Life drawing with 1838 collective

Join 1838 Collective for a fun and relaxed life drawing session at Islington Mill, hosted by our Aliya Farakh and featuring model Blake Barbosa.

This guided session will take you through a series of poses with optional prompts and timings - perfect whether you prefer structure or a more self-led approach.

We’ll begin with quick, energetic sketches to help you loosen up, gradually moving into longer sittings where you can refine details.

There will be dramatic, playful setups, using bold lighting and semi-transparent fabrics to emphasise form, contrast, shadow, and movement.

All experience levels are welcome, from beginners to professional artists, and basic materials will be provided.

This event is part of the Echo exhibition programme at Islington Mill.

Come along to draw and connect with other artists in a friendly and supportive environment.

What is the 1838 Collective?

Our name comes from the founding year of Manchester School of Art, where our journey began as MA and MFA Fine Art and Painting students.

Through our own experience at university, we learnt that there’s very little support for students graduating from art school to enter the professional world.

Being an artist can mean making art - but it also means marketing your work, applying to open calls, writing funding applications, building a website, going to exhibitions, networking, and selling your work…

At university, we learnt that being part of a community is vital to being an artist.

But how do you keep that sense of community when you leave art school?

Our journey

We started the 1838 Collective as a way to support each other - using social media to showcase the incredible artwork of postgraduate students at Manchester School of Art, and organising regular in-person meet-ups to connect and share ideas.

But it quickly grew to become something bigger than we had ever imagined, demonstrating the need for support and connection in our community.

We are now hosting regular free events and opportunities for emerging artists in Manchester, including exhibitions, co-working sessions, workshops, and socials.

The collective has grown organically to become a supportive framework that helps emerging artists gain confidence, expand their networks, make new friends, develop professional skills, and feel empowered to continue their creative practice beyond university.

Does this sound like something you’d like to be part of? Come along to our events and see what we’re about!

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher 1838 Collective