“ It was completely different from other drawing courses, the emphasis is not on producing a picture but on the process of drawing – including the emotions, feelings, experience and new techniques – I came away with renewed energy and desire to continue – highly recommended …..”  West Dean student.

Sarah Palmer and Denise Franklin have been developing and guiding creative and dynamic drawing courses for 10 years. These highly successful and popular courses have been delivered in conjunction with their own exhibitions, with the Crafts Council, Rye Art Gallery and on the Short Course programme at West Dean College.

On this course you will gain an increased confidence, a greater insight into your creativity and an experience of engaging in rich conversations and ideas.

“Thank you so much to both you & Sarah for a fantastic & inspiring weekend – I always come away feeling that I have grown in confidence & vision after one of your courses & I really appreciate all the hard work that you both put into the preparation & teaching…..” Drawing Free and Large student.

“For me this was the most instructive, informative, expansive and creatively encouraging workshop I’ve done…..” Crafts Council group member.

Walking Talking and Drawing at West Dean – A creative experience.

These courses encourage people to find or rekindle their relationship with drawing and mark making. Drawing is seeing and the use and practice of using a variety of techniques to translate what you are seeing.

There is no such thing as the perfect drawing and giving people the opportunity at every stage of their careers to record what they see outside can be illuminating for their professional and creative lives. The workshops take students out into the landscape for a series of timed sketches, which culminate in the opportunity to talk and reflect about the work and examine how they might extend their approach through making simple books.

I have been involved in installing joint exhibitions which arise from an initial concept or theme and carry through to inhabiting a room, a church or building with an immersive atmosphere which can reflect the impulse which produced the work.

I am very interested in devising and developing these kind of productions of work.