Permission to Play
It was only in the last month or so that I decided to add a free mini course to the brand new three week long Print, Paint and Pattern that will start on 14 September. In previous emails I mentioned how much I've enjoyed working in a reduced scale in a sketchbook, creating miniature artworks where I start with small ink pads to add colour and as tool for adding stamped details.
Finding time to play
When we allow ourselves to play, we relax and get into a state of flow. This is the best way to learn, embrace new possibilities and explore out of the box ideas. The method of creating with colours and some shapes as starting point is freeing and fun, I love it!
Creations can be revisited and this way of working allows me to steal moments here and there to continue working on specific drawings when I feel like it.
The ink pads’ solvent ink makes the process of laying down colour and adding shapes with simple cut out paper stencils quick, allowing me to treat the experience like a kind of discovery. It becomes a playful adventure, and a delicious little escape from the madness of the world around me.
Play with Print is suitable for creatives of all levels of experience. In this free mini-course you will explore ways to create vessel shapes that are stamped with the ink pads and then layered with different water based materials you have on hand.
I wanted to make this little course accessible and opted to only use limited materials without the need of a gel plate. All lessons can be done in a sketchbook suitable for mixed media. The deep dive Print, Paint and Pattern course that follows on from Play with Print is where we will really get into all kinds of printing techniques and processes using a gel plate.
In this introductory course you will get a good grasp of my way of teaching, and get an idea of what the bigger course entails without need for loads of materials.
Play with Print runs from 11-13 September and can be accessed on my course platform until the end of October. The mini-course is presented as part of the Print, Paint and Pattern course and after October it will be released as a freestanding mini-course available at £27.
Over 1,800 people have registered for Play with Print so far, come and join us if you haven’t already signed up.
How we'll use the ink pads
On 5 September I did a live demo where I used ink pads and different drawing materials to create pineapple drawings in a sketchbook. You're welcome to view this one hour long recorded video on my Substack page, Coloricombo.