Twenty-Three Artists - Contrasting Styles

A recap of our weekend in Bath

I’ve just got back from a pretty amazing, eye-opening and inspiring weekend in Bath, with Colin and a crew of fantastic sketchers. The initial concept for the weekend was that Colin and I would share our philosophy (doing art is great, mistakes are learning), our very different styles, and lead a group. What happened was so much more…

Day 1 – Friday 7th June

I arrived quite early on Friday, I had to say goodbye to Betty with a lovely walk and lots of bribes – and got to Bath around 3pm to start the sorting.

My checklist included the mundane – make sure our venue was still standing, pick up much needed snacks and coffee, and I’d been talking to a number of café owners to make sure we had a lovely surprise for the group.

Then, most importantly, get my sketchbook out and make sure the cobwebs are at least a little bit gone by the time I’m doing this with the group.

I’d set up a group where everyone could chat and share plans, and already people were arranging meet ups – and through this group I was able to share a couple of hours of sketching with Stephen, a rather fantastic painter who had come to join us with the aim of loosening up (and my word, didn’t you achieve it Stephen!).

The big moment – 7pm on Friday 7th June

The afternoon passed in a flash, and before I knew if the moment had arrived… I was about to find out if Colin was real, or if I’d been catfished online for the past 5 years?!

Turns out he IS real – who knew?!

We caught up, and I think the feeling was mutual that it really did feel like we knew each other – I rushed Colin around Bath, he was amazed to see ‘a real Itsu shop’, and absolutely delighted by the sketching and painting possibilities of Bath.

And finally it was time to meet the crew!

A big part of our plans for this weekend was to just get people together – not to teach and lecture, but to share memories and time beyond a ‘classroom’ environment. So both Colin and I were so pleased to see how many people were able to join us for the first ‘optional’ session – a drink and dinner on Friday.

As with all big groups, personalities were getting worked out, small talk made, but very quickly friendships and the natural chatter of like-minded individuals filled the void until well past our bed times.

Day 2 – Saturday 8th June

I woke up feeling remarkably ready to go – and Colin and I got out the door at half 7, ready to start warming some seats for our coffee meet before we formally started.

Just like the evening before, we wanted to offer as much time sketching as a group as possible, whilst making sure that nobody felt they HAD to attend. We all have different social batteries, and personal needs – and Colin and I were really pleased both by who attended, and by the fact that people who needed that time to themselves didn’t feel they had to drag themselves out.

This little chance to natter and chat, over a coffee, whilst everyone was still a bit groggy was another success – everyone had their sketchbooks out and the hour past in a flash.

And now it was time to start the formal schedule of organised fun!

I confess to being, at this point, rather nervous. I’m not sure I fully recognised it, but I imagine it was incredibly obvious to the participants. As we got there and were sorting out the room, I think it was Chris who said to me, ‘and now you can relax’. Another sign of the kindness and support that the whole group offered one another, as well as Colin and I, through the whole weekend.

I rushed through my ‘hello everyone’ and was at this point so happy to have Colin along to steady to ship with some well thought out words.

Workshop One – Saturday AM

The first workshop aimed to get people drawing, loosening up, making mistakes and talking to one another (although everyone had already started that!).

Still, as I took out a giraffe, a rhino, an antique toy car, and a shark-come-rubber-duck that I professed loudly to have been ‘an important part of my wedding’ I’m fairly confident at least half of the room were thinking the same thing…

‘oh dear, these guys off YouTube are MAD’

How little did they realise that already just how right they were.

Still, everyone obliged us completing a series of 5 minute sketches of increasingly bizarre objects – and before long the group was bantering at us, and politely letting Colin know when he’d given them 6 seconds too long, as Colin and I joined in at different tables circulating the group and getting to know everyone a little more.

The ‘meat’ of this session was then two different exercises, firstly I would demonstrate my techniques, teaching Colin how to sketch using continuous lines, wet on wet colours and abstraction. Then Colin showed me his far more sensible and considered approach. And in between everyone had their goes as well.

I think it was a this point that Colin and I were now thinking the same thing…

‘oh dear, these sketchers are merciless, what have we done?’

Here is my version of a 'Colin' scene.

Of course, I’m joking (badly) – what happened at this stage was magic. The loosening up exercises had worked, and everyone was not only jumping in, they were also asking questions, teasing Colin and I when we had to try out knew techniques. And for the rest o the weekend the most common refrains were, ‘I’m going to try this as a Colin’ or ‘I’m going to try this as a Toby’.

What we heard, as well, is how much people valued us being vulnerable and honest in the struggles we had with techniques that were not our own. Yes, we can sort of make do, but no, it is absolutely not easy or comfortable for us!

Workshop Two – Saturday PM

After a very quick bit for lunch we launched the group outside with a minimalist sketching set up, to tackle principles of sketching outside. 

We looked at measuring, angles, perspective and composition, tackled the most common challenges Colin and I faced, and we all made loads of mistakes, happy accidents and lovely sketches outside.

This session was definitely a challenge for everyone – emotionally being outside is scary, people are watching, and it’s much harder in many ways than sketching from a photo.

But we were also so proud of how everybody coped with their personal challenges, as Colin and I wracked up thousands of steps tackling challenges, answering questions and hopefully encouraging people along.

More than any other time, this is where Colin and I started to understand the individuals who were there – faced with something new for many people, and with a little more space to talk and chat, some amazing personal stories came out.

I won’t share these here, but I was honored not just at this time, but over the whole weekend to understand how and why this group had come to sketching, often through a place of boredom, stress, or even trauma, and found creativity to be a hugely positive part of life.

Optional Extras - Saturday Evening

Having been sketching from 8am until 4pm, we broke from formal activities for the day – but Colin and I invited everyone to join us first for another group sketch sat out in the lovely early evening Sun, followed by a pub. 

I created one of my favourite sketches as I chatted away with the many people who joined us, using their new found confidence to start really creating art outside!

Then I learned that I actually like Guinness (alcohol free – because… well, I have no excuse) as Colin introduced me to the most important export from his culture.

Come 11pm Colin and I finally left the pub! A steady stream of sketchers had come and gone all evening, joining us for drinks, food, chat and relaxation. And it was finally time for us to get a Sainsbury’s meal deal before the next days festivities!

Day 3 – Sunday 9th June

And so quickly we were on to our last day! The time just flew by so quickly, but the day is also far from over at this point!

As with Saturday we started with a coffee, even more people came and chatted today and with a lovely warm day rising we were able to relax and spread out a little with our sketchbooks and pens out 

I even got the chance to paint a little watercolour ditty too!

Workshop 3 – Sunday AM

Today was the day to put it all on the line for me and Colin – we congregated at our base of operations and led everyone out to a really lovely café, ‘The Society Café’, where we’d arranged for some craft coffee (and teas for those who prefer) and a fun selection of cakes.

I’ll tell you right now, absolutely the worst part of preparing for this workshop was having to go round lots of cafes and try out their coffee and cake to get this sorted. Ahem... 

Still, that chore aside, the café had cordoned us off seating for everyone, and after a little treat Colin and I did another demonstration.

What we’d heard the day before was just how much people valued not just the demonstration, but the bickering and banter between Colin and I, as well as the underlying support and honesty we offer each other, so we decided for this demonstration again to tackle the same scene and use aspects of each other’s techniques in our work. Whilst being brutally honest about the challenges we face outside – from a changing scene, to suddenly finding that an ‘easy scene’ is actually rather awkward, and having to edit out lots of aspects that we simply don’t want to sketch.

This demonstration was a little longer, perhaps 40 minutes, but everyone was super engaged and again asking questions and probing us. But before long we were sending people on their way to create their own scenes.

It was at this point that the confidence really started to come out of people.

Moments that really stood out for me were that Jane and Sarah decided they didn’t need the support of the group, instead walking about 5 miles out of town to sketch their own scene (or that’s what Colin and I felt as we hunted them down), Su tackled an challenging vista no less than four times finding different features each time, Rob proudly declared his sketch as rubbish but also exactly what he needed it to be, and I was asked for the fifth time that day ‘why Louis was teaching an art class?’ (apologies for anyone who doesn’t get this rather niche in-joke).

The ’wrap up’ but not the goodbye.

At 2pm Colin had to catch a flight – we had a sketchbook throw down before this, the room was filled with praise, gasps and even tears as we talked about what we’d learned from the session.

Colin and I’s egos certainly grew as this self-selected group of people who like our art, told us how good our art is, whilst we tried our best to remember this because, I assure you, we both feel imposter syndrome as a daily part of our existence!

After Colin had gone, as with the other days, there was more optional sketching – and more than half the group were able to come back out with me to sketch and paint for another few hours. We even made this combined sketched where at least 9 people made some splashes and marks for a lovely momento that I get to cherish... before we all gradually made our ways home.

What we learned

Colin and I were both so incredibly grateful for the support and energy of this group. This was our first foray into crafting a full weekend of sketching, we were listening the whole time, reflecting on how to make the next one even better, more inclusive and more valuable as an experience.

Here are a few of our take homes:

• The flexible evenings were fantastic, people valued this for the freedom rather than pre-arranged fixed meals.

• The demonstrations went down really well, especially when we showed how things don’t always go to plan.

• For the next one, I’ll set up a group chat that people can use from the moment they sign up so that people can make plans and bond with plenty of time.

• Different people, of course, sketch at different speeds, we have ideas for next time to make sure that people can always keep their hands busy if they want to.

• Groups like this are amazing, supportive, forgiving, kind and wonderful!

Most importantly, we loved our time there, meeting people, sharing experiences, creating art, and chatting. We’ve had amazing feedback as well as some important learning points and we’re already looking to get another two weekend dates in the diary!