Digital Drawing: a course… and so much more!
This year saw us launch our first Digital Drawing courses, leading to our first digital exhibitions. Both courses were run in County Durham, funded by Durham County Council, and both were aimed at younger and older people.
Our aim was to introduce people to the apps and techniques used in digital drawing and provide them with the skills to create their own art in this innovative way. We’ve been delighted with the results and impressed with the wider impact these projects have made.
For the people in our case study, it’s been much more than a course.
David, one of our Hamsterley participants, is a former art teacher who admits that he was a bit wary of the technology itself, iPads and Apple Pencils:
“I’m a novice really and not good with computers … the more you do it- the more you get used to the technology, the easier it gets.”
David found that he enjoyed learning a new skill,
“It’s a new departure for me and at my age!”
He’s also going to treat himself to an iPad
“I’m used to using pencils and brushes. [The] variety of effects you get [in the app] is amazing, it’s fantastic!”
Charlotte was one of our younger participants, also from Hamsterley, who found that she enjoyed the freedom of drawing what she was interested in as well as the relaxed environment:
“I loved just being able to chat about my day at school and the beginning and chat while you drew. It wasn’t really strict like school.”
She also discovered other benefits of her weekly class:
“Doing it just helps calm my mind, like I don't need to worry about anything that happened at school or anything bad that happened that day, it's just really calming and it's really nice just being able to talk to people.”
Another young participant, Keiran, recognised a similar effect on himself:
“If I’m angry it helps me release anger because drawing is fun and it makes me happy when I draw.”
Elizabeth, who attended a group in Stanley, talks about her experience:
“Every time I was there, I just concentrated for two whole hours, just focused and everything else went out of my mind, it was like I switched off. My friend, the lady who went with me, said it was just what I needed. Being there, doing something different, it was escapism.”
These positive effects on people’s self-confidence and self-esteem demonstrate the power of simply bringing people together in a shared, creative activity.
Such positive feelings weren’t just limited to the participants however: Sarah McConkey, one of our lead artists reflects
“I particularly loved that by the end of the course Elizabeth was able to teach her grandchildren new ways of drawing digitally and animating … Seeing all the artwork printed and exhibited at the end was also a source of pride for both the teachers and students.”
All of the brilliant artwork has been brought together in a virtual gallery which you can view here from the comfort of your home:
There’s also a guided tour option - we hope you enjoy it as much as we have.
Thanks again to Kylie Lloyd, DCC Community Arts Manager for the funding, Durham County Council’s Covid Outbreak Managed Fund for Community Cultural Events.
To talk to us about a similar project for one of your groups, please get in touch.
