Author: Liz Kemp and Bookworm Team
Renowned artist and dear friend of Bookworm, Liz Kemp, conducted a three-day drawing workshop at The Vinay & Jean Kalgutkar Community Centre, Saligao last month. Though originally intended as a session for adults, we saw the enthusiastic participation of many children.
Three drawing techniques were covered over the three days of the workshop. Participants deep dove into the use of line, the depiction of form and mass, and experimented with pushing boundaries in terms of medium and possibilities.
Day One began with a challenge in which the participants had to employ the prowess of the left and right hemispheres of their brains—they were tasked with drawing a still life using two pencils held in different hands, while ensuring that both pencils were moving at the same time. This presented the participants with a unique task as they had to relate and bring together the two lines on the page in tandem to complete their drawing.
Post this, Liz employed charcoal as the medium to explore form and mass. This was done through simple methods, such as using not just the tip of the charcoal, but also its side to add weight and drama to the drawings! And the final drawing of the day involved an elementary drawing of the objects using any or all of the available mediums—pencil, charcoal and soft chalk pastels.
On Day Two, participants engaged with guided drawing, an approach to drawing that brings together text and visuals. As a warm up, participants were given “RIDICULOUS” prompts such as an angry dancing tree and a tired dog shopping which helped them get into the zone! Venita Coelho’s poem Little Fish was the core text for the guided drawing session. Often used for Bookworm’s guided drawing sessions, this poem enables unique drawings and creative expression each time. Most participants chose soft chalks as their medium and it was lovely to see them chat and share as the drawings took shape.
Day Three saw the use of an ingenious drawing medium devised by Liz—a feather stick. Though Liz had experimented with this once virtually in a Bookworm session, this was the first time that we saw it in action in an in-person session. A sharpened stick with a feather attached on one end acts as the drawing instrument, while thinned paint and ink was used as the medium to make marks. This was a collective drawing effort and Chandrika of the Saligao library kindly posed for us through the afternoon!
Even though there were last minute changes in the session plan, Liz’s session, as always, proved to be highly enjoyable and enriching for adults and children alike.
Sinead Vaz, a participant and Bookworm team member writes, “The goal was to get out of our head and dispel the notion that our art had to be perfect. With Liz’s gentle pushing, people created more pieces with limited colour palettes to challenge themselves. They were eager to learn about complementary and contrasting colours. Both children and parents were encouraged to use their hands and water with soft pastels, which produced a variety of effects; including colourful clothes.”