Portrait Workshop for London Makers

Last week I visited London Makers at HF Mencap to lead a collage portrait workshop as part of their Graphic Design & Print programme for adults with learning disabilities and autistic people.

This was a new experience for me, so let me tell you why…

I was invited to share my creative practice with the participants and introduce a different way of approaching image-making, experimenting with shapes, colour and composition to create a portrait of someone they like.

I’m not going to lie, I was anxious before the workshop. I had never worked with a group of people with learning disabilities and autistic people before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

But the HF Mencap team gave me some really helpful guidance beforehand:

• be clear about what is happening

• break the activity into manageable steps

• show examples rather than explain

• give people a clear starting point

• offer choices without overwhelming them

I have to say, I really enjoyed the session!

One of the biggest challenges for me was learning not to put pressure on anyone to finish their artwork. I had to let go of my usual sense of time and allow everyone to find their own process. What I really enjoyed was how curious everyone was. There were lots of interesting questions throughout the session.

One moment that really stayed with me was when one of the participants was finding it difficult to cut some shapes. I had seen their drawings before the class, so I helped with some of the cutting and encouraged them to make a drawing of me instead. And it was brilliant!

I was genuinely so impressed by the drawing. I encouraged them to keep drawing and to experiment with working on a larger scale too. It was such a good reminder of the importance of paying attention to what someone is already naturally drawn to and encouraging them to develop that direction further.

This experience reminded me that a good workshop isn't necessarily about getting everyone to a finished piece of work. It's about creating enough structure for people to feel comfortable starting and giving them enough freedom to take an idea wherever they want.

I'm really grateful to the HF Mencap team for their guidance and to all the Makers for welcoming me and making the session such a lovely experience.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the Makers create for their Graphic Design & Print final show.

I'll keep you posted :–)