Firepit Feels: Our Art Circle - Drawing in photorealism

The group will be given step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions on basic sketching, shaping, colouring and blending. This is a workshop that has been successful and popular with clients in the past. The workshop will also fully explain tips, tricks and shortcuts that will aid in achieving a high quality drawing in a relatively short space of time.

Those taking part in the workshop are expected to leave with a reasonably complex piece of art that is higher than the standard they may expect or have produced in the past. 

Guests will be provided with good quality materials including over 170 colours of pencils and professional quality paper. 

There will also be at least one assistant to help manage the workshop and provide extra support to specific individuals in the group. 

Whilst the instructions will be robust, the aim is to make the session as fun for the guests as possible. Light, up tempo music will be played at a moderate sound level to provide a relaxed atmospheric environment for guests to create their artwork.  

At the midpoint of the workshop, guests will be encouraged to take a break of a minimum 10 minutes and a maximum 15 minutes from the session. Throughout the workshop, those in attendance will be encouraged to talk to each other and socialise if possible to create harmony within the group.  

After the break, a fun quiz surrounding the topic of art will take place. This is a highly popular feature in previous workshops.  Towards the end of the session, attendees will be encouraged to examine each other's work and possibly pose for a group photo. 

About Facilitator Akin Okusami:

I am a full-time artist specialising in portraiture whilst utilising pastels, digital illustrations and a number of mixed media. I have been working professionally in the field for 5 years with over a dozen exhibitions under my belt.  

Currently, I lead a collective of 30+ independent artists from diverse backgrounds called The Solar Collective 22 who put on  group shows and conduct workshops for a range of groups from neurodivergent individuals to vulnerable groups.  I am based in Firepit Gallery and Studios CIC located in North Greenwich, another collective of artists who operate a nonprofit organisation serving the local community with a wide range of activities which also target the socially disadvantaged.  

Please note, our workshops remain open to all but hold a specific focus on LGBTQIA+, Global Majority and Neurodiverse communities from disadvantaged backgrounds, so please be aware and respectful of this when booking and attending.

These sessions have been designed with neurodiversity in mind and with a trauma-informed approach.

All sessions are relaxed, sensory aids will be available and a designated welfare volunteer will be present.

If you have any access requirements you would like to discuss with us in advance, please let us know and we can make provisions ahead of time if possible.

Please also note that the ‘Firepit Feels’ workshops are not a substitute for therapy but are creative, therapeutic tools.

Each workshop is pay-what-you-can, meaning, you can attend for free. Please be mindful when booking, and notify us at least 72hrs before the workshop date if you are no longer able to attend so we can give someone else the spot. Anything you do choose to donate will be channeled straight back into the community project.

This project has been generously funded by Greenwich Healthier Communities

The nearest tube is North Greenwich on the Jubilee line. We are a 5 minute walk

from the tube station, and we are located right by the Thames Clipper boat pier. You

can also find us on google maps - search for Firepit Art Gallery & Studios.

If you have any questions in advance, regarding this event, please feel free to

contact: [email protected]

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All Firepit links and info can be found here: Firepit Linktree

We are a Community Interest Company (CIC) & we run as a not-for-profit. In our space we have a beautiful art gallery and artists studios. We run many workshops and events, for both our local community and the general public.

As a CIC, we are committed to reinvesting our profits back into the community, ensuring sustainable and lasting impact. Join us in building a healthier, more vibrant neighbourhood, where the power of creativity becomes a catalyst for positive transformation and well-being for all.

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