Wow September has been a busy one and though I’ve really enjoyed it all – I’ve hardly had any time to get out for walks which is a shame because on the whole the weather has been pretty good. I have noticed the rapidly darkening evenings though which have left me feeling sad for the end of summer. Now we’re past the Autumn Equinox, the disconcerting speed at which the days shorten will slow down and I hope to get into more of a rhythm again.
A highlight for me this September has been running the botanical printing course at the Botanical Gardens. I can’t help thinking that this might be the best way to spend a Monday morning I’ve ever known. It’s been such a great group and they (and I!) have learnt so much. We’ve looked at collecting images, simplifying them to create effective prints, transferring images to soft-carve lino before carving them and printing them. We started with black and white prints and then looked at multi-colour printing and even intaglio methods where the ink is pushed into the grooves made in a block rather than sits on the raised areas. The results have been very impressive and I think everyone has really enjoyed the playful nature of printing. I’m really sad that next week will be our final session but I do have more printing workshops planned so if this all sounds like fun, get in touch!
We’ve had our first Wednesday night art club this month and at this and the Thursday group we focused on painting the furry and fluffy textures of animals using watercolour paints. This was tricky but again the results were great and it’s really lovely to see how those who have been attending the club for a while are really progressing and feeling happier with what they create. The Wednesday night group is much quieter and I suspect will be until it gets more established so if you prefer a smaller group, I’d recommend you give it a try.
Coming up in October…
Adult Art Club at Dungworth Village Hall
Wednesday 8th or Thursday 23rd October – 7-9pm
This month the focus will be autumn leaves and other treasures. We’ll be looking at using wet-on-wet watercolour techniques to create the gentle graduation in colours we see as the leaves start to change. We’ll also look at some drawing techniques to help us capture the form of groups of leaves and seeds such as conkers. If you see any particularly beautiful leaves or autumn treasures, I encourage you to bring them along!
I’m excited to add that on Wednesday 8th October we will also have some wonderful live musical accompaniment from Tim Crowther and Helen McNair. Tim (guitar) and Helen (vocals) are folk musicians who will be adding musical inspiration on the theme of autumn leaves.
This group is very friendly and open to everyone with or without prior experience. The sessions focus mainly on drawing and watercolour painting techniques but I like to throw in other processes such as printing occasionally! Each week is a stand alone session so don’t worry if you can’t commit to each one but if you do attend regularly, you’ll really start to notice your skills improve over time.
I provide stimulus and gentle instruction so you don’t have to worry about knowing what to draw. I also provide paper, drinks and usually homemade cake! I can provide a sketchbook, graded pencils and watercolour paints or you are welcome to bring your own. Sessions are £9 each or £32 for 4 sessions booked in advance.
Nature Journalling at The Botanical Gardens
Monday 20th October – 9:30am – 12:30pm
Unfortunately this workshop is now fully booked, however I am running a similar workshop on Monday 16th March with a more spring feel. You can use the button below to register your interest for this and I’ll be in touch when booking opens.
Other workshops booking now:
Autumn Art Club at Dungworth Village Hall
Christmas Card Printing @ The Botanical Gardens
Saturday 22nd November – 9:30am – 12:30pm
Join me at the beautiful Botanical Gardens for botanical printing with a festive twist and get ready for the season by making your own homemade cards.
You will learn:
– to collect images in the gardens, think holly, ivy,and maybe mistletoe and even a cheeky robin.
– to transfer your image to soft-carve lino and use tools to carve out the block.
– how to print your image using printing inks and rollers.
What’s included?
– All materials including up to 10 cards and envelopes to take home
– Tea, coffee and homemade cake
– Gentle tuition in a beautiful setting
This workshop is perfect for beginners and those wanting to home their skills. As we use sharp tools, it is only suitable for children over 10 if attending with a participating adult.
Places are limited to provide more individual attention.
Other great things to do in October!
- Get out and enjoy the colours and collect some leaves! – As I look out of my window, it’s the most perfect early autumn day; the sky a bright blue, the leaves reddening, a spiders web shining in the sunlight. I love October for days like this, the cool start yet with the promise of chance to bask in lingering sun. And of course the colours! I’ve been told that this autumn the colours are likely to be even better than normal due to the warm dry summer so why not head to the woods, soak in the colours and bring home some treasures!
- Visit ‘Only Clay‘ – I love handmade ceramics and this fair at Kelham Island from 4th-5th October looks really exciting.
- Make some flapjack! – This month’s cake has been yummy sticky apple flapjack. Quick, easy, yummy and probably kind of healthy, why not give it a go?
Thank you so much for reading this and supporting me! If you’ve enjoyed this newsletter and want to stay in touch with upcoming workshops, ideas and tutorials, please add your email below to subscribe and why not share this with friends who you think might also fancy something creative in their lives?!
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