Take an abstract view of sea and shore, a closer look at colour combinations and textures; explore through mark making and painterly print to create surfaces to fragment, overlay and place in collage arrangements to work with hand stitch.

Explore the colours and textures of the sea and shore through expressive mark making and painterly print, through to development into abstract collage arrangements combined with simple hand stitch.

During the course explore a restrained colour palette with line and texture working with a series of print blocks and expressive painterly mark making to develop personal visual language creating a selection of surfaces to fragment, reassemble, overlay, and develop with hand stitch. Explore surfaces created, work intuitively through a random system of placement creating highly individual arrangements of small abstract collages to work into with simple hand stitch. Take time to let the work unfold; add layers of restrained colour combinations with hand stitched thread revealing subtle and surprising effects. What would happen if the surface were folded, overlapped, pleated, over stitch edges, insert stitch into the ground cloth; follow your own creative pathway to inspire imaginative outcomes.

Suitable for those who enjoy the challenge of intuitive experimentation, exploration and extension of creative boundaries who have an open mind and a desire to explore. Amanda will guide you through intuitive development of your work with the support of inspirational resources in the form of personal sketchbooks and examples of her work.

Materials costs to students – £8

The following materials and resources are supplied by the tutor:-

• Papers - newsprint, wet strength tissue, tea bag paper
• Fabric scraps (include coloured)
• Cotton scrim
• Sari silk strips
• Print blocks
• Sticks for mark making
• Acrylic paint
• Print medium
• Box of brushes

Please bring the following

• A piece of white cotton or linen to use as a backing for collage, which has a nice handle for working stitch (½ to ¾ of a metre to allow for flexibility in shape and size of work) for example, old, washed pillowcases and sheeting are beautifully soft for hand stitch
• Extra pieces of cotton cloth for painting and print; small pieces of white or neutral cloth, muslin, calico, linen - bring cloth from your collection
• Needles for hand sewing
• Sewing kit, pins, scissors
• A select choice of threads in sea and shoreline colours and neutrals; less is more!
• A no 12 round brush and 2.5cm Langnickel bristle brush or similar for painting and mark making (brushes will be available to use if you wish)
• Pritt Stick type glue
• Apron/overall, please wear suitable clothing
• A sketchbook/notebook for working notes and ideas