Our First Skillshare Class: Fun Ink Textures Anyone Can Make
We have great news: we’ve joined the Skillshare family! We know many of you can’t join our workshops in person, so we decided to create some online classes for you guys :)
Our first class, Fun Ink Textures Anyone Can Make is already up, and we can’t wait to see what you think!
When we first started Zukuri Club, we always planned to do online classes, but we never knew when. We both have busy schedules, Patricia has a full-time job as a designer, and I’m a freelance writer.
After nearly two years of organizing workshops, we finally decided to sit down and plan it. I was already using Skillshare to learn new crafts like illustration and pattern design, so I figured that would be a great place to start.
If you’re not familiar with Skillshare, it’s a learning platform for creators that offers anything from web design to photography classes. It’s basically how I spend my weekends.
Like our workshops, we designed our class for beginners, but also for artists who want to learn new ways of adding textures to their paintings.
If you missed our Chinese Ink workshop, now’s your chance to learn some fun techniques like bubble painting and oil marbling. All this, with a few materials that you probably have lying around the house!
In the end, you’ll create a piece of artwork using your favorite texture(s). You can frame it on your wall, or you give it as a present to a friend, it’s up to you.
We would love to hear your feedback and see your creations, so make sure to share some pictures :)
Since this is our first class, we decided to give you free access forever! Yup, it’s free. And if you follow this link, you’ll also get two free months on Skillshare. That gives you plenty of time to explore a few other creative classes too!
So, next time you have a free weekend, why don’t you do you something creative with us?
Back in October, as Lisbon prepared for a big storm, we were getting ready for our Weaving Workshop.
Weaving can take ages, so to make things easier we decided to create something small — a coaster.
Our first task was to build a loom, the essential tool for weaving. You can find pre-made looms everywhere, usually out of wood, but we decided to make our own with cardboard.
Once we finished, we warped the loom with a thread and began weaving one row at a time.
We brought a variety of yarns to the table, mostly inspired by the colors of fall, but let everyone pick their favorite colors!
We were lucky to get the yarns from Capuchinhas, a small shop located in the Castro Daire village where Patrícia’s aunts work.
Since there was no fixed design for the project, each person created something different :)
Workshop de Introdução à Tecelagem
Em Outubro, enquanto Lisboa se preparava para uma grande tempestade, nós preparávamos o nosso Workshop de Tecelagem.
Tecer é uma tarefa demorada, por isso decidimos começar com algo pequeno — uma base para copos.
A nossa primeira tarefa foi criar um tear, a ferramenta essencial para tecer. Pode-se encontrar teares já feitos em qualquer sítio, normalmente de madeira, mas nós decidimos fazer um de cartão.
Assim que terminámos, colocámos o fio à volta do tear e começámos a tecer uma linha de cada vez.
Trouxemos uma variedade de fios para o workshop, a maioria inspirados nas cores do Outono e demos total liberdade para usarem o que quiserem!
Tivemos muita sorte em receber os fios das Capuchinhas, uma pequena loja em Castro Daire, onde as tias da Patrícia trabalham.
Como não havia um design fixo para o projecto, cada um criou algo diferente :)
After many requests, we finally organized our first Illustration Workshop!
Who knew we would have picked gouache to do it though?
Standing between watercolor and acrylic, gouache is still a very underrated paint. You probably used it when you were a kid and then forgot all about it (we did)!
What’s so special about this paint then? Well, it’s extremely versatile, allowing you to create both watery and opaque textures and very forgiving since you can cover up any mistake with a new layer of paint.
A lot of illustrators today are using gouache to create their illustrations because of its vivid colors. We absolutely love them :)
Illustration can be a bit overwhelming at first, so we broke it down into a series of simple steps: sketching, color theory and textures.
During the sketching stage we trained our wrists by drawing a series of shapes with a pencil.
For the color theory, we painted a color mix sample featuring the primary and secondary colors. This was a great way to test a color palette for the final illustrations!
Then, we created textures by playing around with the brushes in different directions.
With all of this in mind, we were ready to move on to stage II - illustrating a house.
We gave the house pictures but everyone was free to create their own illustrations. Some people changed the colors of the house, some added extra details and others just invented their own house and that's what's fascinating to see!
Workshop de Ilustração com Guache
Depois de muitos pedidos, finalmente decidimos organizar o nosso primeiro Workshop de Ilustração!
Mas quem diria que iríamos escolher guache para fazê-lo?
O guache está entre a aguarela e o acrílico, mas não se fala muito dele. Provavelmente quando eram mais novos usavam guache mas depois esqueceram-se completamente dele (foi o nosso caso)!
Então porque é que esta tinta é tão especial? Bem, para já é extremamente versátil, permitindo criar tanto texturas aguadas como opacas e depois porque é muito fácil de cobrir erros com uma nova camada de tinta.
Hoje em dia muitos ilustradores e ilustradoras usam o guache para as suas ilustrações por causa das suas cores vívidas. Nós adoramos ver :)
A ilustração pode ser um processo complicado à primeira vista por isso dividimos a tarefa numa série de passos simples: esboçar, teoria da cor e texturas.
Na fase do esboço treinámos os nossos pulsos ao desenhar várias formas com o lápis.
Para a teoria da cor pintámos uma pequena amostra de mistura de cores que incluía as cores primárias e secundárias. Isto foi uma óptima maneira de testar uma palete de cores para as ilustrações finais!
Depois, criámos texturas brincando com os pincéis em diferentes direcções.
Com isto tudo em mente, estávamos prontos para passar à segunda fase- ilustrar uma casa.
Nós demos as fotos das casas mas cada um foi livre de criar as suas próprias ilustrações. Algumas pessoas mudaram as cores da casa, algumas adicionaram detalhes extra e outras simplesmente inventaram a sua própria casa e isso é que é giro de se ver!
June is the month of sardines, manjericos and non-stop partying!
Inspired by Lisbon’s festivities last month we decided to organize a special Embroidery Workshop featuring, you guessed it - sardines and manjericos :)
We started by sewing tiny manjericos on a tote bag. Once the girls got familiar with the stitches, we moved on to the sardines and that’s where their imagination flowed!
For those who are not familiar with this Summer festival. It’s a time where locals celebrate Saint Anthony, the patron saint of many places around Portugal. The streets are packed with food stalls selling sardines and bifanas (pork sandwiches) and everyone's out partying pretty much every night, especially in the areas of Alfama and Bica.
During this time you’ll also see a lot of people selling manjericos - a plant that is similar to basil and is offered as a symbol of love between couples. Kind of like Valentine’s Day in June.
For me, the best thing about this workshop is that when they walk around the streets with the bag and someone asks them where did they get it, they can proudly reply - I made it myself!
Workshop de Bordado em Saco de Pano (Edição Santos Lisboa)
Junho é o mês das sardinhas, dos manjericos e das festas que duram a noite inteira!
Inspiradas nas Festas de Lisboa no mês passado, decidimos organizar um Workshop de Bordado especial e claro que não nos podíamos esquecer das sardinhas e dos manjericos :)
Começámos por bordar pequenos manjericos num saco. Assim que as meninas se familiarizaram com os pontos, passámos para as sardinhas e foi aí que elas deram asas à sua imaginação!
Para quem não conhece este festival de verão, é uma altura em que os locais celebram o Santo António, o santo padroeiro de vários sítios em Portugal. As ruas enchem-se de bancas de comida que vendem sardinhas e bifanas e toda gente sai à rua para festejar quase todas as noites, especialmente em Alfama e na Bica.
Durante o festival também se vêem muitas pessoas a vender manjericos - uma planta parecida com o manjericão que simboliza o amor entre namorados - é quase como o Dia de S.Valentim em Junho.
Para mim, o melhor deste workshop é que quando elas estiverem a passear na rua com o saco e alguém lhes perguntar onde é que o arranjaram, elas podem responder orgulhosas - fui eu que o fiz!
It was in April 2017 that Joana and I reunited after a break of almost 6 years in our friendship. It wasn’t a premeditated break, we just grow up and follow different paths.
In that same month, we shared our passion for “pretty” things. But Patrícia, what do you mean with pretty things? Pretty things are imperfect things, things that we give life to, it’s everything that has been created, thought of and accomplished by someone. To us, it was ceramics.
It didn’t take long for us to start going to a small free ceramics workshop in an atelier that served brunches. We would learn how to make plates and at the end, they would keep them, which thinking about it now, I never really got a chance to see the final result of my pieces. I hope someone is enjoying the plates for me. Oh well, I’m starting to digress…
It was 3 or 4 weeks, every Saturday, catching buses, a train and the metro to go to Rossio make plates, watch them break and have fun talking about arts and crafts with Joana, Marta (a friend of Joana) and a few foreigners that were working in Lisbon and took advantage of the workshop to meet new people.
For a while, it was fun and motivating until I lost interest in what I was doing. Those who know me well know that this is perfectly normal. Everything is fine until I miss doing something different and better.
And then Joana shared something with me that left me motivated again: “Have you thought about having a space where people could share their knowledge and different crafts with each other?” It was at that exact moment that I saw the light at the end of the tunnel… A space where I would never have to feel discouraged or lose interest because I would always be learning and making new and different things - it sounded perfect!
Everything happened so fast between April and June. The three of us (me, Joana and Marta) decided to create the club and we already had a name for it - Zukuri Club - but we were missing all the rest. Three girls with an idea but at the same time lost...and almost like magic Lean In showed up. What is Lean In? That’s a good question, I can’t even count the number of times I had to explain what it was. I should know by now what to say, but I don’t, so I took an excerpt from the website:
“Women in over 160 countries have joined the Lean In community. Members meet in small groups called Lean In Circles about once a month to support each other and learn new skills. They talk openly about their ambitions and encourage each other to take on new challenges. Together, they are going further and standing up for equality.”
To keep it short, we went to the first Lean In meeting in Lisbon and got to know its representative, Agata Zborowska, and many other women eager to create something. It's hard to imagine, but for me, seeing a room with so many motivated women, full of ambitions and focused on their path as professionals, left me shivering.
There was a moment when we all introduced ourselves and talked a bit more about our work journey and what we saw in our future. It felt really good to know that we weren’t the only ones who felt lost. There were a lot of people there looking for contacts, but there were also women with questions and concerns about their journeys.
And then it was time to talk a little bit about our project, which had a very good reception from everyone, but most importantly from Agata. “The Lean In group could be your very first test” - she said. Needless to say, we went running back home thinking of strategies for our first creative encounter.
With all this, we were already in June and we had until the end of the month to create a concept, a logo, a website, an Instagram, the structure of the first workshop and buy all the materials. Of course, with this tight schedule we ended up losing a few of our initial ideas and we also lost one of the three musketeers, Marta. There was only me, Joana and many uncertainties left, but we got there in the end!
The first Zukuri Club workshop was on the 5th of August of 2017. In a place for 15 people, 11 women showed up eager to learn and create. As expected, we were nervous but within seconds the nerves disappeared when we realized that everyone was having fun with their artwork.
It felt so good to see their smiles and receive congratulations, especially from Agata. But it’s after the congratulations that we are left with a subject that still leaves us a bit uncomfortable - money. And what was our profit? (which wasn’t even a profit because we didn’t charge the time we spent preparing the workshop) 17€! And you know what we did with those 17€? We went out to eat a fancy salad in an even fancier place!
It sounds easy to budget the number of hours we spent preparing and organizing the workshop, but it’s not! Especially when you’ve never organized an event like this before and you have no idea how long it will take you, when you’re not a professional so you can’t charge what professionals charge and “even more” because you have a little voice in your head saying you could have done better and it wasn’t as cool as you think it was. This little voice isn’t a person, it’s just me doubting myself. So, we decided to raise the bar for each workshop we organized.
And that’s exactly what we did. Until the end of the year, we organized 1 event per month. In November, we organized the first workshop without the support of Agata, for those who came to Lisbon for the Web Summit. This was the first workshop where the profit exceeded our expectations. It was a great feeling and a little extra in our wallets!
Between August and December, we started to adjust the cost of the workshops according to the techniques, the materials we bought and the time it took us to prepare and structure everything. Are we charging what’s fair both for us and the participants? As incredible as it sounds, to this day this is a subject that still haunts us…
After a break in January to organize our lives, we came back in February with an idea to organize 2 events per month. Now, two people with full-time jobs, activities and a social life, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into!
And so begins the New Year, in a different venue because the first venue we were renting was no longer available, a few life concerns and work changes but we kept going.
Everything was going smoothly until April when the second venue told us that we couldn’t continue renting the room for just 2 hours and that the price was going to change. We had been through this in January, we knew it was going to be a huge struggle to find another place to organize our events, but with the knowledge and commitment of Joana, we ended up at Heden in Graça.
We took advantage of the change of scenery to restructure the workshops, review the cost and we left the Lean In nest to start this journey on our own. The idea would be: One weekend we would repeat a technique, have a break to structure the next one, and the next weekend we would learn a new technique. So far, it seemed okay.
I’m not going to lie and say everything was going perfect, it wasn’t...To me, the venue is far. I live in Tires, every other weekend I have to go to Lisbon, leave the house at 1:30 pm, get three buses, get off in Martim Moniz and climb one of the crazy seven hills of Lisbon for the workshop that is at 4 pm. Then, I have to do it all again but backwards. The workshop ends at 6 pm and I get home around 9 pm. It’s pretty tough! And it was at that point that I fell apart and ended up passing that demotivation to Zukuri.
As you would expect, after so many changes at once, something just collapsed. We had our first defeat. This defeat for us meant that we didn’t have enough people signing up for a workshop so it had to be canceled. I still have nightmares and I dare say feel ashamed every time I see the Zukuri events on Facebook and I see that an event was “Canceled”
Apart from that, we had to cancel another, which was equally unpleasant.
It was almost two months of demotivation and little desire to organize anything, but this is where friendship plays an important role.
All this time Joana and I never had a single argument. All the steps we take, we take them together without ever doubting each other. That doesn’t mean we always agree with everything, if we disagree, we find a middle ground.
Before we’re partners in this project, we’re friends and I have a feeling that friends always know what’s going on and when something is not right.
Consciously or unconsciously I think there was something between the two of us that bloomed again, almost like a plant that hasn’t flourished for some time and when you change it to a different a place and stir the soil the flower grows. It happens a lot with orchids!
It was on a Saturday morning, after a “Good morning, we received a registration in our email” that I find myself and Joana finishing everything that was pending in the organization of the workshops scheduled until July. It only took a few minutes of joint motivation to fix what to me seemed unfixable.
All this to say that this adventure has been great and I don’t feel like our failures have been that much of failure but a small bump on the way that woke me up and got me in the right place again. It feels good to acknowledge the fears and concerns, but it feels even better to recognize them.
Going back to the beginning, I think learning new things isn’t what motivates me after all, but surrounding myself with creative people and sharing what I know with them.
I’m not sure what I wanted to accomplish with this text. I think it turned out to be an outburst of an experience that I never thought I would be going through, but I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved so far that I would like that everyone who thinks Zukuri is just workshops knew that Zukuri Club is much more than just workshops.
Foi em Abril de 2017 que eu e a Joana nos reunimos após uma pausa de quase 6 anos na nossa amizade. Não foi uma pausa propositada, apenas vamos crescendo e vamos seguindo outros caminhos.
Foi nesse mesmo mês que partilhámos a nossa paixão por coisas “bonitas”. Mas oh Patrícia o que são coisas bonitas? Coisas bonitas são coisas imperfeitas, coisas ao qual damos vida, é tudo o que foi criado, pensado e concretizado por alguém. Para nós, foi a cerâmica.
Não tardou muito para começarmos a ir juntas a um pequeno workshop grátis de cerâmica num atelier que servia brunches. Aprendíamos a fazer pratos e no final o teu trabalho ficava para uso do espaço, o que pensando melhor agora que escrevo isto, nunca cheguei a ver o resultado final das minhas peças. Espero que alguém esteja a usufruir dos pratos por mim. Mas pronto, já estou a divagar...
Foram 3 ou 4 semanas, todos os sábados a apanhar autocarros, o comboio e o metro para ir para o Rossio fazer pratos, vê-los partir e divertir-me com conversas sobre arte e artesanato com a Joana, a Marta (uma amiga da Joana) e alguns estrangeiros que estavam a trabalhar em Lisboa que aproveitavam o workshop para conhecer pessoas novas.
Foi divertido e motivador para mim durante algum tempo, até perder o interesse pelo que estava a fazer. Para quem me conhece bem, sabe que isto é perfeitamente normal, está tudo bem até sentir a falta de fazer algo diferente e melhor. Foi nessa altura que a Joana partilhou algo comigo que me deixou motivada de novo: “Já pensaram se houvesse um espaço onde as pessoas pudessem partilhar conhecimentos, e diferentes artes umas com as outras?” E foi aí, nesse preciso momento que uma luzinha apareceu ao fundo do túnel...Um espaço onde nunca me iria sentir desmotivada nem perder interesse, porque estaria sempre a aprender e a fazer coisas novas e diferentes - era perfeito!
De Abril até Junho passou tudo a correr, as três (eu, a Joana e a Marta) decidimos criar o clube e até já tínhamos nome - Zukuri Club - mas faltava tudo o resto. Três moças com uma ideia mas ao mesmo tempo perdidas...e foi como que por magia que apareceu o Lean In. O que é o Lean In? Ora boa pergunta, já nem consigo contar pelos dedos as vezes que tentei explicar o que era. Por esta altura já deveria saber de cór e salteado o que dizer, mas não, por isso retirei um excerto do site:
“Women in over 160 countries have joined the Lean In community. Members meet in small groups called Lean In Circles about once a month to support each other and learn new skills. They talk openly about their ambitions and encourage each other to take on new challenges. Together, they are going further and standing up for equality.”
Foto: leanin.org
Muito resumidamente, fomos ao primeiro encontro Lean in em Lisboa e ficámos a conhecer a sua representante Agata Zborowska e muitas mulheres cheias de vontade de criar algo. É difícil de imaginar, mas para mim ver uma sala com tantas mulheres motivadas, cheias de ambições e focadas no seu caminho como profissionais, deixou-me arrepiada.
Houve um momento em que todas nos apresentámos e falámos um pouco sobre a nossa jornada no mundo do trabalho e o que víamos no nosso futuro. Soube muito bem saber que não éramos as únicas que nos sentíamos perdidas. Naquele grupo, para além de estar muita gente à procura de contactos, havia também algumas mulheres com algumas questões e preocupações sobre as suas caminhadas. Chegou a vez de falarmos um pouco sobre o nosso projeto que até teve um receção bastante boa por parte de todas mas mais importante por parte da Agata: - “O grupo Lean in pode ser o vosso primeiro teste!” Escusado será dizer que fomos a correr para casa a pensar em estratégias para o nosso primeiro encontro criativo.
Com tudo isto, já estávamos em Junho e tínhamos até ao final do mês para criar um conceito, um logo, um site, um Instagram, a estrutura do primeiro encontro e comprar os materiais todos. Claro que com este timing apertado fomos perdendo pelo caminho algumas ideias iniciais e acabámos também por perder uma das três mosqueteiras, a Marta. Restava eu, a Joana e muitas incertezas, mas lá conseguimos!
O primeiro workshop do Zukuri Club foi no dia 5 de agosto de 2017. Num espaço para 15 pessoas, apareceram 11 mulheres cheias de vontade de aprender e criar. Como era de esperar, estávamos nervosas mas em poucos segundos o nervosismo desapareceu, quando nos apercebemos que todas se estavam a divertir com as suas obras de arte.
Soube tão bem receber os sorrisos e os parabéns de todas, principalmente da Agata. Mas é depois dos parabéns que aparece o assunto que mais desconfortável nos deixa - o dinheiro. E qual foi o nosso lucro? (que nem foi lucro porque não cobrámos o tempo a preparar o workshop) 17€! E sabem o que fizemos logo a seguir com esses 17€ fomos comer uma salada toda pipi num espaço ainda mais pipi!
Parece fácil orçamentar as horas que passamos a preparar e organizar o workshop mas não é! Principalmente quando nunca organizaste um evento e não fazes a mínima ideia de quanto tempo te levará, quando não és uma profissional por isso não podes cobrar o que os profissionais cobram e “ainda mais” porque tens uma vozinha na tua cabeça a dizer que podias ter feito melhor e que não foi assim tão fixe como pensas. Esta vozinha não é uma pessoa, sou eu mesma a duvidar das minhas capacidades. Conclusão, fomos aumentando a fasquia a cada workshop que preparávamos.
E assim foi, até ao final do ano fizemos 1 evento por mês. Em Novembro organizámos o primeiro workshop sem o apoio da Agata, para todos os que vinham visitar Lisboa para o Web Summit. Este foi o primeiro workshop em que o lucro excedeu as nossas expectativas, foi uma ótima sensação e uma ajudinha na carteira!
Entre Agosto e Dezembro, começámos a ajustar os valores dos workshops consoante as técnicas, materiais adquiridos e tendo também em conta o tempo que demorávamos a preparar e a estruturar tudo. Estaremos a cobrar o que é justo tanto para nós como para as participantes? Por incrível que pareça, até hoje isto é um assunto que nos assusta...
Depois de uma pausa em Janeiro para organizarmos a nossa vida, voltámos em Fevereiro com a ideia de começar a organizar 2 eventos por mês. Ora duas pessoas com emprego a tempo inteiro, atividades e vida social, mal sabíamos onde nos estávamos a meter!
E assim começa o Novo Ano, num espaço diferente pois o primeiro espaço que alugávamos deixou de estar disponível, algumas preocupações normais da vida e mudanças de trabalho, mas lá continuámos.
Estava tudo a ir tão bem até Abril, quando o segundo espaço nos disse que não podia continuar a alugar a sala só por 2 horas e que os valores de aluguer iam ser alterados. Já tínhamos passado por isto em Janeiro, sabíamos que ia ser uma luta enorme encontrar outro sítio para organizar os nossos eventos mas com os conhecimentos e empenho da Joana, fomos ter ao Heden na Graça.
Aproveitámos esta mudança de ares para restruturar os workshops, rever valores e deixámos o ninho do Lean in para começarmos uma viagem sozinhas. A ideia seria: Um fim de semana repetíamos uma técnica, tínhamos uma pausa para estruturar o seguinte e no outro fim de semana aprendíamos uma técnica nova. Até aqui parecia-nos estar tudo bem.
Não vou mentir e dizer que tudo estava a correr às perfeições, não estava… Para mim o espaço fica longe. Vivo em Tires, fim-de semana sim, fim de semana não, tenho de ir para Lisboa, sair de casa às 13:30h apanhar 3 transportes públicos, sair no Martim Moniz e subir uma das sete colinas malucas de Lisboa para o workshop que é às 16h. Depois, fazer tudo de novo mas ao contrário, o workshop acaba às 18h e chego a casa por volta das 21h. É bastante duro! E foi nessa altura que me fui um pouco a baixo e acabei por passar essa desmotivação para o Zukuri.
Como era de prever, depois de tantas mudanças de uma só vez, houve algo que acabou por desabar. Tivemos a nossa primeira derrota. Esta derrota para nós significa que não houve inscrições suficientes para um workshop pelo que teve de ser cancelado. Ainda tenho pesadelos e atrevo-me a dizer vergonha de cada vez que vejo os eventos do Zukuri no Facebook e aparece - evento tal “Cancelado”.
Para além desse tivemos de cancelar outro, o que foi igualmente desagradável.
Foram quase dois meses de desmotivação e pouca vontade de organizar o que quer que fosse, mas é aqui que a amizade tem um papel extremamente importante.
Durante todo este tempo eu e a Joana nunca tivemos uma única discussão. Todos os passos que damos são em conjunto sem nunca duvidarmos uma da outra. Com isto, não significa que concordamos sempre com tudo, se discordarmos, acabamos sempre por chegar a um meio termo.
Antes de sermos parceiras neste projeto, somos amigas e tenho a sensação que as amigas sabem sempre o que se passa e se há algo que não está bem. Consciente ou inconscientemente acho que houve algo entre as duas que voltou a desabrochar, quase como uma planta que não dá flores há algum tempo e quando a mudas de lugar e mexes um pouco na terra ela volta a ganhar flor, acontece muitas vezes com as orquídeas.
É num sábado de manhã que depois de um “bom dia, recebemos um pedido de inscrição no email” dou por mim e pela Joana a terminar tudo o que estava pendente na organização dos workshops programados até Julho. Foram precisos apenas alguns minutos de motivação conjunta para resolver o que para mim parecia não ter solução.
Com isto tudo quero dizer que esta aventura tem sido ótima e não sinto que os nossos fracassos tenho sido assim tão fracassados mas sim uma pequena lomba no caminho que me acordou e meteu no sitio certo de novo. Sabe bem assumir os medos e as preocupações, mas sabe ainda melhor reconhecê-los.
Voltando ao início, afinal o facto de estar sempre a aprender coisas novas não é o que mais me motiva, mas sim rodear-me de pessoas criativas e partilhar o que sei com elas.
Não sei bem onde queria chegar com este texto. Acho que acabou por ser um desabafo de uma experiência que nunca pensei estar a passar, mas sinto-me tão orgulhosa do que conseguimos até agora que gostava que todos os que acham que o Zukuri são só workshops soubessem que o Zukuri Club é muito mais que só workshops.
Chinese Ink or India Ink, whatever you want to call it, this dark ink is one of the materials that most fascinates us! First, because it’s associated with Asian art (which we absolutely love) and second because of the way it flows on the page almost the same as watercolor.
For our Chinese Ink workshop we wanted to go beyond the basics and try some fun painting techniques.
From bleach to shaving cream, we discovered so many ways of creating textures with Chinese Ink, it was hard to choose just a few!
For logistics, we ended up going for the Oil Marbling and the Bubble Painting Technique.
After experimenting both techniques we asked the girls to create their own artwork. Some decided to put all the techniques together, while others preferred to use the ink in its purest form and experiment with simple brush strokes...
Tinta da China ou India Ink em inglês é um dos materiais que mais nos fascina! Primeiro porque está associada à pintura asiática (que nós adoramos) e segundo pela maneira como a tinta escorre no papel quase como a aguarela.
Para o nosso workshop de tinta da china quiséssemos ir para além do básico e experimentar algumas técnicas de pintura que fossem divertidas de fazer.
Da lixívia ao creme de barbear, descobrimos tantas maneiras de criar texturas com tinta da china que foi difícil de escolher só algumas!
Por motivos de logística, acabámos por escolher a técnica de Marmorização com Óleo e das Bolhas de Sabão.
Depois de experimentarem ambas as técnicas pedimos às meninas para criar a sua própria pintura. Algumas decidiram juntar todas as técnicas, enquanto que outras preferiram usar só a tinta pura e experimentar fazer apenas traços com o pincel...
Thread, scissors and tape, that’s all you need to start a macramé project!
We’re always keen on learning new crafts, that’s why we started Zukuri in the first place.
When someone suggested doing a Macramé Plant Hanger workshop we didn’t hesitate to try it. Boy did we get sucked into it!
Macramé necklaces, key chains and wall hangings - we did it all. Soon after we announced our first Macramé workshop :)
We also found a new spot in Graça where we’ll be hosting our next workshops - Heden Lisboa.
During the week Heden is a coworking space, but Manuel and Franca are doing so much more - building art studios, a yoga room and welcoming creative events like ours! We couldn’t have asked for a better partnership.
After learning the basic macramé knots, the ladies set off to create their own plant hangers. A few twists and knots later and they nailed it!
We were so proud to see the results and we can’t wait to see the plant hangers in action :)
--
Fio, tesoura e fita métrica é tudo o que precisam para começar um projecto de macramé!
Nós adoramos aprender novas Artes e técnicas, aliás foi por isso que criámos o Zukuri.
Quando nos sugeriram fazer um workshop de porta-vasos de macramé não hesitámos em experimentar. Temos que admitir que ficámos um pouquinho de nada viciadas!
Colares de macramé, porta-chaves e decoração de parede - fizemos de tudo um pouco e logo anunciámos o nosso primeiro workshop de Macramé :)
Também encontrámos um novo sítio na Graça onde vamos organizar os nossos próximos workshops - Heden Lisboa.
Durante a semana o Heden é um espaço de coworking, mas o Manuel e a Franca estão a fazer muito mais do que isso - a construir estúdios de arte, uma sala de yoga e a abrir portas a eventos criativos como os nossos! Não poderíamos ter pedido uma melhor parceria.
Depois de aprenderem os nós básicos de macramé, as meninas começaram a fazer os seus próprios porta-vasos. Algumas voltas e nós depois e estava feito!
Ficámos tão orgulhosas dos resultados e mal podemos esperar por ver os porta-vasos em acção :)
We had just finished placing our mini flower bouquets on the table when the ladies started to take their seats.
In a matter of seconds, the room was full with eighteen ladies, including our first teenager participant!
We were super excited to have so many people joining us to learn how to paint watercolor florals.
First, we explained the basic techniques of watercolor, such as wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry.
We also tried a variety of brush movements by applying more or less pressure on the brush to create thin and thicker lines on the paper.
Eventually, we moved on to painting leaves, branches and flowers inspired by the mini bouquets and a few watercolor experiences that Patrícia and I had done.
In the end, the ladies picked their favorite flowers and leaves and mixed them together in a beautiful floral wreath.
Once again, we were amazed by all the creativity in the room!
Using the same materials and the same colors, everyone came up with a different design and managed to surprise us and most importantly - themselves.
We look forward to organizing another watercolor workshop soon!
Tínhamos acabado de colocar os nossos mini bouquets na mesa quando as meninas começaram a chegar.
Em poucos segundos, a sala ficou cheia com dezoito meninas, incluindo a nossa primeira participante adolescente!
Estávamos super entusiasmadas por termos tanta gente connosco a querer aprender a pintar aguarelas florais.
Primeiro, explicámos as técnicas base de aguarela, como a aguarela húmida e a aguarela seca.
Também experimentámos uma série de movimentos com os pincéis, aplicando mais ou menos pressão no pincel para criar traços finos e grossos no papel.
Depois começámos a pintar folhas, ramos e flores inspirados nos mini bouquets e em algumas experiências em aguarela que a Patrícia e eu fizemos.
No final, as meninas escolheram as suas flores e folhas preferidas e criaram uma coroa de flores.
Mais uma vez ficámos impressionadas com toda a criatividade dentro daquela sala!
Usando os mesmo materiais e as mesmas cores, toda gente criou um design diferente o que nos surpreendeu a nós, mas mais importante ainda, elas próprias ficaram surpreendidas com o resultado final.
Estamos desejosas de organizar outro workshop de aguarelas em breve!
Our last workshop was inspired by the beautiful tiles of Lisbon!
It’s amazing how many different kinds of azulejos (Portuguese tiles) you can find on the streets of Lisbon.
Luckily for us, they have been compiled into books and Instagram accounts that we can easily access from the comfort of our own home.
With so many interesting designs out there, the hardest part was to choose which ones would work as stamps!
We’ve been meaning to do a stamping workshop for a while, but we also wanted to keep it affordable for anyone who wants to try it at home.
There are a lot of materials you can use to make stamps at home, including linoleum, foam and even potatoes!
Since linoleum can be a bit tricky for beginners, we decided to use foam for this workshop.
As always everyone came up with their own design at the end, which is our favorite part of the workshops!
Some people added/removed details from the original design, while others mixed colors, creating a nice overprinting look as you can see in the photos :)
Workshop de Carimbos de Azulejos
O nosso último workshop foi inspirado nos azulejos de Lisboa!
É impressionante a variedade de azulejos que existem nas ruas de Lisboa.
A nossa sorte é que já existem livros e contas no Instagram só sobre azulejos que conseguimos consultar facilmente sem sair de casa.
Com tantos designs interessantes por aí, a parte mais difícil foi escolher quais deles poderiam resultar como carimbos!
Já há algum tempo que queremos fazer um workshop de carimbos, mas também queríamos que fosse acessível para quem quisesse experimentar em casa.
Há vários materiais que se podem usar para fazer carimbos em casa, incluindo linóleo, esponja e até batatas!
O linóleo é um pouco complicado para quem ainda está a começar, por isso decidimos usar esponja para este workshop.
Com base do mesmo exercício, cada uma criou o seu próprio padrão de azulejos no final. Esta é a nossa parte preferida dos workshops!
Algumas pessoas adicionaram/removeram detalhes do design original e outras misturam cores, criando um efeito de sobreposição muito giro que podem ver nas fotos :)
Everyone needs a creative outlet, Amanda found hers with Chasing Letters. A hand lettering project she started when she first moved abroad and that allows her to inspire herself and others through motivational quotes. Originally from North Carolina, she is now living in Granada where she’s taking a Master’s in Public Health.
Maybe we can start by asking you to introduce yourself, your passions and what you do?
Of course! I’m originally from North Carolina in the U.S. but am going on my third year of living in Spain. Last month, I moved to Granada to start a Master’s in Public Health. When I’m not happily geeking out about school or podcasts, hand lettering is my creative outlet. You can find me drawing barefoot, on the floor, with music on, candles going, and a foamy beverage nearby. I also love being outside exploring this new city’s hikes and hidden restaurants and practicing Spanish. My former co-workers voted me “most likely to talk to a stranger,” so no one should feel shy to reach out!
Did you ever study art or drawing letters was something that you started doing naturally? If so how did that happen?
I’ve never studied art, but from a young age, I simultaneously started keeping a quote book and doodling words. These two loves eventually converged, and I found that drawing already-beautiful phrases made them more beautiful. They brought me more confidence and optimism, and they spread good thoughts.
When did you start turning your art into a business, how and when did Chasing Letters begin?
I began creating as much as possible and sticking up my lettering all around my life. Bathroom mirror? Yep. Cell phone background? Yep. Planner? Yep. I wanted it to be easy to choose positivity. Soon, friends started requesting custom pieces, and I realized there was real potential to bring powerful messages to life.
It wasn’t until I moved abroad in 2015 that I started thinking seriously about Chasing Letters as a business. It took me some time to get used to living in a new culture, and hanging up personalized artwork made my flat feel like home. I again saw the impact of making inspiring phrases more present and thought that I might not be the only one who needed this.
Ideas turned into action during my first summer in Spain. At the time, I was working as an au pair for a family that enforced a nightly curfew. I half-jokingly say that “they gave me a curfew, and I started a business.” With lots of free time in the evenings, I taught myself website design and marketing basics. I later developed more hand-lettered pieces and contacted printing companies to lay out the details. A few kind souls were crucial in giving me their encouragement and expertise, including my mom back in the U.S., who handled all stateside logistics. Backed by this support, Chasing Letters launched this past May! It’s been such a fun and important journey, and I’m so thankful for those who have shared in it.
Do you have any favourite letter, phrase or quote to draw?
I wish I could say it’s that easy to narrow down! There are tons. I do love the process of watching a phrase transform as I play around with different letter styles, sizes, and positioning. If and when I find that perfect phrase, I’ll probably have to get a tattoo of it.
How important is it to you to have some time during the day to do something creative?
I find myself constantly doing something creative. Much of my life must be very organized and detail-orientated, so being creative keeps me sane. It’s a form of relaxation. It’s a place for me to let loose and freely express myself.
Do you ever feel uninspired? What do you do when that happens? Any tips for all of us that sometimes feel too lazy to create?
Yes, yes, and yes. I think this is an inevitable part of the creative experience. So, for anyone reading this, you’re not alone!
I’ve made a habit of writing down powerful quotations or screenshotting unique typography I want to try. I even have an album on my phone for these pictures. I find loads of encouraging messages graffitied on buildings or hostel walls when I travel. This is actually where the name, Chasing Letters, comes from! Doing this when I’m feeling inspired has created a safety net of material to fall back on when I’m feeling less inspired or lazy.
If the quotations themselves don’t give me the pep talk I need, then I also try to figure out if there’s something deeper behind my feelings. Perhaps self-doubt or fear of failure. Art is not inherently good or bad--it’s subjective--so sharing your personal work with others innately opens you up to criticism. Getting to the root of why I’m feeling blocked has helped me get over that barrier.
More than anything, connecting with a community of other creatives inspires me. I love learning about other people’s passions and projects and sharing in their energy.
Besides your love for letters and Type, what other creative things do you enjoy doing?
I am an avid traveller and always have my camera out to capture that perfectly unexpected shot. I’ve also journaled for the past decade. The pile of journals is now massive, haha. I write nightly, even if it’s just one sentence of a moment I want to remember from that day. It helps me be reflective and grateful.
Where can we find your work?
All my hand-designed prints are available on my website, www.chasingletters.com . I also update my Instagram (chasing_letters) and Facebook (Chasing Letters) with whatever I’m sketching and pondering, probably scattered with some sassy sarcasm.
Amanda, we have one last question, will we ever have the pleasure of having you at one of our workshops?
Oh man, I’d love to one day! Your workshops are inspiring, and it would be an honor to learn from the strong community of women and artists growing through them. That being said, if anyone comes to Granada, let’s connect. We can grab a (foamy) coffee, and I will show you around!
Thank you to Amanda for taking her time to answer our questions and for inspiring us to look at quotes and letters in a different way. We hope to share more of these interviews soon!
Ladies Web Summit Art Night: Pattern-making with the Zukuri Club - NEW 7th November @ Arts Café
Coming to Lisbon for Web Summit? Join our Ladies Web Summit Art Night and unleash your inner creative with the Zukuri Club.
The workshop will take place on Tuesday night, the 7th of November at 7.30 pm at the Arts Café in Lisbon.
In this workshop, you will learn how to use different types of brushes to create your own pattern.
We’ll be making art, drinking wine and eating local pastries, so you really don’t want to miss it!
The cost of the workshop is 15 euros, which will help us cover the space and the materials provided (brushes, paper and acrylic paints), plus those sweet extra treats :)
Watercolors have been our favorite medium since our drawing teacher introduced it to us in high school.
We love seeing the paint mix with water, the unpredictability of each brush movement, the color combinations and even the texture of the watercolor paper.
And while we acquired some high-quality materials during those years, they have been locked away in our houses ever since.
Patrícia has recently brought them back and started creating her own watercolor illustrations, which you can now find in her Etsy shop. Me? I’m just happy to hold a brush again and rediscover my passion for watercolors.
When reading the feedback of our first workshop we found that there were a lot of people interested in learning more about watercolors. So that’s the technique we chose for our second workshop with the Lean In group.
Once again we invited the ladies to meet us at the Atelier REAL and channel their inner creative.
We started by exploring 10 techniques, combining watercolor with a variety of items, to create different effects on the page and as always the results were outstanding!
With these techniques in mind, we gave them a final challenge - to create an abstract postcard based on a nature scenario.
Postcards are another lost art that we tried to bring back with this challenge, but the truth is most people wanted to keep the postcard instead of sending it out. I guess it means they were proud of what they accomplished and that is the most important thing ☺️
Pensamento abstracto com aguarelas
As aguarelas tornaram-se na nossa técnica favorita desde que as começámos a utilizar nas nossas aulas de desenho do liceu.
Adoramos ver a tinta a misturar-se com a água, a imprevisibilidade de cada movimento do pincel, a combinação de cores e até mesmo a textura do papel de aguarela.
Apesar de termos adquirido algum material de alta qualidade durante esses anos, a maior parte acabou por ficar fechado nas nossas casas desde aí.
Recentemente a Patrícia voltou às aguarelas e começou criar as suas próprias ilustrações que podem agora encontrar na loja dela da Etsy. Eu? Eu já fico feliz por pegar num pincel outra vez e redescobrir a minha paixão pelas aguarelas.
Quando lemos o feedback do nosso primeiro workshop, vimos que a maior parte das pessoas estava interessada em aprender mais sobre aguarelas. Foi por isso que escolhemos essa técnica para o nosso segundo workshop com o grupo Lean In.
Mais uma vez convidámos as meninas para se encontrarem connosco no Atelier REAL e despertar a sua alma criativa.
Começámos por explorar 10 técnicas, combinando aguarelas com uma série de outros materiais para criar diferentes efeitos e, como sempre, os resultados foram brilhantes!
Com estas técnicas em mente, demos-lhes um último desafio - criar um postal abstracto baseado num cenário da natureza.
Os postais são outra arte perdida que tentamos trazer de volta com este desafio, mas a verdade é que a maior parte das pessoas quis ficar com o seu postal em vez de enviá-lo. Parece que ficaram orgulhosas das suas criações e isso sim é o mais importante ☺️
Our first workshop: Pattern-making with Zukuri Club & Lisbon’s Lean In Group
Last Saturday we hosted our very first Zukuri Club workshop at Atelier Real, a beautiful Lisbon atelier located along the 28 tram line, and part of the emerging creative community of Poços Negros.
Ladies from all nationalities joined us for a morning that promised to bring out their inner artist, by allowing them to experiment with a variety of brushes and colors with the goal of creating their own patterns at the end of the workshop.
There was a mix of people with experience in arts and others who said they hadn’t painted in 20 years!
The results were outstanding and beyond anything that Patrícia and I could have imagined. Some splattered the whole page with ink, while others felt more comfortable drawing smaller shapes on the corner of a page. Either way, we were impressed that despite using the same materials and following the same instructions, everyone came up with a unique design!
Thank you to all the ladies who decided to spend their Saturday morning with us doing something different. Also, a special thank you to Agata from the Lean In Group for supporting us and pushing us to go through with this project.
We’re looking forward to organizing our next workshop!
No sábado passado organizámos o primeiro workshop do Zukuri Club no Atelier Real, um atelier lindo, junto à linha do eléctrico 28 e parte da comunidade criativa que está a crescer na Rua dos Poços Negros.
Meninas e senhoras de várias nacionalidades juntaram-se a nós para uma manhã que prometia mostrar o seu lado mais artístico. Durante o workshop, elas experimentaram uma variedade de pincéis e cores para no final criarem o seu próprio padrão.
Houve uma mistura de pessoas que já tinham alguma experiência em artes e outras que não pintavam há 20 anos!
Os resultados foram surpreendentes e muito além daquilo que eu e a Patrícia tínhamos imaginado. Algumas espalharam tinta pela página inteira, outras sentiram-se mais confortáveis em desenhar pequenas formas no canto da página. Apesar de terem usado os meus materiais e as mesmas cores, todas acabaram por criar um design único!
Obrigada a todas as meninas que decidiram passar a sua manhã de sábado connosco a fazer algo diferente. E um obrigado especial à Agata do Lean In Group pelo apoio e por nos ter incentivado a seguir com este projecto.
Estamos ansiosas por organizar o próximo workshop!
So, what are the ingredients to start a creative club? Having awesome drawing skills? Being friends with super talented artists? No. All you really need is the urge to create something, it doesn’t really matter what.
Okay, we did all studied Art at one point, but some of us neglect it for a while. We got swept away by our full-time jobs and responsibilities and forgot about that little creative bug we were all born with.
While scrolling through Meetup, I found out about a ceramic workshop in Lisbon and I thought of two people that might like to join me - my high school friend Patrícia and one of my Web Design pals, Marta.
For a couple of weeks, our Saturdays were all about working with clay and making our own plates. We enjoyed it for a while, but then most of our plates either broke or got stolen - we felt like all our hard work was for nothing.
It was disappointing at first, but we did learn something from it. We wanted to keep doing creative things and most importantly, we wanted to inspire other people to do the same.
And that’s how the Zukuri Club was born.
Como começámos o nosso Clube Criativo
Que ingredientes é preciso para criar um clube criativo? Ser um ás a desenhar? Ter amigos cheios de talento? Não. A única coisa que é preciso é ter vontade de criar algo, não interessa o quê.
Okay, é verdade, nós todas estudámos arte a certa altura, mas algumas de nós deixámo-la de parte durante algum tempo. Os nossos empregos e responsabilidades ficaram em primeiro lugar e esquecemo-nos daquele bicho da criatividade com o qual todos nós nascemos.
Até que um dia fui espreitar o site do Meetup e descobri um workshop de cerâmica em Lisboa. Pensei logo em duas que talvez gostassem de se juntar a mim - a Patrícia, uma amiga minha do secundário e a Marta, uma das minhas colegas de Web Design.
Durante algumas semanas, os nossos Sábados foram passados a mexer com barro e a fazer os nossos próprios pratos. Foi giro, mas infelizmente a maior parte dos nossos pratos acabaram por se partir ou por serem roubados - sentimos que todo o nosso trabalho tinha sido para nada.
Ao princípio ficámos desiludidas, mas aprendemos muito com isto. Percebemos que queríamos continuar a fazer coisas criativas e mais do que isso, queríamos inspirar outras pessoas a fazer o mesmo.
