This was a fun lively and joyful workshop of mine that I ran during the events and launch of the dye garden, outdoor creative spaces and creative desk in Craigmillar Now centre on the 25th September 2022. 

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Here there was people from the archive and new faces exploring the events several of whom where on the idea of a artful drawing workshop was simply like "oh no" and  "I cant draw" wich I knew would have been the response by some, so the workshops title and aim was simple - get Drawing!

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I began the whole workshop telling the first and personally the most important rule of art - To do it. explaining that the very difference between the "artist" and regular person is that they did it and you didn't. Its important to know its not skill, talent or proficiency that makes the artist for if so every portrait in a gallery would be a Rembrantesque one of traditional artistic skill and a very un-diverse gallery at that!.

Hence the idea of schools saying your a talented drawer or painters a little outdated - lets say instead of thinking how we simply began doing!

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I then led a talk on a few faverioute artists of mine as examples of doing and not being the typical artist. the 1st Richard long, a landscape artist whom has made examples of art through the action of walking. something many don't even see as a creative action but he saw as a inspirational line in the land a journey a record. he many years ago for me taught myself that art can be mundane, it doesn't have to be something of a great masterpiece where months of time is spent on a art. 

The second artist I discussed with the group was Goldsworthy a artist that often made art in the landscape much of it being only temporary. for instance his work Ice Star was what the title suggest a piece created by ice. The sun shimmered through it and as soon as it was created it began to disappear, captured by a few photographs that's all to the art that's left. He taught me that much of what being a artist is about what you choose to record rather than what you make permanent. 

The third and final artist I discussed is a personal faverioute of mine Henry Matisse. he in later life threw out the rulebooks of art and traditions to simply draw with scissors. cutting shape creating through colour and simplicity and drawing with scissors and action rather than his paints and pencils bringing a free expression to his work that was bold and bright. He through his struggle of age and the decision of totally changing his practice in later life inspired me to simply do! 

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by this point I felt it was time to do, and get drawing so I introduced the group to three simple crucially quick and fluid ways of drawing. 

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1- Blind Drawing - drawing without once looking at the paper

2-continuous line drawing - drawing without ever taking the pencil off the paper

3- 1 minuet drawing - drawing in 60 seconds and stopping on the dot!

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3 drawing techniques that don't require much tutoring and never look traditionally perfect or typical. 

within minuets of starting there was laughter, aghhs and wonder as the joyous acts of creating began, wonderfully everyone felt they could do it and nobody at this point felt pressured or unable to draw. 

after several swap arounds of methods the group created a wonderful selection for sketches all inspired from what they could see within the centre. 

we then exhibited it on the main table and shared the joy of creativity with each other. 

The wonderful work created then became the 1st to be within the Creative desk. The drawings coincided with the desks launch and now all sit in the top draw of the desk to inspire future people to get drawing! and enjoy the act of creating together. 

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