Drawing another person, both as the artist and the sitter, creates a special connection. I wanted to explore this unique type of conversation in a workshop. I have facilitated this workshop as part of the Ageing Well Festival for Time to Talk Befriending, and also run it for Evolution Arts.
The workshop is about connecting with each other through drawing and looking, about observing and making marks in the company of other people, and the calm enjoyment that comes from that. Participants are paired with other attendees, and they face and draw one another. We complete several drawing exercises together – the aim of these is to have fun, engage with one another, and to be absorbed in the act of observational drawing – not to create a finished portrait.
“Very very very good. Thank you. Challenging, new and fun. I was so engrossed in looking that I didn’t worry about being looked at.”
“Very enjoyable, I forgot I was being looked at after the first exercise. The companionable silence was lovely, very relaxing.”
“It was extremely inspiring and an enjoyable experience. I feel that I got to know the person I was drawing in a fresh and meaningful way.”
“We were all a little nervous about the prospect of drawing each other, but admiration and laughter at each other’s attempts helped bond us together. Words of encouragement to each other flowed naturally amongst the group... a very positive experience.”