Course Description

Explore how to use your photographs as a starting point to stimulate new directions in your art. The course will provide unique ways of thinking about your subject matter, and the means to make new work with momentum in future.

The course will begin with a series of drawing exercises to explore your creative process and stimulate new ideas. You will then take a series of photographs - using a phone, tablet or camera - in the house and gardens of West Dean, led by the tutor. You then print paper copies of these photographs as a starting point for the new work.

Examining your photographs, you will identify and develop aspects of the image, and explore themes and motifs of your choosing. You will hone your creative analytical skills as you apply deconstruction/reconstruction techniques to the photographs and resulting drawings. You will examine these in more depth through one-to-one conversations with your tutor, and with the group.

Using drawing and mark-making skills that focus on line, surface, texture and pattern, you will experiment with more abstract, non-representational drawing and collage techniques working with pencils, inks and gouache.

Through this intense three-day focus you will learn how one idea can lead to another, providing you with a range of material that references your artistic process. You will leave the course with a fresh understanding and increased confidence in generating your own ideas. You will have worked with new techniques and a range of paper-based materials. You will have completed new works, and identified processes and subjects for future work.

Timetable

Arrival Day - this is the first date listed above

Courses start early evening. Residential students to arrive from 4pm, non-residential students to arrive by 6.45pm.

6.45pm: Welcome, followed by dinner (included).

8 - 9pm: First teaching session, attendance is essential.

Daily timetable

Classes 9.15 - 5pm, lunch is included.

From 6.30pm: Dinner (included for residential students).

Evening working - students may have access to workshops, but only with their tutor's permission and provided any health and safety guidelines are observed.

Last day

Classes 9.15am - 3pm, lunch is included.

Residential students are to vacate their rooms by 10am please.

(This timetable is for courses of more than one day in length. The tutor may make slight variations)

Course Materials

Included

• The course fee includes the cost of providing paper and drawing material shared amongst the group. Materials include some paper, pencils, coloured pencils, inks, gouache, neutral pH adhesive (archival pva glue).

What students need to bring

• We will be taking pictures during the course. However, do feel free to bring a selection of photographs, your own or found images from magazines etc, that you may additionally like to use during the course. Other collage you might like to use for instance: wrapping paper, magazines, old books, maps, cards and photographs
• You need to be able to take a photo on your device (phone, tablet or camera) and print from it at the College. There are different ways to do this:
• 1. Email copies to yourself from your phone, then log-on to your email via a web browser on the College computer and print. Make sure you have your email login and password.
• 2. Download your photographs directly to the College computers using a USB lead and print.