Drink & draw: Water-based media and music

This session, inspired by still lives and everyday objects, explored the world of water-based mediums (acrylic, watercolours, gouache, coloured ink).

Artist Herfa Thompson guided those who’ve never used watercolours, or have maybe been put off them in the past, through how to use them and gave various tips and tricks. The session aimed to encourage you to play more in your drawings by letting selected music influence your drawings. The workshop also aimed to help bring mindfulness through activities such as tactile drawing and studying familiar objects.

• Fruit: bananas are fun due to their shape and the black speckles, satsumas, apples, a cut open pomegranate
• Vegetables: carrots and butternut squash are a favourite of mine as they are within my everyday budget. If you can afford it, maybe gather around some seasonal veg as a theme for your still life
• Flowers
• A mug or glass: you can use a wine glass to hold an object in it and also to create levels by adding height
• A plant or more
• Dried flowers
• Old tins or any unopened tins with their labels on: labelling allows you to focus on lines and form which can be therapeutic in its own way.
• Glass bottles or ceramic objects: I love kitschy ceramic objects as an example. A fun way to bring a bit of a story to your still life
• Favourite objects: rocks, shells
• Fabric: a favourite jumper, quilt, throw. Scarves, especially printed ones. Raffia is a fun earthy textile to draw. Woven objects such as straw baskets can be challenging but also a lovely way to add texture to a still life.
• Eggs: eggs are challenging but can be interesting to draw due to their matte surface absorbing the light
• Candles: unlit is safest but candles can add height to your still life so if you are finding your still life looks level and you are itching for layers, candles are often an easy way of doing so.

Herfa Thompson is a multidisciplinary artist based in Leeds. She studied Architecture for a year then studied Sculpture and Environmental Art at The Glasgow School of Art and graduated in 2017. She primarily works within 2D media of painting and digital illustration but hopes to combine 3D and 2D in the form of ceramics and dressmaking in the future.