How can I start drawing?
What motivates you to draw?
What are you leaning towards? What do you feel is missing? What kind of drawing might you want to do?
When I meet people interested in learning to draw, these are the sort of questions I ask them. So, if you’re curious about drawing and considering doing a workshop or course with me, but aren’t sure where to start, I’ve put this together for you…
Drawing for pleasure
Drawing can be pure pleasure. It’s absorbing, relaxing and fun. Time stands still when we draw and it’s a joy to get lost in the lines.
The key thing is to let go of the need to make something ‘good’, to focus on drawing as an activity and not a product. You might end up with something you’re happy to show to others, but don’t put that pressure on yourself while you’re doing it.
My ‘Big Studio Nights’ are designed to be a space for this kind of absorbing and enjoyable drawing and are a good place to start if you’re new to it. They are 2 1/4 hours of accessible drawing activities for you to try.
I also offer short drawing workshops in partnership with other organisations – keep a lookout for more of these in my Studio Newsletter.
Being able to draw what you see
People who have been drawing for a while or are returning to it for a break often feel frustrated with the apparent gap between what they see in front of them and their ability to represent this accurately in their drawings. I hear this all the time.
I was lucky enough to study art at a time when representational drawing was a core part of the curriculum. I had some great teachers who passed on these foundational skills, and I still use them every day in my own work.
During my many years as a community artist and tutor I was able to show people who thought they would never be able to draw (often because someone had told them so!) that they could easily learn with the right tuition, just as I had.
In 2021 I realised that online learning presented an opportunity to share this knowledge more widely, so I created my Permission to Draw course, teaching the basics of how to draw what you see.
It’s a 10 week course with 1 ½ hour live online classes and extras to practise and recordings to rewatch. Permission to Draw builds each week to equip you with the basics of observational drawing and supports you to challenge the idea that you can never draw.
Email me to join the waiting list for the next course or read more here.
After battling a very large inner saboteur for many years, I had just about given up on ever being able to draw anything again, and what I remembered of drawing was like a matted tangled ball of string. Tansy has gently pulled at the strings, lined them up, batted away the fluff and given me clarity and joy.
Her teaching method is unambiguous, persuasive, gentle and always encouraging. Her own dedication to the art of drawing comes from her with every breath and smile. If you’re wanting to learn to draw, you can do no better than Tansy.
Pip
Explore techniques and materials
Often exploring a particular material is the way into a new kind of drawing, or curiosity about a technique leads you to a breakthrough in your work.
Taking inspiration from past masters and current artists as well as my own drawing practice, my ‘Explore Drawing’ series offers you the chance to try a variety of approaches to contemporary drawing in a studio setting.
They are very practical half day workshops focused on helping you try something new in a supportive group, and you’ll leave with a bundle of drawings to spur you on. I always share a materials list if you fancy doing some art material shopping too.
These workshops are coming up soon.
Discover in depth
What could be better than an immersive day creating in the studio? For people who want to treat themselves to an exciting and challenging day of drawing, I run full day workshops in my studio and at host locations.
Discover charcoal drawing methods you can apply to your own drawings, experiment with charcoal printmaking or sit amongst the trees learning plein air drawing. All my ‘Discovery Days’ are based on approaches I use in my own drawing practice, where I share studio tips and secrets as well as giving you space to develop your unique mark making vocabulary.
You can find upcoming days here
Tansy demonstrated a range of techniques, but allowed us the flexibility to explore those “What if…” moments as well. It was a structured, working day, with no loss of momentum and we left with numerous prints as reminders of the various techniques.
Tansy is a generous and inspirational teacher, both in terms of the materials and equipment that she provides and the informed feedback that she offers. You are surrounded by her own work and extensive experimentation, so you know that she speaks from a place of knowledge and experience.
Kim
Find creative development and community
I know the power of learning in a group. I worked in informal education settings for 25 years and saw how transformative it can be to learn with your peers, so I am keen to nurture drawing communities now.
I run a virtual studio group for ‘Permission to Draw’ students, as a follow on to support their new drawing habit. Every month ‘Permission to Draw Studio’ members get a drawing prompt, a mindset habit or tip, a live online drawing session with art history input, and some inspiration on the theme from contemporary artists.
We work in three-month seasons with a new theme every month which builds on the skills learned in the course and includes more guidance and critique.
You can join the virtual studio any time after doing the course – email me for more information.
Support your artistic practice
If I could have a chat with the artist I was 30 years ago, when I first moved to Scotland to work in communities, what would I say?
I’d like to tell her to persist, just keep going, to hang on fiercely to her creativity and to celebrate the special contribution she could make with her gift. I’d also show her how every new role, group, project or exhibition has helped her to expand her practice and become the wise, generous and imaginative artist she is now.
It was hard then to find like-minded people, artists further on in their careers, or organisations who might support or guide me. I would have loved to learn from someone with practical experience of how to make the creative life work.
Clearly I can’t go back and give myself that advice, but I can pass this learning on to other artists seeking support. So next year I’m planning to develop some structured ways to share my experience with newer artists, including online workshops and mentoring – get in touch if this is something you’d like to explore.
I felt I learned a lot from the day and Tansy herself is warm and approachable, as well as being an incredibly gifted artist with a body of inspirational work. I look forward to more workshops of this kind.
Kate
Where in the world are you?
If you can travel to Edinburgh, I run regular in-person workshops in my Big Studio (part of the Outer Spaces Scotland network) this year. Current workshops are listed here.
I also teach workshops with host organisations in the UK like the Hugo Burge Foundation, The Old Lock Up Gallery and Haddon Hall Medieval Park and plan to expand this to other areas of the country next year. Join my Studio Newsletter for announcements of new dates.
If travelling to in-person workshops isn’t possible or practical for you, the good news is that I have an established online teaching practice too. There’s a waiting list for the next ‘Permission to Draw’ course so email me to join. The monthly ‘Permission to Draw Studio’ is open to anyone who has done the course over the last 4 years – let me know if you’d like to join.
In development at the moment are online versions of my Charcoal Discovery Day and Charcoal Printmaking with the Gelli Plate – email me if you’d like me to let you know when they are launching.
I hope this has given you a good idea of the teaching I offer, but do get in touch if you have any questions, I’d love to talk drawing with you…