Image making workshops at the Fulbridge Academy
– Pirates!
14.7.14
Shiver me timbers! It was back to the good ship ‘Fulbridge Academy’ this morning to lead the second of two portrait themed workshops. However the approach today had a distinct contrast with the previous session.
To begin with the day had a Pirate theme and according to pirate name generator site http://pirate.namegeneratorfun.com/, my name for the day was Toby ‘Throat Slasher’ Raw, “The Keelhauler of Cutlass Haven!”. Well I’ll be the son of a biscuit eater! As the Million Pound Radio Show Pirate Sketch confirmed several years ago, pirates only speaks in the present tense does pirates, and any scurvy dogs found employing the past participle was either strung up from the yardarm, sent off for a training day in Eastbourne or thrown in the crèche!
I was accompanied this time by my very good chum, author, illustrator and fellow pirate Vince ‘Silver Tooth’ Fry, “The Wencher of Crocodile Bay!” (aka Nick Ward). While ‘Silver Tooth’ worked with the lads and lassies reading extracts from Charlie Small’s journal ‘Pirate Galleon‘ and then designing treasure maps, I picked up the subject of my previous portrait workshop to produce illustrations for some pirate themed ‘Wanted’ posters.
I presented a couple of portraits by Leonardo and Rembrandt to the little landlubbers, and the distorted facial images produced by Modigliani and the portrait of Joshua Smith by William Dobell to ask the question, ‘When does distortion become caricature?’ I then showed grotesque caricature portraits by Leonardo, followed by work by Honoré Daumier, Gerald Scarfe and Ralph Steadman.
The drawings produced were an adventurous development as a continuation of the previous formal session, and the collection of Pirate portraits produced today presented some pretty scary characters. A motley crew of Sea Dogs and Bucko’s if ever there was one. Blackbeard, Long John Silver, Captain Pugwash, Jack Sparrow and Johnny Kidd would have been proud of ’em! Avast ye, me Hearties!
Fulbridge Academy, Keeton Rd, Peterborough PE1 3JQ
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