Pencil Colouring

I can't remember a time when I haven't been colouring with pencils or simply doodling designs with a pen.

I take my colouring kit with me wherever I go and I've spent many a happy hour absorbed and excited by the creative opportunities these simple materials offer. They are my go to whenever I need to slow my busy mind to have a moment of calm and time out.

Coloured pencils are often overlooked as a serious art medium and yet they are versatile, beautifully smooth & waxy to use, full of bright pigment. Getting started is easy with the knowledge of a few simple techniques opening up a world of exploration and self-expression through colour and line.

My postcard packs were designed with several things in mind, that not everyone is comfortable or confident to draw their own shapes and patterns, that many colouring books often have tiny complicated details in them which can feel daunting & frustrating to colour, there is no space for people to add their own ideas limiting creativity, the small spaces mean that you can't practice many of the pencil techniques that make them so unique. I use a postcard format as it’s an achievable size whether you decide to simply add colour or to enhance them with your own lines and doodles.

Colouring & doodling are both enjoyable absorbing creative activities with the added benefits that taking part has on both our physical and mental health. So why not include it as part of your self-care routine, as you may have read in the CCC story here.

I often combine my love of walking with the excitement of a curious nature find and the challenge of producing the shapes and colours that I see into my design work. It was important to design colouring and drawing kits to be small and light enough to fit into most bags so you can choose to complete artwork wherever you are may that be at work, on holiday, sitting in your garden or your favourite comfy chair.

People who have used my kits taking them to the dentist, vets and even hospital appointments, and found it helped them to feel focussed and calm. Research has shown that just 20 minutes a day is all that needed to keep our stress levels down and with regular practice we can learn to keep our amygdala quiet and stay calmer for longer.

If you'd like to get started on your colouring journey then I offer the following sessions:-

Two to three hour introductory session where you will learn the basics of colouring & doodling to give you the confidence and skills to get started using two plant postcards

A beginner’s programme of three 2 hour sessions where you will learn the basics of colouring & doodling and start to discover your style.

An intermediate programme of three 2 hour sessions where you will learn more challenging colouring & doodling techniques, how to combine colouring with mixed media both will build your confidence and creativity.

The advanced course is to take part in our monthly three hour colouring sessions held at Treverbyn Hall, in these sessions we work on a brief. With the emphasis on producing our own designs, learning more techniques, the opportunity to meet like-minded people and bringing our work to be looked at & discussed.

I offer one to one sessions enabling us to adapt the program to your needs and work at your speed.

You can read more details of the sessions here.

Please contact me to find out more or check out our Inspiration Gallery.