Drawing flora for textile design
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
Course Code: VO183
Duration: 1 session
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Center for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
Experiment with drawing techniques to capture the energy and transient beauty of flora. Research different mediums to sketch expressive lines, make painterly marks, or add delicate tones. Be inspired by a range of textile designers; from Charles Rennie Mackintosh, to Vera Neumann, to Josef Frank to Laura Slater. Begin to look at, and record, with a designers eye, leading to drawings that are accurate or abstract, and have the potential for printed textile design.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
- Influence of some contemporary and historic textile designers; looking at realistic, abstract, geometric, or stylised floral designs.
- Pencil and ink/wash drawings of flora.
- Interpretation of drawings as textile designs.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Use a range of different drawing techniques to make representations of your flora.
- Describe how to interpret drawings as a textile design.
- Practise using flora drawings to experiment with some design styles.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is designed for complete beginners.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
- You will be taught using Zoom for the live sessions with your tutor. You will receive an email 2.5hrs before your session starts with details of the live session link. Please be aware you will need to check your email address associated with your account within this window.
- We use Google Classroom E-learning platform which will store all tasks/notes/resources/ demo videos. You will need to login into our Google classroom before the session starts.
- You will need a computer or laptop. Ideally with a fully updated google Chrome browser.
- Using headphones with microphones will block out all room noise in sessions.
- If you are using a tablet or mobile device you will need a microphone, and optionally a camera.
- You will require a good broadband connection as mobile data 3G/4G or a mobile dongle will not provide sufficient Bandwidth for live sessions.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
- Flora that inspires you. This could be a flowers, a houseplant, sprigs of leaves and foliage, or a pot plant.
- Black or sepia ink, brushes/dip-pen.
- Variety of pencils; hard and soft, and a rubber.
- Variety of pieces of light/white paper, any size, strange shapes are ok, but not too much smaller than A4:
- Found or repurposed paper; brown, wrapping, patterned, tissue, wallpaper…
- Scissors and Sellotape and a glue stick.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
We run a selection of textile courses throughout the year. Please browse the website for upcoming dates.
General information and advice on courses at City Lit is also available from the Student Centre and Library on Monday to Fridays from 12:00-14:00 then 16:00–18:00.
Lara is a printed textile designer, with a passion for colour, pattern and mark-making. She holds a degree in Fashion and Textile design from Brighton University, and a PgCert in teaching adults. Lara draws inspiration for her designs from landscapes, gardens and foliage. Her colourful and joyful hand-printed fabrics are lyrical and abstracted representations of this environment. She has sold work to major fashion brands, printed scarfs and hangings, and exhibited her intricately printed designs. Lara uses her eclectic repertoire of print, dye and design knowledge to research contemporary printing with natural dyes. These experimental prints inform and shape her current professional practice. Lara is a founding member of Ceres; an eco- conscious trio who collaborate on environmental and sustainable design projects. Lara enjoys sharing her creative ideas; and is short course tutor at University of the Arts London, West Dean College, and other education venues. At City Lit, she teaches a range of specialist courses that include; shibori and indigo, drawing for textile design, dye techniques, and natural dye printing.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.