Working with either your own handcrafted blank book or a readily available 8 ½” x 11” artist’s black sketchbook, we will focus on techniques and stimulating creative exercises for developing creative content in the form of image and text working together on the page. 

This workshop is meant to launch you in a daily practice that can be one of the most important things you do to develop a richer inner life and a unique book of your journey, the Book of You.

During this workshop you will learn:

• The use of a dry-transfer adhesive to affix photos, clippings, etc. permanently to the page. 

• Basic drawing skills, both realistic and expressionistic, working with portable and easy-to-use dry media: (colored pencil, pen & ink, chisel headed calligraphy markers, and graphite).
•  The Grisaille technique for going from a B&W graphite drawing to color.
•  How to use basic calligraphy to create letter and word as image and to explore your talents for asemic writing.
• Basic composition and layout skills for combining images and words on the page.
•  Special drawing techniques such as: utilizing front-to-back of page bleed-throughs as jumping off points for new images, frottage, collage, and live action drawing to music.
•  Confidence and spontaneity in your creative writing efforts.
•  The discipline and rewards of acquiring a daily practice.

Materials to Bring: Hardbound black sketchbook (ideally 8½" x 11"), X-acto knife, pens, and pencils (some recommendations for pens and pencils include graphite HB pencil, Prismacolor colored pencils, steel-nib or felt-tip writing pen, and chisel-shaped felt-tip calligraphic markers (Zig® Memory System® and ITOYA Doubleheader® CL-10 are recommended), small ink-jet prints of self-portrait photographs (4" x 6" or 5" x 7"), consider bringing a few prints that capture different expressions and gestures. Optional but highly recommended: Westcott® Flexible Stainless Steel Ruler (12") with a cork backing.

Workshop + Materials Fee: $120.00

Date & Time: Thursdays, June 9 & 16, 2016 :: 6:30-9:30pm

Location: 375 Rhode Island St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Note: Please read over the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class

REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE 3 DAYS PRIOR TO THE START DATE OF THIS WORKSHOP.

About the Instructor | Will Cloughley

Will Cloughley is a San Francisco based fine artist, philosophical essayist, poet and lightshow producer, whose work encompasses drawing, mixed media, animation, photography and versions of the graphic novel. For the past several years Cloughley has concentrated exclusively on fine art works on paper and the hand-crafted artist's book, bringing to maturity his visual language and vision in a tactile medium. A sketchbook journal is always by his side or with him in his backpack; he can often be spotted writing and drawing in the black books at his favorite San Francisco coffee houses, or out at solitary industrial landscapes being reclaimed by nature.

Past Student Reviews:

"Will generously shares his journals and spreads enthusiasm and passion for developing a discipline/habit of journaling and creative writing."

"Very inspiring. I especially enjoyed looking at Will's examples. I like his style of teaching."

"He's amazing! Absolutely brilliant!"