Making Sketchbooks: AENW Workshop

Making folded square sketchbooks from recycled papers

Recently I was asked to run a short workshop at Tullie House for Art Educators North West, a group of teachers and others involved in art education who meet regularly to share ideas, experiences and skills. The workshop was to tie in with the Anselm Kiefer exhibition currently on show at Tullie and the programme of workshops being offered to schools.

Some of my sample sketchbooks

Folded Square Sketchbooks

Folded Square Sketchbooks-Opened out

The workshop I've designed for the schools in connection with the exhibition is a mixed media book making workshop so for this session I adapted that idea. I wanted to run a workshop that would be both enjoyable and useful so I was aiming for something that the educators would be able to take back and use with their students but that would also be fun to do.

Me showing one of my books

Folded square sketchbooks made from prints taken from painted fabric

One of my envelope sketchbooks

I always feel very nervous before I run a session for teachers, it's very scary teaching a teacher! However, everyone was really friendly and the atmosphere was relaxed and positive. I also got lots of positive comments so that's always a good confidence boost. I really hope the session was useful.

Envelope sketchbook seen from above

Envelope sketchbook

Envelope sketchbook

The workshop focused on three different ways of making sketchbooks; a folded square book, an envelope book and a variation on book maker Hedi Kyle's blizzard book. The other focus of the session was what paper to use, I wanted to look at using a range of recycled and discarded papers (rejected prints, junk mail, old maps, unneeded photocopies and so on.)

Preparing squares

Putting the squares together

Preparing squares

I had a range of books that I'd made to show the group and once we'd looked at those we got stuck in to the making. What I like about all three of these books is that they're basically very simple but there is a lot of potential to do quite exciting things with them. My favourite is probably the folded square book, it is just made of squares of paper but the way it is folded means that as well as being a flat sketchbook it can also be manipulated into more of a 3D form. It is a very tactile form and interesting to play about with.

Selecting and preparing papers

Preparing pages

A finished sketchbook

I also really like the envelope sketchbook, using an existing envelope as a template a range of envelopes are made from different papers and then joined together to form a book. The envelopes can be used to store things as well as being drawn on or written on as sketchbook pages. Like the folded square books they can also be made into more 3D forms. I think it would be great to work with a group making these and then use everyone's finished books to make an installation.

Mixed media Surfaces and Vessels Workshops

A selection of the vessels made

Quite some time ago I was asked by Tullie House to run a workshop for Cumbria Adult Education tutors based on one of the exhibitions at Tullie House. So, today that's what I've been doing. The workshop is part of their CPD (continued professional development) programme and so needed to offer the chance to learn and develop skills and share best practice. I was so nervous about the session as I felt quite intimidated by the idea of teaching teachers but all the tutors were really lovely and I very much enjoyed the session.

Experimenting with mixed media surfaces

Experimenting with mixed media surfaces

Experimenting with mixed media surfaces

The workshop was inspired by the Natasha Daintry exhibition at Tullie House, which is an installation composed of lots of delicate, slip cast vessels. I was really inspired by the idea of making vessels as it relates to my own work anyway and I thought it would be a good workshop activity as we could create our own installation at the end. When I was asked to do the workshop I was asked to create a session that would look at using mixed media and possibly 3D so I decided to look at using mixed media to create interesting surfaces that we could then manipulate into 3D forms.

Poster paint prints

Experimenting with mixed media surfaces

Combining textures and printing techniques

For this session I wanted to focus on encouraging people to have a play and experiment. I kept the materials and techniques simple so that people could just enjoy trying out different materials and techniques without worrying about getting it wrong or right. All the tutors teach art and design in some form or other but within that there was great diversity; including glass artists, fine artists and textile artists. I wanted the workshop to appeal to all disciplines but to also offer a bit of a challenge or at least the opportunity to do something a bit different to their normal practice.

Experimenting with mixed media surfaces

Experimenting with mixed media surfaces

Experimenting with mixed media surfaces

The workshop began by looking at different ways to create interesting surfaces using every day and basic art materials. Once we had created these surfaces we then looked at rolling, tying and stitching the 2D surfaces to make vessels which we then arranged together. Throughout the session all the tutors were talking to each other, sharing ideas and hopefully enjoying trying things out. There was a friendly, creative atmosphere with lots going on.

Making the pieces into vessels

Making the pieces into vessels

Making the pieces into vessels

This piece really evolved during the workshop

As with all the workshops I've run I really enjoyed seeing the different approaches everybody took, I always find this very inspiring and come away with lots of new ideas and enthusiasm myself. One thing I found particularly interesting was peoples approach to colour, I don't use much colour in my work but for other people it's a really important element and their main starting point. For other people themes and ideas developed as they worked and it was good to be able to see the evolution of the work, even in such a short session. It was great at the end of the session when we put all the vessels together; there were so many really different pieces but they all worked well together.

My samples

The finished vessels

The finished vessels

The finished vessels

The finished vessels