IMPORTANT: RENTAL INFORMATION
Please Note: Purchasing this series grants rental access for 12 months (streaming only). This is not a file download.
Watch Part One for FREE here: https://youtu.be/1LEWfX2bIXI
Experimental Mark-Making with Erin Byrne
Come and get inky! In this exciting 6-part series, artist Erin Byrne demonstrates experimental techniques in real-time to help you refresh your art practice, find your unique ‘mark-making’ voice, and connect with your intuition.
Together, we will explore action painting and mark-making using unconventional tools and materials at various scales. By the end of the series, you will have created your own handmade sketchbook, a collection of compositions, collage papers, and a toolkit of new skills to use at home.
Who is this for? All experience levels are welcome! These sessions are designed to reduce stress, encourage play, and promote an open approach to art.
For Painters: loosen up your style and overcome perfectionism.
For Photographers: Apply these techniques to creative approaches like layering, textures, and composites.
SERIES OUTLINE
Session 1: Introduction to Expressive Mark-Making We explore the emotional power of the mark, its place in art history, and the tools used to create it.
Demo: Exploring pencils, pens, inks, and brushes.
Exercises: Warm-ups focusing on pressure, speed, and rhythm; filling a sketchbook with spontaneous marks.
Session 2: Gesture and Movement Learn how physical movement affects your art. We cover gesture drawing, body-led expression, and the connection between music and marks.
Demo: Standing drawing and drawing to music (fast vs. slow tempo).
Exercises: Blind drawing and non-dominant hand challenges.
Session 3: Tools and Unconventional Materials Think outside the box! We expand our toolkit using twigs, credit cards, sponges, and feathers. We will look at surface interactions (paper, cardboard, fabric) and learn to embrace "happy accidents."
Demo: Mark-making with non-art tools.
Technique: Layering textures with wet and dry media; exploratory surface preparation.
Session 4: Emotional Expression through Marks Delve into visual communication. Learn to convey mood (joy, anger, calm) via texture and line, avoiding illustration in favor of pure abstract feeling.
Demo: Using contrast (silence vs. noise, big vs. small).
Technique: Color choices, acrylic glazes, and smudging.
Session 5: Working at Scale and in Series We scale up using large rolls of decorator's lining paper and the whole body. Learn to develop your own visual language and use mark-making as a form of meditation.
Demo: Creating a large-scale piece.
Theory: Using repetition, variation, and balance to build cohesion in abstract work.
Session 6: Integration and Personal Style Reflect on your learned techniques to identify your personal style. We will determine which marks you enjoy most to help you evolve your practice at home.
Demo: A final piece combining all previous techniques (layering, scratching, erasing).
Project: Create a unique bound cover for your own handmade sketchbook.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
Real-Time Demonstrations: 40-minute demos in every session where you witness Erin’s techniques and creative process first-hand.
The Sharing Board: Access to a digital space to post your work, share ideas, and connect with other participants.
Flexible Access: Learn at your own pace. You can watch and re-watch the series for 12 months after the final session (until October 2026).
Expert Guidance: Gain exclusive insights into Erin's process, from sketchbook work to large-scale abstraction.
MATERIALS LIST
You don't need expensive equipment to start. Here are the recommended supplies:
Paper & Surfaces:
A4 or A3 loose cartridge/mixed media paper (220gsm+)
Roll of decorator’s lining paper
Kitchen/paper towels
Drawing Tools:
Pencils (2B, 6B), charcoal, ballpoint pen, ink pen
Graphite stick or pencil crayons
Erasers (regular and kneaded)
Paint & Ink:
Indian ink
Water jar & rag (for blending)
Glass jars or plastic jugs (to water down inks)
Tools & Brushes:
Large hog-hair decorator brushes
Variety of art brushes (small, round, square)
Unconventional tools: Feathers, string, grasses, twigs, credit cards
Masking tape, cutting mat, metal ruler, and craft knife
ABOUT ERIN
Erin Byrne is a painter and printmaker based in Kent. After 15 years in architecture and urban design, Erin pivoted to follow her deepest passion—Fine Art. She currently works in the Visual Arts department at Canterbury College and runs freelance workshops in London and Kent.
Erin is inspired by the sensory play of light in architecture and loves to let incidental distortion and abstraction inform her work. She blends painterly aspects of traditional and digital print methods, including mono-screenprinting, linocut, and Giclee.
Her teaching objective is simple: to help participants loosen up, find their creative side, and - most importantly - have fun!
Connect with Erin:
Website: www.erinbyrne.co.uk
Instagram: @erinbyrne_artist
Facebook: Erin Byrne - Art
