Natasha Russell

Workshops & Engagement

A Collection of creative workshops tailored to all ages, interests and abilties. These use drawing, printmaking, pattern making and more to explore different themes, to facilitate collaboration and to observe nature and the environment. Work with the Stamp library, learn how to design repeating patterns and tiles, or take part in imaginative drawing exercises to observe the natural world.

Drawing, print and pattern making workshops adapted to all sorts of locations and to people of all ages, interests and abilities.

These workshops can be developed for one off events or embedded into longer projects. Working with different creative and practical activities in connection with wider thematic focusses, each sessions looks to support people to learn new skills whilst exploring and connecting ideas in a welcoming environment.

Here are a few approaches that I often work with:

- Observing and exploring nature through drawing, pattern and print.

- Designing, carving and printing with The Stamp Library; an ever growing collection of hand carved stamps.

- Pattern and tile function, history, design and making.

- Creating large-scale collaborative artworks.

- Portable Printmaking.

Observing and learning about nature and the environment through creative and playful drawing activities

From drawing through microscopes to design print blocks ( left), to using experimental drawing activities to explore and imaginine the history of a plot of land ( centre) to learning about soil microbiology through participating in the making of a collaborative 'cranky' theatre set (right).

Pattern design and making

Workshops that explore different pattern design methods, leading to activities that implement these patterns in creative ways; Working with different processes to apply them to a number of materials including paper, tile, textile, plaster and,vinyl, or using them as the basis for collaborative pieces or to explore and illustrate different systems in our environment.

Collaborative Print!

Create large scale collaborative pieces through drawing and printing. In the above images, a series of collaborative 'pixelated landscape' wall hangings were developed with youth groups local to Cove Park (Scotland) through portable drawing and print workshops that explored micro and macro elements of the local environment.

Stamp Library workshops

Draw and carve your own stamps, and then print these along with other stamps from the stamp library in order to piece together visual stories, make patterns or connect and illustrate ideas.

I also work with organisations to create bespoke stamp libraries based around different topics, for instance an area or collection of species. These are can be made through combining stamps made by participants and by me.