Look & Draw Workshops

Consider the figure as a whole by seeing and drawing the model as one abstract shape. Week one of our tutored life drawing course will introduce you to ways of simplifying the human figure in drawing. By seeing the models pose as a flattened abstract shape which we then find smaller and negative shapes within, we will find the proportions in our drawings with a little more ease.

Find out more!!! Class begins Thursday 28 September. BOOK through link below https://www.facebook.com/events/693226266181079

‘Gestures as they are experienced when looking at drawings, are actions which are
registered and suspended in time.' - Avis Newman

I will be running a block of life drawing classes beginning this coming Thursday 28 September. Working from the life model in the studio this 6 week block will enable you to develop your drawing skills and your own unique language of marks through experimentation with different techniques and drawing media. These sessions will cover the basics of drawing: line, tone, gesture, form and you will gain confidence in working with wet and dry materials from charcoals and graphite to ink and brushes.

Book through Facebook event here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/693226266181079

Attached images are a selection of gesture drawings from previous students.

Life Drawing this week -

Life Drawing this week Sunday Life Drawing Club *Concession tickets available at £12 + bf for those on lower income. Use code: Saver when checking out on Eventbrite. Due to number limitations in the space, there are only 3 spaces available at this price so please only use if you need

Sunday Life Drawing is a friendly and informal untutored life class which runs in Dalry on Sunday afternoons. We will be scheduling classes until the end of November on select Sundays. Keep an eye on the events to check which dates. Next session runs on 24 September and you can find out more information and book through the Facebook event below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1372921293289879

Our monthly mono-printing session runs on the last Wednesday of every month at The Safari Lounge in Abbeyhill.

Next class runs on 27 September and you can advance book here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/6247346098683611

We have a full house of students for Studio Practice which runs all day on Fridays and is aimed at individuals continuing their art practice with input from tutors Jill Martin Boualaxai & Matthew Mclaren Storstein. This will be our final term Artists' Studios, Dalry, Edinburgh and wanted to share some of the amazing and diverse work which happens in the studio.

We will be sad to leave our basement but thankful to The Heart of Newhaven for the opportunity to move our Friday community to a new bright top floor space in the new year.

Step away from the screen and reconnect to the world through drawing a real person. Join us this Sunday for our weekly untutored life drawing club from 1 - 4pm. Details on the event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/156336644113841

This article is a lovely read about the benefits of life drawing and how it instills empathy. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/nov/22/how-life-drawing-helped-me-rediscover-my-capacity-for-empathy

Do you want to improve your drawing?

The human body is a complex object which allows us as the ’drawer’ to learn a variety of essential techniques in rendering an image. Observing and interpreting the the complexities of the the human body echoes almost every form of curve, line, and subtle undulation found in nature.

Join me for a 6 week session exploring the human form where we will explore: line, tone, form, gesture and shape in bite sized lessons.

https://www.facebook.com/LookandDrawWorkshops/photos/gm.693226339514405/6413183312063870

This looks interesting.....

Vision Mechanics Innovative, Inspiring Inventive

Dear Drawers,

Look and Draw has been running classes from our beloved basement studio Wasps Artists' Studios, Dalry, Edinburgh for over 10 years, but sadly all good things must come to an end. Our studio will be closing the doors for the last time later this year. Because of uncertainty around the building remaining open beyond August, our Autumn 2023 programme of studio classes is on hold. We will still be our running our monthly life drawing session at The Safari Lounge! Please do keep an eye on the events section in case anything changes and we are allowed a final farewell term at West Park Place.

But as one door closes another opens and I am excited to announce that we have a found a new studio home at The Heart of Newhaven. I am looking forward to building a flourishing art community in this space which will be up and running by January 2024. The new space will allow Look and Draw to expand its current programme, providing much needed opportunities for artists to lead workshops, talks and events.

In the mean while and before we leave Dalry, there are still a few dates in the diary this summer and I would love to see some old and new faces in the studio before we depart to new beginnings.

Studio Practice, 31 July - 3 August, 10 - 4 pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/587547583239835
Studio practice invites individuals whom are already creating their own work to develop and expand their practice under the guidance of experienced tutors and practicing artists, Jill M Boualaxai & Matthew Storstein.

Sunday Life Drawing sessions will also continue to run on some Sundays until the end of August. You can book the July sessions below:

16 July https://www.facebook.com/events/942592507065743
23 July https://www.facebook.com/events/1167861717488783

Thank you for ongoing support over the years. If I don't see you in Dalry then I look welcoming you to our home in the new year.

For all you Aberfeldy folk. See what's happening other at The Yellow House Art Classes

Sunday Life Drawing Club -

Sunday Life Drawing Club

Help raise awareness of our studios closure. Please sign and share our petition in the link below. Many thanks

Sign the Petition SAVE OUR STUDIOS

My latest drawing and my just brother asked me.. 'is it a cake or a henge?' haha. Well both obviously!

Reconstruct drawing

The final week of the 'Life into the Figure' course we used strong contrasts between light and dark in our drawings. In art this is know as Chiaroscuro. I was very excited that Belle the dog made an appearance in some of the drawings.

Some photos from the wonderful session we had on Thursday with model Nicolette Kitney. These drawings took between 1 and 7 minutes in the making! Join us for Sunday life drawing tomorrow and you can practice your own gesture drawings. Book through the Facebook event here... https://www.facebook.com/events/1289073812032768

Visual Art - Hidden Door In addition to 20+ visual art graduates exhibiting at Hidden Door 2021, we have also commissioned a number of established artists to create work that will be dotted around the festival site for you to explore and discover.

As some of you may have heard our building is at risk of closure so let's get the most out of this unique space to draw in the city before it goes.

Sunday life drawing runs weekly 1 - 4pm, Come and join us in Dalry for life drawing tomorrow afternoon where we will be joined by the lovely Nicolette Kitney as our model.

Book through Facebook event here:
htSunday Life Drawing Club 5 MarchOr check our events page to book future sessions:
https://www.facebook.com/LookandDrawWorkshops/events

Look and Draw's home near Haymarket is at risk of being sold for development. This is really sad as I have been based here for 10 years and worked hard to build a community and footfall of students in the area. I have a possible new venue but it is in Newhaven.

Question: Would folk find a venue in Newhaven just a bit too far? Please post messages below... this would be helpful in getting a sense of the risks involved in moving to a new area of town.

History Shaper Fund will support young people who are using creativity to tackle social impact issues in the UK and/or around the world.

We are inviting applications from any young person in the UK aged 18 to 25 who has a new and innovative concept to address anything from human rights to climate justice, health equity or social mobility. One winner, judged to be the most creative, effective and inclusive will be chosen to receive the full £10,000.

HISTORY SHAPER FUND 2023 | Shape History launches £10,000 fund for young creatives - Shape History What can the social impact sector learn from Edelman's 2023 Trust Barometer?

Behind The Door - Volunteer Manager Michael - Hidden Door This article will be part of our ongoing Meet the Team Series, which will highlight some of our volunteers that make the festival possible.

Hive mind of Facebook… It looks very likely they I may loose my studio and teaching space in Dalry. Do any folk know of spaces to rent where classes could run? Or any spaces that could potentially be a studio and teaching space?I am making a list of possible options to try and danger manage the situation. Any suggestions gratefully accepted x