01/10/2026
Recently, one of our resident workshop artists, Alex, led a session in Whitfield with some beautiful impactful moments!
“I was supporting a girl who at first was very unsure and a bit overwhelmed. I think she was a little younger than some of the others and she was saying “I can’t do it”, “I don’t know how” and “I don’t know what to make”.
After a bit of back and forth and her growing more frustrated, I noticed she’d brought some drawings with her so asked her if she liked drawing. She said she did, so I brought her some paper and pencils and some little example drawings that I’d made before. I suggested sketching a design for her clay beastie, or taking one of my examples and colouring it, so she could focus more on the design and the colours, and make a plan for what to paint next time.
She chose a simple design of a ladybug, and said she would colour it and that kept her busy for a bit. After she was finished, I asked “are you going to colour another?” and she told me “I want to make this one! How do I make it?”. It was a really simple flat design, so we did the first couple of steps together, and things started to click and she started to take more control.
Just like that she had a finished ladybug! It felt like a huge breakthrough! And then she said “do you think I could use the end of this pen to make spots?” and I told her that I thought that was a brilliant idea! At this point, I left her to it to see how the others were getting on and when I next checked in with her I was totally blown away by her creativity! She had taken a little letter “O” stamp and used it to make the eyes of her ladybug and was carving in a little smile. “I’m done!” she said. “Can I make another?”
In the end she made four ladybugs and a butterfly that she designed! The big ladybug that she is working on in the picture is “the daddy!” - Alex
We are so proud of the patience, care and flexibility Alex brings to each session to ensure everyone can take part and feel confident. This example in particular brought a huge smile to the team and we hope it brightens your day too! 🐞
