Even if you have never made a pen before, Barry will make you feel at home in this course! Students from basic to advanced are welcome to learn an assortment of techniques to take pen making to the next level. Thinking creatively, the key to enhancing pen making abilities will be discussed throughout the course. Students will work with a variety of materials including, but not limited to, exotic wood, stabilized wood and acrylics. Students will learn how to cast their own clear acrylic pen blanks and marbleize pen tubes (without a pressure pot!) which will open minds to a wide range of creative ideas. In addition, creating “hybrid” pen blanks using burls and Alumilite will be demonstrated. Students will learn “Gisi” style segmenting as well as other segmenting techniques. Laser-cut pens? No problem! Stabilizing pen blanks and other small pieces of wood will be demonstrated using Cactus Juice. Several different finishing techniques will be demonstrated and practiced throughout the course including a very easy CA glue finish and an Aussie Oil finish. By the end of the week, each student will have made a minimum of 12 different pens with an emphasis on quality of fit and finish. After finishing the pen masterpieces, Barry will discuss the best way to market your one-of-a-kind works of art!