IF YOU’VE always admired the artists who show off their talents during the Murwillumbah Arts Trail but think you could never be that creative, you can think again, according to artist Tina Wilson who is a firm believer that everyone has a painter within them.
Ms Wilson will be running a workshop for beginners and intermediate artists aged from 12 upwards to help them discover the joys and intricacies of watercolour on Friday, May 17, from 10am to 1pm at Carol’s Place in Murwillumbah.
As part of the workshop students will be guided through the process of creating a watercolour artwork using objects from nature as inspiration.
“Painting can absolutely be taught and I believe everyone has creativity and can get to a certain level particularly if they are shown the basics by someone,” Ms Wilson said.
“You can never take too many art classes as you never stop learning and every artist has something to teach you, whether that’s a different method or technique or some different little secret.”
Moreover, now you can take online classes as well, set up your studio at home, and join the tutoring session online to try new art techniques the way you can in a physical lesson.
Other than art supplies, you may also need a quality internet connection, which you can get by checking out Spectrum internet plans or similar services.
Ms Wilson who is a full-time artist said she was drawn to art as a way of expressing her deep love of nature.
“Ever since I was a little kid I have always loved drawing and nature so I studied at the only course in Australia that teaches plant and wildlife illustration and combines science with biology and art as that seemed like the most logical thing to do,” she said.
“I like things that have layers of meaning so as part of the workshop people will be exploring art in a different way.
“Instead of just looking at a nice flower we will be exploring how you take it from being just a flower to having an additional layer of meaning, so we will be looking at composition and layering, as art is always found in the subtextual element.
“So much of art is about how you perceive objects and we will be looking at quite small objects from nature as they allow us to see the negative space around the object and break it into tones, shapes and colours.”
Learning art is more like exploring the creativity that could be dormant at the moment, and you have to bring it out on the canvas by looking within yourself, in your body, mind, and soul. For some, it could be easy to channel their creativity into something beautiful. However, others may have to polish their skills by choosing different hobbies, be it calligraphy, painting, caricature, or other recreational activities (check out Skillscouter to learn more about various hobbies).
Painting is one such pursuit that Ms Wilson is trying to hone in people with a knack for it.
According to Ms Wilson participants will take home an artwork of their own as well as the skills to continue on their artistic journey when they leave.
“The best art comes from experimentation and just trying it yourself but if you have some groundwork and basic tools that you can apply, then you lose the fear factor,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter if you make a mistake, that’s what art’s about, just having fun.”
To book or for more information visit https://martsprecinct.bigcartel.com/product/the-art-of-watercolour-an-intimate-nature-tina-wilson
Author makes illustrating child’s play
UKI CHILDREN’S author Lisa Tiffen will be helping children discover the power of their emotions in a workshop aimed at helping kids aged 8-14 learn how to draw storybook characters.
Ms Tiffen – whose three books Grumps, Lovelies and Sorrows all explore common childhood emotions – will be taking participants through the steps she undertook to create the characters.
“I’ll be looking at the process of how I created the characters and will be playing some fun writing and drawing games to help children learn how to create characters with emotions,” she said.
“We’ll be looking at the importance of facial features and the importance of the placement of facial features such as eyebrows when you are creating emotions and we’ll also be looking at body language as well.
“When you are producing any kind of artwork or story it’s all about creating emotions because emotions affect our whole body so you really have to look at not just the face but how the body responds when someone is emotional.”
Apart from learning additional drawing and literacy skills, Ms Tiffen said the interactive workshop on Friday, May 17, from 3.30pm to 5pm at Carol’s Place in Murwillumbah will also help develop children’s understanding of how emotions work.
“It’s very useful for kids to understand emotions as by becoming more observant they can start to understand how their body works.
“They should come away with a greater awareness of observing emotions and some better drawing skills that they can use when they draw their characters.”
Ms Tiffen, who has four children of her own aged from nine to twenty said her own children were inspirational in the creation of her children’s book series.
“They definitely influenced my writing, especially the funny things they would often say.
“They were also the inspiration for me trying to explain in a fun way how they’re emotions work as they are a very emotional bunch.”
The workshop aims to harness the natural creativity of children, who Ms Tiffen admits often supersedes even the most artistic adult.
“They’ll probably be more creative than me because they have better imaginations,” she laughs.
“The most important thing that I hope they will learn from this workshop is that drawing can be fun regardless of how good or not you think you are and that creating characters can be as simple or as creative as you want it to be.”
Ms Tiffen will be launching the fourth book in her emotional understanding series titled Frights at Carol’s Place in Murwillumbah on Thursday, May 16, at 5pm.
Her books, published through One Tentacle Publishing are available for sale during MAT19 at Carol’s Place or online at www.lisatiffen.com and at all good online bookshops.
To book for the children’s drawing workshop visit:
https://martsprecinct.bigcartel.com/product/kids-creating-characters
