22 March 2017
If you have always wanted to make art but don't know where to start, take a look at the new 'Making Art' workshops. Leicester Society of Artists is launching 8 free workshops to run alongside 'Little Selves' miniature portrait exhibition at New Walk Museum & Art Gallery in Leicester city centre.
"Workshops are a great way to try a taster session," says organiser Jo Sheppard. "Anyone new to art can try it, without committing to a full course. We are running four sessions for adults, and four for children - two for tiny people with accompanying adults, two for 8-13 year olds."
Portrait by Maria Collingham
Although it is loosely based on portraits, there is a wide variety of approaches on offer – hands, part of a face, using photographic references, working from a live model.
Techniques include painting in oils, even if you have never done this before, using dry pastels for a making a portrait, a couple of collage techniques using magazines or using stitch and embroidery. There is also a workshop on how to get a good likeness. Mark Hancock is doing ‘cubist’ style portraits in 3-d, and Jo is introducing ‘cyanotypes’, a quick blueprint selfie technique for children
The workshops start with a session on Sunday 26th March with 'Hands', how to make a textile and paper collage, running from 1pm to 4pm at New Walk Museum and Gallery.
'Hands', textile collage by Ruth Singer
"It is a simple but effective technique that you can personalise," says textile artist Ruth Singer. "You will make patterns on paper with your own hand outline and embellish with embroidery, fabric and paper collage".
The workshops are completely free. "New Walk Museum have provided space in the Council room for each workshop," says Jo Sheppard, "and all the materials are provided by Arts Council England funding. I do recommend pre-booking a space to anyone that's interested because there is a limit of between 8 to 12 people for each session."
Art workshop run by Jo Sheppard
"There's a friendly, supportive atmosphere in workshops," says Jo Sheppard. "There's also the opportunity to learn a new technique that you've not tried before. All the people leading our workshops are experienced teachers and are also artists themselves and members of LSA."
Jo Sheppard combines her own practice as an artist with running several adult education classes in the Charnwood area and has delivered a variety of workshops for adults, children, community, open air cultural events and groups as wide ranging from Brownies to mental health service.
For information about the LSA 'Making Art' workshops click here
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