Contact Name: Lynn Powell
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The Arienas Collective supports local artists and makers to earn a living by sharing their creative skills and passions with others through delivering workshops. The workshops are run from our mews home in the beautiful Georgian New Town of central Edinburgh. We believe in the wellbeing benefits of engaging in creative activity, and our class sizes are kept small so that you get the support you need to make the most of your time with us. We teach you creative skills you can continue at home.
I really like Mark’s sketching style so I thought I would give this taster class a go. The Arienas Collective is a very relaxed, creative environment. From the moment I arrived I felt welcome. I had the chance to chat with the other members of the group over a cup of tea, a half and half mix of locals and tourists, before a brief introduction from Mark along with a look at his example sketchbooks. We then took our clipboards and pens out for sketching in the local New Town area. Each short sketch gave us the opportunity to try out a different technique including perspective, shape and shading. We then walked to the nearby Portrait Gallery and did two sketches in there. Back at the Arienas Collective we were treated to soup and cheese for lunch. We then learnt how to use watercolour to add colour washes to our sketches. I really enjoyed adding the layers of colour to my black and white drawings. All too quickly the course was over and we were choosing which of our sketches to put into a frame.
The Arienas Collective is a great place to come as a creative break from day-to-day life whether you come on your own or with a friend. This sketching course was an excellent taster class to learn the basics. Thanks to Mark and Lynn for a very productive morning! I am now looking at the full day class so I have more time to develop my skills and I’m off to buy some watercolours!
Response from The Arienas Collective:
Thanks for your lovely and detailed feedback Anna. Mark has a knack for releasing the sketcher in everyone, and I'm so glad you enjoyed your morning with him capturing the beautiful Georgian New Town of Edinburgh. Your sketches were amazing! Best wishes, Lynn :-)Great introduction to screen printing in a lovely setting with lovely people.
Nice and relaxed day and extremely grateful for all the advice and teaching me a new skill !
I found it very relaxing and enjoyable.
Great day which i highly recommend!!!
I had never tried anything like this before but was amazed by what I achieved. The atmosphere was very relaxed and there was a lovely introduction to the course, which boosted everyone's confidence. Although what we produced was all our own work, there was plenty instruction and help throughout, and I would highly recommend this course to anyone wanting to try something new and a little different.
Response from The Arienas Collective:
Thanks for the lovely review. I'm so glad you were proud of what you created, and that the simple drawing exercises at the start helped you. Quite a few people have commented on this: both the artists who run this workshop are recent Edinburgh College of Art graduates, which I think helps. Screen-printing is a great skill to learn, and once you know the basics you can print onto pretty much anything. Enjoy your tote bag and tea towel, and hope your framed print is up on your wall! Best wishes, LynnI had done Screen printing a very long time ago and this was a perfect day for getting back to something I really enjoyed. As an artist I work in paints in a realistic way. Jody really helped to get me to open up and explore the fun/child artist in me. I loved what I created and the day flew by too fast. The atmosphere was relaxed and Lynn supplies a superb lunch. Would recommend for anyone who want a bit of time out to explore something new.
Response from The Arienas Collective:
Hi Suzanne. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. We do get quite a few people who are coming back to screen-printing after a long time - though not all are working artists like you! We're so glad you were pleased with what you created, and to hear the day flew past. That's what we hope for! Best wishes, Lynn x