A flip-through Linda’s hand-bound, plant printed sketchbook with drawing, painting and stamping.

Have a look at the drawings Laura’s been working on this week.

Laura will show you how you can use a tracing method to quickly record a tonal study, both with crosshatching and wash. This is a great technique for developing a drawing as an end in itself, or as a preliminary study for something more.

We love making rubbings, they’re a great way to draw without really drawing. But have you ever considered how you can make transfers from your rubbings? In this video workshop Laura shows you how.

Take a page by page look through Linda’s plant printed artist book. The book is hand made from a variety of plant printed papers. As you’ll see she’s added painted birds and insects, these are worked in watercolour, gouache and acrylic ink.

Take a look at some pages from Linda’s poppy sketchbook.

We love to find inspiration in our gardens and you know we both have used poppies in our work. Take a look at these beautiful examples and maybe use them to draw or paint from in your sketchbook.

So you’ve been working in your sketchbook and are really happy with the pages, but how can you translate that to fabric? In this two-part workshop Linda will show you how she creates a painterly study of poppies in her sketchbook then takes those pages as inspiration to create a quilted panel.

Create your own handprinted collage papers, perfect for sketchbook and mixed media painting. Then explore how you can expand your collage and have fun playing with scale.

Don’t lose your stitched samples! Keep them safe and organised in your sketchbook. In this class Laura will show you how to add your stitched samples successfully into your sketchbook and build a lovely reference of technique.

Join Linda for a look through one of her sketchbooks as she talks about mark making and then how it’s possible to interpret those marks into your textile work, in this case using dimensional fabric paint. 

We always encourage you to save your scraps, but what to do with all those bits of paper? They are perfect for using in a mixed media art journal page. In this video workshop Laura will show you how to quickly colour your sketchbook page using scraped acrylic paint, create a frame, add collage elements and draw linear details. The pages you’ll make will make the perfect home for your art diary writing, photos and collected ephemera.

We’re often asked how to translate successful sketchbook pages into fabric techniques. In this video Laura demonstrates how easily that can be done with a little sampling and experimentation. She’ll work with ink, acrylic paint and hand dyeing to interpret design ideas from her sketchbook pages.

We’re used to working from light to dark in our sketchbooks so let’s mix it up and start with dark backgrounds and add white. Laura will show you how you can use a range of white and light media to add highlights and pattern to your sketchbook pages. 

Considering the Elements of Design can seem daunting, but really they are just the ingredients in any project. In this workshop Linda discusses ideas for creating shape using a variety of lines, but no outlines! She also combines stencils and masks to create pattern within a shape.

Having used rubbings to create frames and windows, see how Linda is working into them with collage and drawing. This is a fun way to include your favourite subjects – anything goes!

Some detailed subject matter can be daunting to draw from scratch. In this workshop Linda will show you how it’s possible to use a subtle stamped shape as the base for your drawing. Take all the guesswork out of getting the shapes right and instead enjoy creating a design and drawing the details. Then building on the sketchbook work that Linda did using stamps and drawing, she demonstrates how it’s easily possible to translate those ideas to fabric to make a stitched piece.

Make the most of accidental frames as a starting point for new work. Discover how Laura uses acrylic paints to create exciting marks that provide a perfect place to showcase all kinds of artwork. This is a perfect way to make vibrant borders on your sketchbook pages ready to enclose collage, photographs, drawing or painting – whatever is your favourite medium!

Learn how to use collagraph to make prints without a press. In this workshop Laura will show you how to make your own plates and then print them to paper or your sketchbook using a Gelli plate.

Challenge yourself to make printing plates from materials found in the recycling bin! In this workshop Laura will demonstrate how to make plates from polystyrene, cardboard, Tetra Pak and milk bottles. Working small with this experimental approach you’ll achieve great results from rubbish!

We love working in concertina sketchbooks. In this post we’ll share our tips for the best paper to use when making your own concertina books and you’ll also find a link to our worksheet of instructions to make your own.

Choosing the right format of sketchbook to suit a project can really help get you off to a flying start. In this mini course of three workshops, Linda first demonstrates how a concertina format can be ideal for documenting a journey or landscape subject.

Linda will show you a fantastic method for creating a resist painting using gouache and Indian ink. The results are perfect for when you want to add some drama to your painting or sketchbook work.

Join Linda for a page-by-page look through her themed ATC book, ‘Night and Day’. She’ll show you how she’s worked in the tiny pages and some of the techniques and materials that she’s found most useful when working at this small scale.

Join Linda in the studio for a page-by-page tour of her ATC sketchbook inspired by insects. She’ll share her tips and techniques for filling the tiny pages.

Laura’s been experimenting with Caran D’Ache Neocolor II for the first time. Join her to test them out on different papers, and see how she’s been using them, both wet and dry, in her sketchbook pages.

What are you going to do with all those ATCs? In this workshop Laura will show you several ways to use them including making tiny sketchbooks!

See how Linda’s combined ideas from two workshops for great results. She’s using techniques from Plants in Altered Books and working into her Plant Printing pages.

Free – Take a quick flip-through tour through Laura’s sketchbook. This one isn’t finished, but we hope you enjoy seeing how the pages are shaping up so far. This book makes use of a lot of monoprint, collage and drawing with pen.

Video Workshop – Using the basic Oil Pastel Monoprint technique, Linda’s developing the process and using it in combination with wash. You’ll already know that oil can work as a resist to waterbased media, see how Linda paints with watercolour adding beautiful fluid washes without losing control of the paint.

This is a super technique for your sketchbook, or for use in mixed media drawing and painting. Join Linda to see how to make a monoprint using oil pastels. You can work freehand or make use of your stencils.

Work along with Laura to bring more confidence to your drawing. Laura will show you how rubbings can be the basis for beautiful tonal drawings. You’ll need only very basic supplies to create great results!

Laura experiments with her gel plate and an image transfer mono printing technique. It’s not foolproof, but it’s lots of fun and you’ll end up with a fantastic pile of monoprints and collage papers which can be perfect for your sketchbook, mixed media work, journals and altered books. In this workshop Laura demonstrates working on paper, this technique might work on fabric, but we’ve not tried it – yet!

Join Laura to see her completed Photobook including a look at the cover, and a page-by-page walkthrough with an insight into the thought processes and techniques she’s used.

Now you’ve made your photo book is time to start working into those pages. Join Laura as she guides you through the first steps in her own book, and shares ideas for how to get started with simple media and a thoughtful approach to composition, mark making and colour.

Experiment with layers in your painting and printmaking for sketchbook work using a combination of acrylic and watercolour. Linda will show you how you can exploit the properties of each to create interesting effects.

Do you have a pile of photo prints that you aren’t sure what to do with? Join Laura to bind them into a book that you can use as an album, or treat as a sketchbook. 

Find inspiration in nature and see how Linda interprets a photographic source as a mixed media study in her sketchbook. She’ll show you how to use watercolour, charcoal pencils and oil pastel to create rich surfaces sympathetic to the subject matter. Then working from her sketchbook, Linda interprets the mixed media study into a stitched textile. See how she uses opaque and transparent fabric scraps to build painterly layers adding texture with machine and hand stitching. 

Using masking fluid can be a versatile method for your watercolour painting both for conventional paintings and in your sketchbook work. In this workshop Linda will show you different ways to apply it for great effect. 

Add metallic gleam to your sketchbook and other work on paper using foiling. Linda will demonstrate a number of ways to use the foil creatively to add shapes and painterly areas of metallic.

Be inspired by nature around you and collect leaves to use for plant printing. Linda will show you how to make beautiful contact prints on paper. Laura will demonstrate how to make simply structured, but endlessly creative concertina books to house your prints. Finally Linda shares her ideas for working back into your plant printed sketchbook to edit, refine and add detail. The result will be a truly unique record of the plant material you’ve collected and a fabulous sketchbook for inspiration and further development.

Collage is the perfect technique for design work. In this workshop Laura will show you how you can use your painted papers, or create ones from your fabrics, to make designs that could be ideal for informing your next quilt. She’ll show you how collage can be used to make the basis of your design with painting to add extra colour. 

Drawing is often the best way to start a watercolour, acrylic or mixed media painting, but what if you you feel your drawing skills aren’t strong, or maybe you just want a fast and effective way to get your image down on paper so you can quickly get started with your painting? In this workshop Linda will demonstrate her technique for creating that drawing which will be the perfect foundation for your painting. 

Work along with Linda to make your own visual diary to document your observations and collections. Linda’s focussing on one of her favourite subjects, moths, but your diary can document anything you like! In Linda’s book you’ll see a selection techniques used in combination to record what you find. There are three workshops in this collection.

Do you find yourself with a stash of inspirational photo prints, or numerous photos on your phone waiting to be printed? Photographs can be an exciting component of your sketchbook pages. See how Laura’s been using photographs in her books as a layer in her collage and mixed media process. 

Gloriously coloured papers are a joy to use in your collage, mixed media, sketchbook and paper and stitch work. In this workshop Linda will show you how to upcycle basic materials into beautiful painted papers that will be perfect for use in a variety of projects.

Make your own beautiful painted papers with this easy batik technique. They’ll be perfect for using in your sketchbook and mixed media work.

A flip-through video two concertina books made using plant printed pages. See how Linda’s worked into the plant prints with collage, drawing and painting.

Extend your monoprint technique library with this collection of video workshops. We’ll show you how to create a painted monoprint, work with stamps to create pattern and a great method for monoprinted frames. All of these techniques are ideal for working on paper or fabric.

A traveller’s journal or notebook is an ingenious idea of a refillable cover which can hold a range of booklets. In this collection of workshops we’ll show you how to make your own beautiful fabric cover and binding. Next you’ll learn how to make booklets to pop inside and we’ll share ideas of what to fill it with!

Who can resist a touch of gold? Discover how to add that metallic gleam to your paper and fabric projects. In this workshop collection we’ll show you how to add gold using a variety of media from pens to ink and gold leaf. Learn how to apply gold to your sketchbook pages and to fabric.

Do you have a set of Derwent Inktense pencils, or blocks? In this collection of videos we’ll demonstrate a diverse approach to using them in your work on paper and fabric. See how to make rubbings, use them to colour fabric, add colour to your altered books and even print with them. There are four workshops in this collection.

In this collection you’ll find a selection of workshops exploring the use of ink. We’ll show you how you can combine acrylic ink and acrylic paint, use gouache as a resist for Indian ink, and make mixed media drawings with watercolour pencils and writing ink.

Experiment with a range of different media with your drawing approach. Try a painterly style with oil pastels, restrict yourself with a limited range of media for a sketchbook study, and experiment with layering in your drawing using pen, coloured pencil and wash.

Finding inspiration from a collection of objects, Linda works with bleach, ink and soft pastels to create a sketchbook page before developing the ideas onto fabric with fabric pastels and stitch. There are three workshops in this collection.

Take a page by page look through one of Laura’s sketchbooks as she describes the media, techniques and ideas she uses. Get a feel for the different ways you can use a sketchbook and be inspired to start your own.

Variety of art mediums is the way to get lots of mileage from a single source of inspiration in a sketchbook.

In this archive collection of 5 video workshops join Linda and Laura to print, bind and work into your very own sketchbook.

We’ve been experimenting with 3D printers to make rubbing plates. Take a look at how we’ve been getting on…

In this archive collection of 3 video workshops Linda will show you how simple cardboard can be used to make a print plate which can be inked in a similar way to a traditional etching. See how to print from the plate without using an expensive press, and how you can finally tint the print to make each one unique.

In this archive collection of 5 video workshops Laura will guide you through one approach to finding inspiration for your next project, from sourcing inspirational images to creating interesting layered sketchbook pages.

Are you up for a challenge? How about working along with Linda as she records events, people and places in a visual art diary? It’s a fascinating way to approach a creative challenge – you just let your imagination respond to each day as it happens. In this archive collection you’ll be encouraged to collect inspirational material, write, draw, print, paint and stitch – before you know it you’ll have experimented with a huge range of art techniques and you’ll have a sketchbook bursting with ideas to inspire future work!

In this collection you’ll discover four video workshops where Linda will demonstrate everything you need to know to use the simple technique of rubbings in a variety of creative ways to make beautiful pages in your sketchbook. Linda will then demonstrate how she uses the sketchbook ideas to inspire a lovely stitched appliqué panel using the same rubbing technique directly to fabric.

Linda’s enjoying more sketchbook drawing and painting today. With spring in the air the garden provides the inspiration.

See how Linda is making one of Laura’s printed sketchbooks her own!

Are you always nervous about getting started in a new sketchbook? Do the pristine pages scare you? Let me reassure you that you’re not alone! In this collection of three videos you’ll learn how to lose the blank, white page quickly and easily. Laura shows how she gets lots of glorious colour on her pages using water based paints, drawing inks and soluble pastels. She demonstrates step by step how she produces fascinating background effects for her sketchbook and art journaling work and how she constantly evaluates and responds to what she’s created on the page.

Take a peek at pages from Laura’s sketchbooks.

In this collection of three video workshops Laura demonstrates exciting techniques to design and construct your own unique book forms and decorative covers. She explains exactly how to achieve a simple stitched binding, how to create totally unique folded books from multisided geometric shapes and how to personalise the covers of an altered book using a decorative felt wrap. Watch these step by step instructions and you’ll have everything you need to know to make your own highly individual examples!

Laura’s art kit essentials for sketchbook working on the go.

Get your workspace ready! It sounds like procrastination, but seriously, sharpen those pencils…

Laura shares her tips for getting started on a new project.

Laura’s tips for developing a sketchbook habit.

Learn how to use watersoluble pencils on paper and fabric.

Take a look at Linda’s drawings of poppies using Derwent Graphitint pencils.

Find out what Linda’s art essentials are for sketchbook work…

Learn some simple tricks, cheats and techniques to help improve your drawing skills.

This is the perfect ice-breaker to tackle those blank white pages in your sketchbook or art journal. Apply colour with this fast and fuss-free approach which is perfect for combining with other layering techniques.

Think of collagraph as a mix between collage and print. In this two-part workshop find out how to make your own collaged plate from simple materials. Then see how to ink and print the plate using nothing more than a pasta machine in lieu of a print press.

In Archive 3 you’ll find a lively mix of some of the very first shows we taped for DMTV. Ranging from discharge printing, through altered books and free motion quilting, there’s lots to inspire.

Inspired by butterflies, Linda demonstrates creative ways to fill your sketchbook with exciting and vibrant images. Techniques include ink resist, collage, masks and stencils.

Linda demonstrates how to make sheets of recycled paper at home using simple equipment.

An extended course of four Modules which includes a printable PDF instructional workbook and over 45 video demonstrations. Sign up any time and work at your own pace.

Free Video Workshop – Whether you’re nervous of drawing, or are just looking for a new sketchbook technique, why not consider using tracing?

Waxed papers are perfect for paper and stitch projects. Join Linda to find out how to make your own.