Fourth Year Graphic Design students who normally work digitally were introduced to a wide variety of drawing and mark-making techniques. The group first worked individually, producing a range of drawings from objects which they had chosen in relation to their personal project brief.

In the afternoon, the students utilised mono print, experimenting with linear drawings, collage and texture. They then worked in groups to create large-scale collages from their initial drawings, mono prints and textures.

Letty Houldsworth, one of the students taking part, said:

“This workshop made me realise where my skills lie again. Often when using a computer you neglect your real talents. I found it really liberating as it opened up a much more playful area of my mind, thinking less about the outcome and more about the process.”

Other comments included:

“It was great to get off our laptops and make by doing. Bringing in items that related to our brief got me thinking about the project from a different angle.”

“The workshop really loosened us up and made us approach the design process in a different way.”

“Fast paced, productive, and pushed our creativity away from our normal practice! It gave me a fresh perspective on the worries of fourth year – it was great to do something different.”

Robert said: My intention was to encourage the students to look, see and record personal images through a range of mark making and drawing techniques. Hopefully their future design concepts will be enhanced by approaching projects from a different starting point i.e. strong drawing / mark making supported by personal research and not over reliance on computer aided design.