I ran a successful woodland-bird-drawing workshop yesterday at Wilderness Wood, and the birdwatching logbooks went down well with the visitors to the Wood Fayre. I really enjoy making the How to Draw worksheets, and in spite of the wind trying to rearrange the workshop periodically, it was great to see everyone’s drawings. The Robin and the Tawny Owl got all the love but having the Coal Tit, Wood Pigeon and Blackbird on offer at least showed willing.
About 10 – 12 families took part across the time I was there (11-2) and having a drop-in worked well. I had the chance to chat to some of the other stallholders as well as the Wilderness Wood team which was nice, and the rain kept away for the most part. I am always exhausted after these sessions though, and in desperate need of a cup of tea!
…and a palette-cleansing collage
As a reward for all the tinkering I did over the weekend for the workshop, I made a collage from the latest copy of Condé Nast Traveller mag – my go-to resource for collages. I sometimes wonder if I should use other materials but as collage is my creative detox, I don’t want to get bogged down in the actual construction or thought process of what I’m making. I stick stuff on which I see and don’t consider the reason at all, but I then find lots of exciting connections and relationships both as it forms, and once it’s completed. It ends up being a pleasing image which resonates with me, and I enjoy the constraint of only having one item to harvest for images.
Here is the completed collage:
explanatory notes
I like how the shirt and jacket enclose the picture in a slightly circular motion, reflecting the shape of the parasols. I like the highlights on the face and the highlights of the rock. The handful of leaves on the end of the arm is ‘giving back’ the foliage I cut away from behind the couple on the balcony. The gap between the people and the face needed something, hence the person walking off into the horizon, and the colour of her dress and hair links the colours on the beach with the white clothing of the couple. I’ve called this A Rockface for obvious reasons.
