INFO FOR SCHOOLS

Workshop Content
The workshops offer a special opportunity for participants to extend their understanding about the nature and processes of drawing and to gain confidence in their drawing abilities. They also promote a stronger philosophical approach to learning, developing self-awareness, revelation and a greater mobility of ideas and feelings.
The school art room, gym or hall becomes a studio for the day enabling the group of students to form a circle around the model and work on the floor with charcoal and large sheets of paper. The artist and model teams encourage initiative, curiosity and contemplation, whilst generating a relaxed atmosphere in which students can explore their creative perceptions without judgement.
Students are led through a sequence of fast-flowing exercises, each emphasising a different aspect of drawing. Like building blocks, they are connected in combinations most suited to the needs of different school groups. Confidence, inventiveness and understanding gain momentum over the course of the day as new discoveries are channelled into subsequent tasks. Imaginative exercises interact with figurative work to develop creative approaches to the model.
The day usually culminates in a composition piece based on a well-known work of art. The themes chosen are concerned with the expression of humanity and the multi-faceted experience of life. Practical drawing processes are supported by discussion about relevant artists’ creative behaviour.