On a rainy Thursday evening a few weeks ago, myself and a group of lovely ladies headed to the beautiful Moonko, based on Division Street in Sheffield for a Botanical Illustration Class. Hosted by the incredible force of a woman and owner, Deborah Moon.
After all running in from the storm we all got settled with Debbie's welcoming hospitality, a variety of snacks and drinks, and the warm atmosphere in Moonko.
To settle our nerves and get the creative juices flowing Debbie introduced a number of timed, fun and stress free challenges! I won't go into detail as you need to experience it for yourself but it was such a fun way to work into a workshop, especially if you are like me and have no confidence in your abilities whatsoever.
Then to get more comfortable with the room we were tasked with blind drawing those sat next to us, and if that doesn't get you over those awkward hellos then I don't know what will! I am not going to share my attempts here but I can honestly say I have no perception of placement but some of the pieces that came out of this exercise were stunning.
After this warm up we began to take full advantage of the botanical haven that is Moonko and took to the shop to begin practicing our new found creative freedom. What I really enjoyed about this class was the lack of pressure and focusing on relaxing within the drawing process. Not only was Moonko snug and safe but with supportive women, beautiful music and inspiring surroundings everyone fed off each other to create natural and alluring pieces.
I found myself focusing on single leaves and intricate plants and it was so interesting to look up and see how differently we all interpreted the room, going from entire styled shots to focusing on colour and light.
As we all took to the paper in front of us time seemed to pass in an instant and although I left saying this was something I wanted to devote my time to, like most things in life I just haven't got round to it yet. So I cannot wait to get myself back into that space again, and for £5 it is an absolute bargain.
The array of organic material in such a stunning setting is the perfect place for a botanical illustration class, I cannot wait to go to Moonko again.
Fancy having a go yourself? Join us for the October class! Get your tickets here.
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