniture With Amanda Kelly of Panda Miniatures
In this 5-part seminar, learn how to craft miniature furniture from scratch, from tables and mattresses to tiny trash bags.
Course Description
Making miniatures is no small feat; crafting tiny worlds from scratch is both an art and a science, and it draws from a long history of reflecting realities and generating new ones. In this workshop designed for beginners, join Amanda Kelly of Panda Miniatures to learn how to create realistic, textured miniature furniture from scratch. Over the course of five weeks, we’ll build a 1:12 scale wooden side table with drawers, a fabric mattress, and various small accessories for a room using various techniques. We’ll also learn how to paint using distressing techniques, and those who’ve taken Amanda’s previous course can add their tiny creations to their abandoned room. While students who have taken this course are highly encouraged to enroll, there are no prerequisites to take this course; miniature makers of all levels are welcome!
Syllabus at a Glance
This course includes five total sessions, each lasting for 2 hours on five consecutive Wednesdays beginning May 15, skipping the week of June 5.
Session 1 (Wednesday, 5/15, 7–9:00 PM ET)| Foundations and Scale: Sizing up (or down) our project
After introductions, we’ll talk through the supplies we’ll need over the next five weeks, as well as how to understand scale. Amanda will demo cutting pieces for a side table so that you’re able to cut your own after class.
Session 2 (Wednesday, 5/22, 7–9:00 PM ET)| Making the Side Table
We’ll put our side table together and paint it to give it texture. For homework, you’ll wrap up any work on the side table you weren’t able to finish during class.
Session 3 (Wednesday, 5/29, 7–9:00 PM ET)| Making the Bed: Miniature mattress making
We’ll spend this class crafting a small mattress and using distressing techniques.
-week off-
Session 4 (Wednesday, 6/12, 7–9:00 PM ET)| One Person’s Trash Is Another’s Tiny Treasure
Today, you’ll follow along as Amanda moves through crafting tiny trash bags using a crumpled fabric technique. If there’s anything you haven’t completed, you’ll be encouraged to finish it as homework.
Session 5 (Wednesday, 6/19, 7–9:00 PM ET)| Open House: Sharing our miniature creations
We’ll wrap up class with a showcase of all student work, an opportunity for feedback, and a a final Q&A segment with Amanda
Between Sessions
Outside of class, students may need to dedicate a few hours each week to finishing anything they weren’t able to complete during class.
Course Materials
Various materials and supplies will be needed to participate in this course. A list of all materials (around $50-75 total) will be sent out to enrolled students closer to the start of this course.
Pricing Options
In addition to full-price tickets, a limited number of no-pay spots are available for this course. Please note that these tickets are reserved for those who would not otherwise be able to take this course and who expect to attend all sessions. No-pay spots are distributed via a randomized drawing two weeks before each course begins. For more information and to apply for a no-pay spot, please click here. To learn more about our pricing model and randomized selection process for no-pay spots, please visit our FAQ page.
Community Guidelines for Students
Please take a moment to review our community guidelines for students, which aim to share our classroom ethos and help set the stage for the best possible learning experience.
Atlas Obscura Online Courses
Atlas Obscura Courses offer opportunities for participants to emerge with new skills, knowledge, connections, and perspectives through multi-session classes designed and taught by expert instructors. To learn more about our current course offerings, please visit www.atlasobscura.com/online-courses. For answers to commonly asked questions, check out our FAQ page here.
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Once registered, you’ll receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite that will provide access to each class meeting. Please save the confirmation email as you’ll use it to access all sessions of your course via Zoom.
Amanda Kelly has been making miniatures professionally for over 6 years and has built miniatures for various clients including Coca-Cola, Disney, and Xbox. Her work has been featured in art galleries and museums including The Museum of Museums in Seattle, Blackbird Gallery in New York, and the Artist Collective in Spartansburg, NC. In 2020, she was also a finalist on the HGTV show Biggest Little Christmas Showdown. Originally from New York, she currently lives in Virginia while pursuing her Master’s of Fine Arts in Sculpture at Radford University. She lives with her fianceé and 3 cats.
This is an interactive, small-group seminar that meets over Zoom. Students may be encouraged to participate in discussions, work on assignments outside of class, and workshop projects with their instructor or classmates. Due to the interactive nature of this course, we strongly recommend students attend as many live sessions as possible. Within 72 hours after each session meets, students will receive access to a recording of the live session, which they can watch for up to two weeks after the course concludes.
Instructors may use Google Classroom to communicate with students outside of class. While students aren’t required to use Google Classroom, instructors may use this platform to post resources, discussion questions, or assignments. This platform also offers a space for students to connect with one another about course material between sessions.
We provide closed captioning for all of our courses and can share transcripts upon request. Please reach out to us at experiences@atlasobscura.com if you have any questions, requests, or accessibility needs.
There are 30 spots available on this experience.
