"Discovering Nature" Illustration Workshop

"Discovering Nature" Illustration Workshop.
Highland Pipe Band Rooms, Recreation Centre, Motueka.
Tuesdays 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th July, and 12th August 2014.
6pm-9pm
$120 (plus materials like paper, coloured pencils, watercolours etc)

Even when we have taken ourselves off for a tramp up the mountain, or a day spent at a beach in the Abel Tasman national park, do we ever take the time to stop and really have a good look at the minute details in a shell, piece of bone or plant?

This workshop is a chance to allow yourself the time to explore nature and its many wonders, through drawing and painting. The medium will be watercolour and coloured pencil, eventuating in a concertina book. Although the class will be structured, I would like to emphasize that the drawing needn’t be, as it is also a discovery of your own style and interpretation.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you Kim Ireland. Kim is a talented illustrator who has devised a fantastic illustration workshop based around discovering nature. Using subject matter such as bugs, animals, skeletons, and shells, Kim will help you to hone your eye to the subtleties of tone, colour and form found in the natural world.
 

This image is from the book Natural History Painting with the Eden Project by Rosie Martin & Meriel Thurstan, Batsford, UK (2009).

Martin & Thurstan

This painting is by Jessica Mack, from http://blog.brownpaperbunny.com

This painting is by Elena from, http://community.how-to-draw-and-paint.com/

At the end of this series of five workshops, participants will have a collection of drawings and watercolours which they will then incorporate into their own handmade concertina display book.

Martin & Thurstan

"I have been drawing since I was 8 years old and have been passionate ever since. My love of art saw me through my school years in England, from G.C.S.E to my A levels, where I studied Fine Art/English and History of Art. I then found myself back in the Southern hemisphere, and continued my education with a Certificate in Fine Art and a Diploma of Illustration in Melbourne. Throughout my years of drawing, I have always found myself fascinated by nature, especially bugs and their amazing structure. I think through drawing you can really begin to understand the intricacies and complexities of the world around us."

Kim Ireland

Mixed Media workshop

I am pleased to introduce you to another of our talented Winter Workshop tutors, the inimitable Fleur Woods.

Fleur is a local artist based in Upper Moutere. Her art generally involves an element of mixed media, often vintage papers and found objects layered alongside fabric and paint. This is a process she has been working with for around 10 years. As an emerging artist her works are now regularly exhibited locally with many pieces held in private collections around the world.

During the Winter Workshops, Fleur will be running a two-day mixed media workshop. She says that no skill level is required, just a genuine interest in experimenting with materials and an open mind. Participants will learn about using mixed media elements to create a finished collage.

Day one will include: Paper stretching. Image selection & planning. Experimenting with various mediums & techniques … acrylic paint, spray paint, transparent gels, stencils etc. Participants will leave day one having played with a lot of fun materials and with a plan for creating their final piece on day two.

Day two: Assembling art work. Using the paper stretched on day one along with collage elements and individually chosen mixed media, each participant will create their art work which they will be able to take home.

Fleur will be taking only 10 students, so you'll need to register early if you don't want to miss out.  

To find out more about Fleur Woods, visit her website. You can also find her on Facebook. Fleur is currently exhibiting at the Old Post Office Gallery in Upper Moutere (29 January - 29 February 2014).