UCA Saturday clubs
March 2026
Our partner institution, the University for the Creative Arts, are running 3 Creative Arts Saturday Clubs in March at their Farnham campus. These clubs are led by experienced creative practitioners and give you a chance to develop a portfolio of work. The programmes equip you with new skills to help build your confidence, as well as the ability to express your ideas and hone your creative practice.
All UCA Saturday clubs are free to participate in and materials are provided to anyone allocated a place. If you are taking part, you must be living in the UK for the duration of the course.
Date: Saturday 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th March
Year Group: Years 8, 9 & 10
Cost: Free (including materials)
Timings: 10 am – 2 pm
Location: UCA Farnham Campus, Falkner Road, Farnham, GU9 7DS
In this fun four-week illustration programme, students will create an illustration based on the folktale Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Throughout the programme, they will develop their character design skills and explore a range of printmaking techniques to bring their visions to life.
Each week students will have a new challenge to develop their illustration, using real-world techniques used by professionals that can also be applied to art coursework.
Workshop – Week 1 – 7th March:
Character Design – Using card, paint, and observational drawing, to create simple shapes to build unique characters fit for a storybook!
Workshop – Week 2 – 14 March:
Cyanotype – Taking our work out of the sketchbook and learning how stencils, sun, and a little bit of science, can be used to illustrate.
Workshop – Week 3 – 21 March:
Screen-printing – Delving deeper into printing, we’ll be exploring environments to create one-of-a-kind prints!
Workshop – Week 4 – 28 March:
Bringing it together – A good story must come to an end… by sharing the work made across the workshops! In the final workshop, we will be promoting our work with hand-made, illustrated badges.
For more info and to book, please visit: https://www.uca.ac.uk/events/outreach/outreach-saturday-club—illustration–printmaking-farnham/
Date: Saturday 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th March
Year Group: Years 9 and 10
Cost: Free (including materials)
Timings: 10 am – 2 pm
Location: UCA Farnham Campus, Falkner Road, Farnham, GU9 7DS
Join us for a four-week, hands-on art workshop where contemporary techniques meet the bold vision of iconic artists. Each week explores a new medium, process, and source of inspiration – perfect for curious makers, textile lovers, and anyone eager to experiment creatively.
Week 1 – Bold Appliqué & Nature
Begin with vibrant appliqué design inspired by the organic forms of nature and the expressive cut-outs of Henri Matisse. Learn how to build striking compositions using shape, colour, and contrast to create a dynamic textile artwork.
Week 2 – Abstract Printmaking
Dive into printmaking with lino cuts and collagraphs, taking inspiration from the rhythmic abstraction of Wassily Kandinsky. Experiment with texture, layering, and movement to produce a series of expressive prints.
Week 3 – Soft Sculpture & Surface Design
Explore transfer printing to create a playful soft sculpture inspired by the immersive patterns and repetition of Yayoi Kusama. Focus on surface design, colour, and form to bring your sculptural piece to life.
Week 4 – Tactile Sculpture & Textile Techniques
Conclude the series with a sculptural project incorporating finger crochet and weaving, inspired by the powerful, intuitive textile works of Judith Scott. Embrace texture, wrapping, and structure to create a deeply tactile, expressive sculpture.
For more info and to book, please visit: https://www.uca.ac.uk/events/outreach/outreach-saturday-club—design–textiles-farnham/
Date: Saturday 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th March
Year Group: Years 7, 8 and 9
Cost: Free (including materials)
Timings: 10 am – 2 pm
Location: UCA Farnham Campus, Falkner Road, Farnham, GU9 7DS
In this exciting 4-week programme, students will explore the world of 2D digital animation using Adobe Animate. Over the course of the programme, participants will learn how to design and animate characters, objects, and environments, as well as create text animations and compile a professional mini portfolio. Each week focuses on a new skill, giving students the tools to bring their own ideas to life while developing creative and transferable skills such as storytelling, timing, design thinking, and visual communication.
Workshop – Week 1 – 7 March:
Drawing & Simple Object Animation – Learn the basics of drawing clean objects and turning them into short, animated loops. Students will create animations such as bouncing balls, blinking characters, growing flowers, head turns, facial expression changes (shocked, laughing, confused), and simple lip movements.
Workshop – Week 2 – 14 March:
Background Design & Environment Animation – Explore how to design backgrounds and animate elements within a scene. Students will animate trees swaying, vehicles moving across a cityscape, and aircraft landing or performing dramatic motion, learning how layers and motion combine to create depth.
Workshop – Week 3 – 21 March:
Meme Animation & Simple Action Sequences – Bring humour and expression to animation by creating short meme-inspired loops and simple action sequences. Students will explore exaggerated character reactions, fun impact effects, and fast-paced animation, encouraging creativity and personal style.
Workshop – Week 4 – 28 March:
Text Animation & Portfolio Compilation – Focus on motion graphics and presentation skills. Students will design animated text and effects, compile all their work into a mini-animation portfolio, and create a polished video reel showcasing their projects from the previous weeks.
For more info, visit: https://www.uca.ac.uk/events/outreach/outreach-saturday-club—animation-farnham/
UCA’s Saturday Clubs are suitable for students who are studying or have an interest in creative subjects and would like to develop their skills and portfolio. Applicants applying must be able to attend the full programme.
The aim of the Saturday Club is to provide an opportunity for young people to access free art & design tuition within a higher education environment to support them in the development of their portfolio of work. The Saturday Club is also designed for students who may not otherwise have the chance to access such an opportunity.
All students living in the UK are eligible to apply, but priority will be given to applicants who meet one or more of the following criteria:
- are the first generation in their family to study at higher education level (e.g. Degree, HND, HNC)
- are currently eligible for Free School Meals
- come from a neighbourhood with low overall progression rates to higher education (determined by postcode using POLAR 3 data)
- are from a black or minority ethnic background
- are in, or have lived under local authority care
- have caring responsibilities for a family member
- have a disability
- attend a KaMCOP, KMPF or HEON partnered school (a list of eligible schools is included on the UCA Saturday Club webpage)
- live in HEON or KaMCOP target postcode area
- have not previously attended a UCA Saturday Club programme
- have applied to study the Extended Diploma in Art & Design at UCA and have been referred by a UCA Academic
- Allocation will also be based on your personal statement, where we would like to see an evident passion for the subject and an interest in studying a creative subject at a higher level.
- This information will be gathered via UCA’s Saturday Club programme application form and will be assessed by the University’s Outreach Manager and Outreach Officer.
- Once the application deadline has passed, we will consider all applications against the priority criteria listed above to determine who will be offered a place. A decision will be sent in writing to confirm whether a place on the programme has been secured, and successful applicants will be asked to confirm their place in writing. Where the programmes are oversubscribed, unplaced applicants who meet the criteria outlined above will be kept on a waiting list and allocated spaces should they become available.
- If an applicant decides not to accept their offer, they must inform the Outreach Manager via email as soon as possible so spaces can be reallocated where possible.
To apply, please complete the application form for the Saturday Club you’d like to attend:
https://www.uca.ac.uk/study-at-uca/outreach/saturday-clubs/
The deadline for applications is 23:55 on Monday 23rd February 2026
If you have any questions about the events, please contact the team via: outreach@uca.ac.uk
