Category: Charity

Charity Week

28/10/2018

Positive postcards.

In the teaching standards, teachers are required to fulfil wider professional responsibilities and one part of this is to make a positive contribution to the wider life and ethos of the school. One way to do this is to engage in enrichment activities, which includes school clubs, I'm currently helping with the photography club, and during week commencing 15th October it was my house's charity week and below is how I was involved.

Firstly, I arranged a fund raising activity, which took part in the morning breaks. My original idea was to have a postcard auction. However, after talking to the house manager we adapted the idea for the students to buy cards, decorate them, and then they would be delivered by the prefects around the school. On the back of the cards, I filled it with information about our house's chosen charity: the Breck Foundation. I then designed a poster, which had a slot for physically mailing the cards through.

Tuesday lunchtime I helped some students with cake baking. I can't remember the last time I applied Royal Icing, so that was a challenge. On Friday, I was part of the team of teachers fielding in a game of Rapid Rounders, which was fun especially as it was a lovely sunny lunchtime.

Experimenting with Mixed Media

18/1/2015

Before Christmas, I taught Sketching Fun in Sanctus, a charity for the homeless and vulnerable, and they were so pleased that on the 9th I heard that they had requested I teach them a mixed media course, starting just 10 days later.

Now, as you know, I work in 2D and specialise in pen & ink, so I put a plea for help on facebook and twitter to gather ideas and plan a 7 week course with a buget of just $2 per person for the whole course. After reading several online articles, I started my first project. Below are the discovery stages and final result. (Don't forget you can click on images to enlarge)

Next up, collage, which I last did to cover my paper art folder in school... or was that decoupage? Help! Luckily, the start has been delayed a week and I have until Wednesday 28th to work this all out.

Any mixed media tips or ideas you'd like to share? Links to your mixed media work welcome! Just leave them in the comments. Thanks.

Jimmy

6/12/2014

Jimmy drawing. Pencil in moleskin sketchbook.

On a cold, grey, drizzly Thursday, Jimmy had his lunch at Sanctus then sat in my art class. Jimmy was refered to by the others as being a "Diddycoy", which is an old, often derogatory term, for someone who's parentage is not full gypsy. He is a lovely, cheerful, uneducated, old man speaking a dialect that I only understood one in three words. I gave him some paper and a pencil and he drew me drawings of the wagons (horse drawn carts and gypsy caravans) his dad used to make. He's had a hard life, if I understood half of the stories he told, and it is compounded now by his love of drink (he was sober) and health problems. He is very trusting, asking me to check his perscriptions for him, and loves talking. I don't know if I'm allowed to have him sit in with us, but I hope he comes back at least to stay out of the cold.

A proud man with his drawing. Photo taken/used with his permission.

You can help people like Jimmy get a meal by donating to Sanctus here: sanctus-home.com

Down but not out.

28/11/2014

Dave. Pencil in moleskin.

I have been taken on as an art tutor for the charity WEA (wea.org.uk). My first course started on Thursday and I'm working at the charity Sanctus (sanctus-home.com) in their cafe. All the participants are homeless, destitute or have fallen on hard times. As Sanctus say, "We are not here to judge, but to help and act as a resource for the community" and my course is both a gentle way into education and also, hopefully, aids the participants' health and wellbeing (confidence building, social engagement etc).

From Class 1: working on contour portraits.

On Thursday, I have to confess, apart from nerves of running a new course for a new employer AND it was the first time the WEA and Sanctus have worked together, I was nervous as I have only interacted with this community in a limited way (buying The Big Issue) and stereotypes were running around my head. After just 2 sessions, I am so pleased the stereotypes are wrong. I feel I am learning more than the guys.

Sweep joins the 2nd class.

There's not much time to draw when you are the class tutor, but above top is a incomplete sketch of Dave, who's very sweet and also a good drawer.

Sketch Muscat for Charity & WWSketchCrawl #43

22/4/2014

Saturday was my fourth annual charity event. It started with an idea from Enrico Casarosa, creator of Worldwide SketchCrawl, who suggested that the 2011 April SketchCrawl should be a benefit drawing marathon for Japan's Tsunami relief. I arranged an event in Doha and on a rainy day, a small group of us gathered to sketch. With sponsorship and donations from participants, we raised US$470.

After the success of that event, I decided to do something annually choosing a different charity each time. In 2012, I organised Sketch Muscat to raise funds for the Omani Cancer Association. I chose a cancer charity partially as a local charity (I'd moved countries) but mainly as I had a friend who was going through treatment for breast cancer and it is partially due to her awareness and quick action (& good medical treatment) that she received an all-clear. That time US$430 was raised.

Last year, I chose a small local charity, Awladna, to raise funds for their children's road safety campaign. We raised a massive US$530 with which the charity bought children's bicycle helmets. Which leads me to this year and helping more children, but this year the funds are in aid of UNICEF's #ChildrenofSyria appeal. Living in the Middle East this is something that is regional, but I feel we should help to stop children's suffering wherever we live.

As this year seems hotter than the last two, I approached the gallery manager of MuscArt to see if I could use their gallery as the venue, which the owner quickly agreed too. It is a great space with duel aspect windows on to the cityscape and we set up still-lifes inside too.
I love that my Sketch Muscat events attract children. This was by Khalid, aged 12.

As well as collecting at the event, I set up a donation site, which remains open until July. So far I've raised $276 (£164.50) there, but more donations are appreciated. Please click the link:
fundraise.unicef.org.uk/MyPage/Sue-Pownalls-annual-fundraiserSketch-Muscat-for-Charity

The donation site funds go direct to: UNICEF UK
The money raised at the event will be presented by cheque to UNICEF Middle East and North Africa 's Oman office.

Here are the event totals:

*****
WWSketchCrawl #43:

As people here are reluctant to visit different locations to sketch, I did a quick sketch at home before I nervously went to see if anyone would turn up for the event. On my return, I got out my sketchbook but Degas demanded attention after being left all day, so I ended up with a 2 point SketchCrawl. I used Van Gogh watercolours (from #uskbcn2013) as my W&N were already packed in my bag. The actual painting is a lot brighter than it seems in this photo.

Garden pARTy

16/4/2014

I issued an invitation to some of my friends to a little art event at my home. Although it was a garden party, as this year is incredibly hot already, we were inside.

My lovely friend Elena is a choreographer and former ballerina and I asked her if she would model for us. Over the afternoon we sketched a series of short poses 1, 5 and 10 minutes, which really made us focus.

My assistant was very keen to help and checked drawings, equipment, stopped Elena getting bored, and even did some modeling. Unfortunately she couldn't hold a pose for more than 5 seconds.

I used Inktense pencils in an A4 Daler Ebony sketchbook and Elena is so flexible that some poses she struck seemed impossible, and looked very strange in the drawings, even when accurate.

*****
My fundraiser in aid of UNICEF's #childrenofsyria appeal is this Saturday!
Full details are here: SketchMuscatforCharity

See you there or you can donate here on my UNICEF Fundraiser page:
Sue-Pownalls-annual-fundraiserSketch-Muscat-for-Charity

Sketch Muscat for charity - the results

25/7/2013

In April, my annual sketching event raised funds for the Awladna Campaign for Kids Road Safety. I handed over a total of 205 Omani rials ($531 / £350 / 410€). I recently received an email stating that the money was used to purchase 50 cycle helmets. These photo shows a few of them.

Thanks to everyone who participated and donated to the event.

Photos courtesy of charity founder Amal AlZadjali

Sketch Muscat for Charity / WWSketchCrawl #39

22/4/2013

Watercolour only, no under drawing.

On Thursday 11th April, I held my annual sketching event for charity. As with previous years, the date was chosen to coincide with the April Worldwide SketchCrawl (see www.sketchcrawl.com for more info).

About 15 of us turned up including a couple of families who had super-enthusiastic children.

Several young Omanis joined in, never having sketched like this before. Along with Aziz and myself they were then interviewed for the local press (but it's not been published so far).

I am still collecting money from people who sponsored me, but it looks like I have raised 205 Omani rials ($535), which I shall give to the charity next week.

*****
My next post will explain the delay in posting, unless you follow me on facebook (www.facebook.com/SuePownallArtist), then you will already know.

Sketch Muscat for charity

27/3/2013

My annual sketching event for charity is coming up on the 11th April. I'm trying to beat the totals from the last two years and encouraging people to attend and/or donate as much as possible.

This year, I am again raising money for an Omani charity. Awladna promotes children's safety whether on the roads or in the home.

More details are on the facebook event page: Sketch Muscat for charity

IF: tree

14/11/2012

This week's topic for Illustration Friday is tree and I thought I would share this old drawing from 2011. Limited edition giclée prints are available through my website shop and would make a great Christmas gift.