Last Making 101:
Discription:
This is an INTENSIVE 3 week footwear last( shoe form) engineering and design course created for making custom or model lasts ( shoe forms). After presenting engineering in the first week the rest of the course stresses footwear design and shaping the last form through
1)Footwear mechanics,
an understanding of how the form works with shaping footwear
3) Math,
4) Geometry,
5) Footwear engineering
6) Sculptural technique.
Developing new lasts is a sculptural art. Thus learning to shape this form after you have learned points 1-6 is really is where it all begins and is why you are here. Last making is both science and art. Once the science is understood, the art of sculpting begins. This being said, it is not a mysterious process to learn. It just takes time, patience and practice. The goal of this intensive to present you with tools and knowlege to go home with and practice what you have learned.
In this class, your concentration will be on points 1-6. When taking other artist or shoe making classes, they might concentrate on one particular type of article and how to make that exact article. As wonderful as it might be to learn such a craft, your capability in freedom of design is limited. In this intermediate last making course, I present the foundation to last design and shaping to give you freedom of design in footwear thus you will have the ability to design any footwear, not just one type.
In times of old, a last was created especially for the foot pair the footwear was designed for. Continuing this tradition, we believe that good footwear design begins with the intended foot and then creating a last for it. We optimized feet moulds and models as a beginning point to last making, and have combined scientific research done by the factories throughout the 20th century and modern biomechanical knowlege regarding proper last making theory to bring this course to you as a comprehensive instruction on last making.
As mentioned in point 4 above, last making is an art, and is sculpture. Fine sculpture is rarely learned in it's intended medium. Instead, the student is introduced to clay to learn to model his or her subjects. This class is no different. In this class, you are introduced to the custom moulded last making process. This method was developed to allow you, the student, to get a feel for last shaping This process eliminates the mystery out of the wood to last shaping relationship during the lastmaking learning phase and concentrates learning of last design and shaping. Thus, you will learn how to model the parts of a last before moving on to your medium of choice.
Therefore, the student’s education is focused on what is important: Last design engineering and shaping. After you have completed this course, learning last shaping in wood will be a very small leap.
About your class
Our science and traditional based method of last making combined with proper lastmaking theory allows boots and shoes to be created in any heel height and toe design for beautiful walk able footwear that is truly custom. However, these boots and shoes retain the planter surface of the individual allowing a more comfortable fit and function. This process of creating a physiological/anatomical last is unique to our school. This kind of last gives boot and shoe designers a competitive edge in the comfort results to their customers and is based on traditional lastmaking practices. In addition our advance last making course allows those who have taken this intermediate class, to advance to making production lasts. Production lasts are lasts that are made based on charts and measurments.
In this course you will learn traditional last making theory, and then how it applies to making a last beginning with a foot model. Then transform this foot model into a last that is guaranteed to replicate foot volume, breadth, planter surface replication and correction if necessary, styling, and design. It is based on sound biomechanical knowlege taught during your class. By knowing these you get a better control over your designs based on what is the best look and fit, support and function for that individual foot pair. It currently remains a hand last making method and is not made from plaster. You will have the option of plastic or wood composite as your final last.
This course is presented over a 15 day period and is presented in sequence of 5 parts in three weeks. Each section will be presented by different experts in thier field. By doing so, we bring you excellent foundational integrated knowlege.
Certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the course from Lastmaking School.com
Anatomy,physiology and biomechanics of the lower extremities, , and how the body works with the feet,
Last Design Theory,
Casting and Design,
Designing Toe Shapes and Footwear Soles
Transforming a Foot casts into a shoe shape
This knowlege allows you to advanced to the next level of carving a last from wood or plastic based on charts and tables for the different sizes. This last making method we refer to as production lasts. Thus, if you want to design lasts for size 2 childrens to what ever size adults you can. Our advanced class will show you this method after you have completed this course.
Prerequisite:None
This Intermediate course is a 200 hour course that is presented over a 15 day period ( hence, the intesive part). You will be presented with lectures and in class time to do group and individual activities. However, home work will be assigned for off class time to complete the 200 hour course. Completion of the assignments will further your learning and understanding of the course. Come, be prepared to work and have fun designing your own footwear!
When: Contact us for our next schedualed last making 101 course. If you are looking for a privet class, simply click on the buy now and we will schedual you, your privet class. It is the same curriculum as the group classes
Class does not meet on the weekends.
Class space available:
Accomodations are: Out of town accomodations are recomedended at the Extended stay america Broadway Everett washington They have accomodations available at reasonable prices. Please contact us for further accomodation availalablity.
Price: $ 5,000.00
Prepayment of the full course fee is required for registration. Discounts may apply for early registration.
contact us for more information.
We are located in Washington State USA. in the city of Snohomish.
Please be advised that this course is a sales taxable service.
The Sales Tax in Snohomish Washington is 8.9%.
When we recieve your course fee payment, you will be notified of items that you should bring, accomodation information and other pertainate information to help your class go smoothly. As with most college classes, some books will be recomended for you to bring, purchase or checked out at the library as well as basic last making tools and small itemized supplies. Some books will be available to rent for the orginal price of the book from us with full deposit return upon the return of the book in the same condition as it left our facility.
Payment must be made with in 6 weeks of the Course Comencement.
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