Testimonials:

“Having watched Don’s sculpting videos on the Stan Winston School website and being familiar with both his personal and movie work, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to attend his 40-hour sculpting course at Gorton Studio in May 2018.

“I had an idea of the piece I wanted to make – a vampire bat creature, and a rough concept sketched out beforehand. Don was able to take my initial idea and push me in directions and suggest new possibilities that I wouldn’t have considered.

“He is a very generous teacher and does not prejudge the abilities of his students, our group of twelve consisted of people from all backgrounds and sculpting ability. Don spent equal time with everyone and I think we all came away with new ideas and techniques to use in future projects.

“My brief time with Don can only serve to make me a better sculptor, while students will learn about the various techniques and tools he uses to achieve those techniques, it’s his love of sculpture and boundless enthusiasm for the art that will stay with me most. Whether you are an experienced sculptor or have never picked up a block of clay before, I recommend that you attend one of Don’s courses if you get the chance.”

“Firstly I’d like to say how much I enjoyed attending Neill’s Prosthetic Boot Camp, June 2013. I found it enormously informative and have since applied much of what I learned during the week to my own work. I found Neill to be an inspiring tutor who imparted a huge amount of knowledge clearly and concisely and managed to get through an impressive amount in the time available, making the course extremely good value for money.

“From my perspective, the course clearly broke down the processes covering traditional and alternative methods in head-casting, mould making, modelling, casting and makeup application. It was invaluable to me to see the whole process refined and polished and this is where I personally gained most value from this course. For me, the course was excellent and I would recommend it to anyone wishing to finesse existing skills and I think that beginners with the capability to keep up with the pace will gain a huge amount of knowledge and enjoy an exciting introduction to the industry.”

“I came onto the course without any previous experience in the industry, having just a degree in illustration under my belt. I thought I might be a little out of my depth, but our course tutor, Dave, was amazing at showing us the ropes and giving us all the help and advice we needed to make a start in the prosthetics industry. Everything that we needed was provided for, and I made some excellent friends during the 7 weeks in the studio; I only wish I could have stayed longer! I’d recommend the course to anyone who wants a career in make-up and prosthetics.”

“Fantastic! Feel much more confident going into a job knowing I can apply a piece…thank you so much!”

“These courses are fantastic! For someone who is new to prosthetics Neill provides a clear path from idea to final product. It’s great to have an online prosthetics course based in the UK, as the materials are far easier to obtain.”

“I attended Prosthetics Boot Camp in November 2018. The course was a combination between hands on and a masterclass demonstrated by Neill Gorton. We filled a whole note book with lots of in depth information on materials, techniques and handy tips! Not only is Neill exceptionally talented but he is also a very good teacher. We had two days hands-on creating and applying flat mould appliances which was absolutely fantastic. Neill did a demonstration from scratch of the process of sculpting, creating moulds, making silicone pieces, applying, painting and facial hair laying. There was also a studio technician and a photographer in case you needed some assistance throughout the week.

“I learned so much from the Boot Camp and am now feeling confident to start sculpting and creating my own designs. We finished the course at 8.30 pm on Friday evening, it is not called a ‘Boot Camp’ for no reason!

“I believe this course is unique and there is nothing quite like it out there on offer. Any staff that I came across were professional, helpful yet friendly and approachable. We were also given high quality photographs of the step by step process which Neill demonstrated throughout the week as well as photos of our work we created with no extra cost.”

“Neill Gorton’s prosthetics and animatronics was one of the best learning experiences of my life: jam packed full of creative work.”

“I guess I’d say I think I was probably in a position to take advantage, and made the most out of the course in the respect to having already experimented with materials like fibreglass, silicone and urethanes for mould making and for special effects type work on short films, as well as having practiced my sculpting as much as time permitted over the last two years. “

“…in my personal experience, the standout feature that Neill’s course offers over any other is the opportunity to observe a real workshop in action. Being right next door to Millennium FX was amazing, and we got to see things happening that you would never see anywhere else.”

“Neill’s Prosthetics Boot Camp was a valuable and hugely rewarding experience. The course structure was perfect, covering in detail a lot of subject matter in such a relatively short space of time. Neill’s session delivery was excellent and he demonstrated teaching skills that ‘qualified’ teachers and lecturers often fail to utilise, such as relating the course material to professional or personal experience to reinforce learning. Neill also demonstrated excellent differentiated learning, effectively linking his explanations of techniques or materials to individual student’s abilities and areas of interest or experience.

“I particularly enjoyed watching Neill sculpting the character and was also grateful to him for bringing a range of moulds from storage and explaining the methods when I asked him about moulding and casting ear appliances, even though this topic was not originally part of the course. I loved every minute of the course and would whole heartedly recommend it to anyone with an interest in special effects make up and prosthetics.”