No one at work believed me when I told them I couldn't cover on Saturday because I was doing an art class. Apart from one guy who said 'it sounds like the kind of thing you'd do'. So if you're reading this now, know that I wasn't lying! Or if I was, respect my commitment.
Sketchout is a small London-based company dedicated to providing high quality art workshops to people of all ages and abilities. Set up and run by Rosa Roberts, they pride themselves in offering a selection of one-day art courses held in some of London's cultural hot-spots, such as the V&A, The National Portrait Gallery and The Tate. Rosa is one of several tutors, all of whom are practising artists themselves, and you can visit her website to see her work. The workshop I attended was 'The Fundamentals of Drawing' at the V&A Museum and was suitable for complete beginners, as well as for those with some drawing experience; from GSCE or A Level Art for example. As it happens, the majority of people on my course were total novices, although you wouldn't have known by the end of it.
Before I went, I wasn't really sure what to expect in terms of the workshop, and also of what the other people would be like. I was quite worried that everyone else would be really old, or airy-fairy, or as one lady put it, 'bohemian'. Thankfully, when I turned up at the designated meeting spot in the V&A (all the details were helpfully provided by Sketchout upon booking), everyone seemed pretty normal. I was greeted by Rosa, who was friendly and approachable. Whenever someone entered the gallery clutching a large sketchbook and looking a little lost, she would usher them over and immediately put them at their ease. For some reason, it always surprises me how many people actually like to spend their Saturdays doing something as 'weird' and 'uncool' as an art class, but I think that's just because I still have a 14 year-old's view of what is perceived as cool or not. Or maybe because no one else actually cares about seeming 'cool'.
Once all fourteen of us were assembled, Rosa handed out the drawing stools and took us through the gallery to begin the workshop. After going round the circle getting to know everyone (a bit awkward but actually a very good idea), she gave us a half an hour introduction, in which she essentially taught us the 'Fundamentals of Drawing'. Using her prepared sketchbook of examples and headings, she did it in such a way that was very articulate, easy to follow and useful for both beginners and those with some drawing experience. Even though I did GCSE art at school, I still felt as though I was learning a lot and Rosa's intro definitely enhanced my experience of the workshop as all the skills and techniques were fresh in my mind.
The first exercise after the introduction was a 2 hour drawing session. To start with, this seemed a little overwhelming, but Rosa gave us a selection of four statues to choose from and helped us settle into the right spot in which to have enough room and the best angle. She was then on hand to assist and offer advice whenever we needed it. We'd all just learnt how to measure up a subject using a pencil, so there was a lot of holding up pencils and squinting going on.
Because we were in the V&A, we were only allowed to use dry materials, which was actually great as it meant we could just focus on the drawing rather than faffing around with paints and colours. As we got into our drawing, the time flew by and I found myself really immersed in what I was doing. It was a bit odd being perched on a little stool in the middle of a busy museum trying to draw, but when all the tourists gathered behind and started beckoning for their kids to come and look, it was all rather flattering.
After this session, we went for lunch at a little restaurant down the road from the museum, which was included in the price. It was all organised very well and there was a choice between a chicken dish and a vegetarian quiche. I had the veggie option, which was really tasty and the whole set up gave us a chance to chat to some of the other 'students'. I got talking to a couple of girls, who were both lovely and it was nice to discover that they had been equally worried about what everyone else would be like!
To start off the session after lunch, we did a few 5 minute exercises to loosen up our style a bit and help us to draw more freely. These involved quick one-line sketches, where we couldn't take our pencils off the paper and drawing with our left hands (if we were right-handed). For a perfectionist like myself (and seemingly most of the others), this was really hard as the results were usually terrible, but Rosa was really encouraging and found something positive to say about everyone's efforts!
Lastly, it was time for the final long drawing session. Rosa chose a different selection of sculptures for us to tackle and we set to it again, this time with a little more confidence. As before, Rosa spent the 2 hours going between us and helping us out if we were struggling, which I certainly was as I'd chosen a really hard sculpture! Thankfully, she showed me a technique that helped me represent the face even though it was in complete shadow and made out of a really dark material.
At the end of the day, Rosa asked everyone to show each other their work, which was a really encouraging way to end the session, as people made nice comments and generally made everyone feel good about themselves!
If you think this sound like something you'd like to do, visit Sketchout's website to find out more or follow them on Twitter @sketchoutiscool. My ticket for the class was purchased through the voucher site LivingSocial, which offered a great discount and seemed to be how most other people had done it too, as the courses are quite pricey. It was definitely worth it though, as I had a great day at the V&A, learning new skills and meeting new people.
Harriet x
