However, Helen got us going in a very organized way, starting with some straightforward (though no-one said 'easy'!) exercises. We set out various objects, mostly natural items, in a 'flat lay' arrangement on a board, which would form the basis of a number of exercises.
Firstly, we took the scary whiteness off our paper by creating quick backgrounds with ink pads and found papers, aimed at making the blank sheet less daunting.
The first drawing exercise was to sketch what we could see on our boards - an exercise in looking at things.
As Helen said, "It is not about accurate drawing but about looking for shapes and symbols in nature so you can find your creative flow and create a design that you can then realise in whatever textiles or stitch project you choose."
The next step was to take a section of the layout and draw it in a continuous line without taking the pen off the paper; secondly, we drew it using our non-dominant hand; then we drew an item from the layout through a sheet of carbon paper - difficult to see what you are doing; and finally, we were asked to draw the negative spaces between objects - possibly the most challenging exercise.
This was followed by a collage session - adding shapes to the negative spaces, and developing a drawing by the addition of found papers. The aim of the day: "to explore different ways of drawing until we capture a sense of design."
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| Sheets from Helen's sketchbook and sample collages made on the day. |
It was an intense day, requiring a lot of concentration, but everyone arrived at the end of the day feeling they had learned a great deal, and surprised themselves with what they achieved. We had been helped to get over our fear of drawing, and the consensus was that we were beginning to gain confidence in creating designs that can be translated into textiles and stitch.
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