Portfolio Clinic: Fabricating a Metal Pencil Box

    Saturday, November 21, 2026 at 10:00 AM until 3:00 PMEastern Standard Time UTC -05:00


    OCAD University
    100 Mccaul Street
    Toronto On
    Toronto, ON M5T 1W1
    Canada

    Portfolio Clinic: Fabricating a Metal Pencil Box
    Instructor:     Ellie Oram

    Fabrication in art and design is the creative process of transforming ideas into physical products, sculptures, or structures through hands-on techniques. At OCAD, we have a wide range of studios and courses that support students in bringing their visions to life, allowing concepts to become tangible, 3D works of art and design.  

    In this studio workshop, students will create a small pencil box with a handle made from metal, for storing stationery supplies or trinkets. They will be introduced to a combination of basic metal forming tools and hand tools to fabricate their box. The box will begin as a 2D sheet of metal and be transformed into a functioning box with a customized handle.  

    Through hands-on instructions and demos, students will come away from this workshop with an understanding of basic metal fabrication techniques using hand tools and how to effectively document their final piece. Students will leave with a functional metal box that can be included in portfolios and used at home! 

    No prior experience in metalwork is necessary to participate in this workshop.

    What you will learn:

    • Basic metal fabrication techniques including folding and spot welding    

    • Hand finishing techniques for metal  

    • How to safely use metal shop equipment 

    • How to translate a 2D sketch into a 3D object 

    • Easy ways to document 3D work and process work for portfolios 
       

    Materials will be provided by OCAD U. However, we always encourage students to bring:
    • Your sketchbook to document sketches and ideas
    • A phone or digital camera to document photos throughout the process

    Policies: 

    Portfolio Clinic workshops may be subject to cancellation in the case of low enrolment.

    Participants are eligible for a full refund if a cancellation request is received at least 10 calendar days prior to their registered Portfolio Clinic date. This 10-day notice period allows us sufficient time to offer the spot to another student on the waitlist. All refund requests must be submitted directly via email to portfolioclinics@ocadu.ca. 

    Package Deal:

    If you are interested in taking all 3 Portfolio Clinic workshops (Drawing and Painting the Figure, Window Packaging Design, & Fabricating a Metal Pencil Box), please see the Package Deal details here.
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