Charcoal drawing | sorca o’farrell
2 DAY WORKSHOP
Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th march 2025
10am - 4pm
€225
*payment plans available upon request.
Email us at info@schoolhouseforart.com
ABOUT THIS workshop
This two day workshop will concentrate on drawing with charcoal, and share with participants the many possibilities of this magical medium.
During this weekend workshop Sorca will will demonstrate how to work with charcoal on paper to show how a variety of textures, tones and mark-making are built up and can translate into a unique and personal description. She will also share the source of her inspiration, which come from what she sees and experiences on her walks through the landscape close to where she lives.
Participants will be encouraged to prepare for this workshop by making small quick-study drawings, or taking photos of a tree, or group of trees that have caught their attention in the lead-up to attending the workshop. This source material will be used to make small pen drawings to work out a satisfactory composition with balanced areas of light and dark before moving on to begin a larger scaled up drawing on heavier paper .
Throughout the weekend participants will receive one-to-one guidance in building up their own personal drawing, as well as group discussions on progress and discoveries.
By the end of the two days participants will have discovered the joys and many possibilities of working with charcoal.
material list
-2 or 3 large sheets or A2 pad if preferred of fabriano artistico paper (evans art supplies)
-Willow charcoal, variety of thicknes,any brand,….winsor & newton softest
-6B charcoal pencil
-Rubbers, staedler if possible
-Black & White photocopy of personal tree or group of trees photo
-A small sketch notebook A5 for making quick line studies of trees in the lead-up to, and during, the workshop
-A black fine-liner pen for small studies and planning composition for larger drawing
-Optional; protective apron or shirt, old brushes
Some old thick and thin brushes
Good to have but not essential;
Scalpel knife
Eraser pen
Also, it is advisable to bring an apron, charcoal is dusty work!
Meet sorca
Sorca O’Farrell is an award winning landscape artist from Howth, Co. Dublin.
She has had successful solo shows over the past ten years, and has been invited to exhibit in various private and public galleries , including the National Gallery.
Her drawings have been selected regularly for the RHA and RUA Annual Exhibitions, and in 2020 she won the Drawing Prize at the RUA Belfast.
She holds Hons Degree in Fine Art from N.C.A.D., and achieved a First Class Honour, Higher Diploma in Art Education (N.C.A.D.).
Sorca has taught art at second level, and lectured in Drawing at third level.
Currently her work is inspired by the place where she lives and the memories it evokes as she walks the paths and forests close to her home.
She makes small pen sketches along the way which, along with some reference photos, become the starting point for larger scale multi-layered charcoal drawings which are made back in the studio.
For the past few years her attention has been particularly drawn to various groups of trees, how they inter-act with each other, and how they connect to and sometimes dominate the environment around them.
For more info on Sorca check out sorcaofarrell.ie