Visual Art - Mental Health In Manchester

Get Creative
it’s good for your Mental Well Being
guide one
Visual Art
‘…Taking photographs has made
me notice lots of small details
in the environment I would
have walked past without
noticing before.
Seeing all this helps
lift my spirits.’
Visual Art
guide one
There is much we can do to protect our mental wellbeing and build
up our resilience. Putting some relaxing, stimulating or light-hearted
activities into our daily lives is one way to care for ourselves better.
Call them play, passion or pastimes, they all serve the same purpose
of letting us have some fun.
You can express your creative side in many ways, for example,
through the visual arts such as painting or photography, through
music, through dance, drama or creative writing. Equally, you could
choose cookery or gardening or interior design as outlets for your
creativity.
Using our natural creativity can protect our mental health, and also
helps us to regain it if we do experience illness, for example, creative
activities are used as a therapeutic tool to support people’s recovery
from mental ill health.
You can be creative either by being a “maker” or by being part of
the “audience”, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re an expert, or a
beginner. You don’t need to have any special skills – just have a go
and see what you can achieve! Creative expression is unique to the
individual and there is no right or wrong.
Creative activities, such as music, art, dancing or gardening, are one
of the best ways to unwind and have fun and what’s more they come
with many beneficial side effects:
•
•
They relax us and help us focus our minds, exercising our brains and our bodies too.
They provide opportunities for meeting others, for learning new skills and making connections with people and places around us.
•
•
•
They enable us to notice and appreciate
•
They allow us to explore and express our thoughts and feelings
They give us pleasure and challenge
They allow us to create beautiful and interesting things to give to or share with others
Getting involved in creative activity brings all
these benefits and more, so try it today!
This booklet (focussed on visual art) is part of a series of guides
designed to help you understand the benefits to your mental wellbeing
of getting creative activity into your life. Through these guides you can
learn all sorts of new skills. The guides are aimed at adults of all ages,
with or without experience and they are full of tips and ideas to get
you started.
Our mental wellbeing is like our physical wellbeing – it needs care and
attention to stay healthy, especially in today’s busy world. Mental health
problems such as anxiety and depression are extremely common; one
in six adults at any one time has a mental health problem, and for
children this is one in ten. There are a range of support services and
self help information and guides to help you if you are experiencing
mental distress; see “mental health support” section at the back.
This guide falls into two sections. Section 1 is about making art,
and Section 2 is about looking at art.
Get Creative
it’s good for your Mental Well Being
Get Creative
it’s good for your Mental Well Being
Visual Art
Contents
Why is visual art good for your mental wellbeing?
3
What does visual art include?
3
Section 1: Making Art
4
Top tips to get you started
Quick start activities 4
4
Exercises to do:
Artwork by Daisy Barnes
10 minute walk 7
Back to nature – environmental art 8
Easy pattern design
10
Initial pictures
14
Plating up food
Section 2: Looking at Art 16
18
Visiting an art gallery
18
Exercises to do:
One word Impressions
18
19
Why is visual art good for
your mental wellbeing?
It’s official – art can boost our physical and mental health, help us
solve problems more creatively, and give us new perspectives on life.
Research has shown 1 that contact with visual art releases feel – good
chemicals, such as endorphins, into the brain. These chemicals help
with stress and pain relief, positive mood, relaxation and concentration.
They also have positive physical effects, they slow down pulse and
breathing, reduce blood pressure and boost the immune system. This
is called the ‘Relaxation Response’.
Notes
1.Benson, H. and Klipper, M. Z. (2000) The Relaxation Response. HarperCollins, U.S.A.
2.Alleyne, R. Looking at beautiful art can act as a painkiller. The Telegraph 17.9.08
3.Matarasso, F. (1997) Use or Ornament? the social impact of participation in the arts. Comedia Conference
4.Parr H. (2005) The arts and mental health: creativity and inclusion. Dundee: University of Dundee/Economic and Social Research Council.
5.Creek J. (2001) Measuring the outcomes of a creative activity group. Mental Health OT. 6(2), 18-20
6.Edwards B. (1993) Drawing on the Right Hand Side of the Brain Souvenir Press
Looking at art can be just as positive. For instance a recent study shows
that viewing a beautiful work of art can help with pain management. 2
Helping us to think about and understand the world around us is
another gain that contact with art can bring.
What does visual art include?
Whether viewing or making art, we can use it to explore our opinions,
ponder our feelings, investigate our likes or dislikes, and consider our
cultural identity and values. This can help us express ourselves more
clearly, and understand the way we view the world around us. 3,4
Visual art encompasses many different techniques and materials. Here
are just some of the techniques you could try: photography, drawing,
collage, painting, decoupage, textiles (fabric art, knitting, sewing etc),
ceramics (pottery), mosaics, stained glass, jewellery making, origami,
metalwork, woodwork, graphic design, film, animation...
Creating art can even improve problem-solving. That’s because it
tends to stimulate the whole of our brain, both the left, logical side and
the right, emotional side. This builds connections across the brain,
which research suggests strengthens our mental agility and problemsolving abilities. 5,6
You could also try visiting an art gallery, exhibitions of art and craft,
craft fairs and art and craft shops. For more about art galleries see
section 2 “looking at art” on page 18.
Artwork by Start photo by C. Fortune
Get Creative
it’s
good for your Mental Well Being
Get Creative
photo by J. Sutton
section 1:
making art
it’s
good for your Mental Well Being
Quick start activities
You don’t need to be able to draw and paint to try out visual art. Look
at the quick start ideas, and the exercises, and have a go.
Make a greetings card by cutting out and collaging pictures and
patterns from magazines. Cut them into squares of the same size
and stick them down in a colourful chequerboard. Tip – try to include
some squares of plain colour too. See the exercise “Initial Pictures”
on page 24 for more about collage.
Ask at your local library for a list of classes in your area – many classes
welcome beginners just as much as those with some experience.
Doodle patterns in black pen, then colour them in using 3 or 4 colours
that you think go together well.
Look for books in the library - whether you are a beginner or have
some experience, books and magazines can give you helpful advice
and projects to try. Some magazines and many books are devoted to
a particular craft or art such as photography, techniques for drawing
or painting with oils and can be good for any level of experience from
beginners upwards.
Get out for a walk with your camera/mobile phone. Take photos in the
local park or your neighbourhood, and if you like them, think about
getting them made into placemats, coasters or printed on mugs. High
street print and photographic shops often offer this service, as well as
on-line (Internet) shops. Look for “personalised placemats” or “mugs”
on an Internet search engine such as Google.
Top tips to get you started
Ask a friend you trust to help you – trying something out with a friend
is more relaxing as you can give each other encouragement.
Doodling is drawing and we often do it when we are partly-occupied
with something else. Doodling is a great way to relax a ‘buzzy’ mind,
or help if feeling restless or wound up.
Kits are a good way to introduce you to a particular technique you
might be interested in. Although they generally cost more than buying
the basic materials, they do contain all you need to make a start. Try
craft or department stores for a selection, or look online. At computer
stores you can get kits that help you design your own cards, CD labels
and T-shirts.
Browse the craft magazines in a good newsagent or supermarket and
see if anything catches your eye – there are lots on the market now.
photo by Start Photographic Group
Photo by Glyn Thomason
Jazz up a plastic flowerpot. Take a clean pot, paint with household
wood primer, then top coat with left over household woodwork paints,
choosing plain colours or simple patterns. If you have them, acrylic
paints work well on plastic (available at craft shops). Another idea is to
stick a simple mosaic-style design to the pot using coloured electrical
tape (comes in 6 colours, DIY stores).
Collect favourite mementos of a holiday or happy event. These might
include photos, postcards, tickets, programmes, beer mats, shells
etc. Arrange them in a flat or box (deep) frame (you will need a box
frame for 3 dimensional items and you can buy these from Ikea and
other stores) and glue into place. You can also use this collage idea to
liven up your photo albums.
Make buttons out of self-hardening FIMO clay (available at craft
shops) and sew them to a plain cushion to cheer it up.
Knitting is the new cool – most of us know someone who can teach
us the basics – ask them to show you how. Knitting is cool for guys
and gals, and if you don’t believe it then look up Kaffe Fassett on the
internet and see what a success he’s made of knitting.
Artwork by T. Cole
Photo by C. Fortune
Get Creative
it’s
good for your Mental Well Being
Exercises:
10 Minute Walk
Back To Nature – Environmental Art
Artwork by Start Photo by C. Fortune
Easy Pattern Design
Plating Up Food
Initial Pictures
Photo by Glyn Thomason
Photo Fotalia
10 Minute Walk
How often do you walk somewhere, busy thinking,
talking or texting and not really noticing your
surroundings... This exercise will help you to see
your environment in a different way. You’ll need
a camera, or a mobile phone that takes photos.
Take a ten minute walk, stopping every minute to
take a picture of whatever you see when you look
around.
How often do you pass this spot?
Is this a journey you make every
day?
Do you see anything you’ve never
noticed before?
Atwork by Start Photo by J. Sutton
Get Creative
it’s
good for your Mental Well Being
Back To Nature - Environmental Art
‘Nature heals’ is a well-known phrase, and many of us identify with
this sentiment in its widest sense, feeling that we’d like more contact
with the natural world. Being outside is healthy for our mind and body.
Sunlight improves our mood, and boosts our Vitamin D levels, whilst
being surrounded by nature can relax and refocus us in a positive way,
helping us get our lives in better perspective.
This exercise encourages us to get outdoors, whether into the
countryside, a park or garden, and observe the natural world - its
seasonal colours, its many textures, shapes and forms. It also shows
you how to get creative with natural resources, making impermanent
works of environmental art.
Making fleeting, impermanent ‘creations’ can be liberating, as we
can’t become too precious over what we make. We enjoy the moment
of creating, and then move on!
You will need:
• Two pieces of light card, 10-15 cm square
• Scissors, or a craft knife and cutting surface
• Sticky tape
• A plastic or paper bag
• A camera or mobile phone that takes photos (optional)
What to do:
1.Cut matching windows in your cardboard squares.
2.Tape together at one side to create a hinge.
3.Go for a walk, gathering fallen leaves, twigs, petals, grasses etc into your bag (don’t pick flowers etc unless they are yours!).
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4.When you have a good selection, sit down and create a collage:
Lay items in the frame, and when you have a composition you like, close the frame and hold the collage up to admire.
5.These are impermanent creations, but of course you could snap a photo before dismantling and trying more collages.
‘Working in collage is relaxing and
absorbing… I find it stimulating because it’s
quite a challenge to cut pieces just right and
use colours as you want…’
“…I like textiles because the sensations of
touching and working with the fabrics are
comforting. ”
Photo by J. Sutton
Atwork by Start Photo by J. Sutton
Atwork by Start Photo by C. Fortune
Environmental art:
Andy Goldsworthy: www.sculpture.org.uk
John Dahlsen: www.johndahlsen.com
www.greenmuseum.org
Parks and gardens to visit:
www.manchester.gov.uk
www.salford.gov.uk/leisure/parks.htm
www.getoutguide.co.uk/outdoors/parks.htm
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Get Creative
it’s
good for your Mental Well Being
Easy Pattern Design
For millennia people have been using patterns to decorate surfaces
as varied as buildings, clothes and all sorts of objects.
Many patterns are abstract – that is they don’t represent anything
particular but use interesting shapes arranged in a pleasing way.
On the next page, you can see how to use very simple shapes to build
up a pattern, and then by adding colour you can make it even more
decorative.
This pattern could make a card for a friend, a picture for your wall, the
cover of a folder or album – or whatever else you fancy.
You will need:
Scissors, paper, thin card, coloured pens or pencils or paints, and
possibly some paper glue like a glue stick.
What to do:
them one at a time. Lay the shapes square to each other and overlap some to create an interesting design. These large shapes
are like your ‘buildings’.
5.Use the small shapes to add ‘windows’ and ‘doors’ and ‘bridges’
between the larger shapes. Overlapping shapes with each other creates a sense of connection between the shapes and helps the design.
6.Tip: Another way to create the pattern is to copy, draw or trace
3 or so of each of the shapes on page 12 onto paper, then cut
out all the shapes and glue them down to a piece of paper on which you have drawn your border.
7.Choose colours that you think go well together and colour in
some or all of the shapes. You can also colour in the background.
8.Now you have tried one design, try more ideas using the shapes at angles to each other rather than square.
1.On your piece of paper, draw a border or box to make your
pattern inside – any dimension and shape you like.
Photo by J. Sutton
2.Look at the shapes on page 12. You can see that they are simple
shapes you can draw with a ruler, and for the circles you could try drawing round household objects. If you like the oval, trace or photocopy from the image shown.
3.Draw or trace one of each of the shapes onto your thin card – a cereal packet would be fine. Cut out the shapes. These will be your templates to trace around.
4.Using the shapes, make a pattern with the largest shapes first. Place the card templates down on your paper and draw around 1212
Photo by J. Sutton
Examples of easy pattern designs....
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Artwork br Start Photo by J. Sutton
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“I never knew I could
make such creative work–
I’ve made some great
things.”
Artwork by Amgad Hagsharfi Photo by C. Fortune
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Get Creative
it’s
good for your Mental Well Being
Initial Pictures
Collage involves cutting out images and objects and sticking them
together on a surface, for example a piece of card or canvas, to
create a new piece of work. It can be great fun and you don’t have
to be a fabulous artist to produce amazing results! The work could
include newspaper clippings, pictures from magazines, ribbons, bits
of coloured paper, photographs and pieces of cloth. The only limit is
your imagination.
An initial picture is a collage where all the images begin with the same
letters as a person’s initials. The initial picture shown in the photograph
is for someone with the initials SAB. All the images therefore begin
with either an S, A or B. The images could have a link to the person,
for example it is their favourite movie or they could have no link at all
– it is up to you!
You will need:
• PVA glue or paste. (Try a glue stick for sticking down the images
initially.)
• Magazines and other sources of images.
• Scissors or a craft knife.
• A base, such as a piece of stiff paper, card, poster board or art
canvas.
What to do:
1.First of all think of the initials you want to use and start to look through old magazines etc for pictures of people, objects and places that begin with the initials.
2.Once you find an image that you like, cut it out and put it to one side.
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3.When you have found enough images you may wish to cut more
carefully around the edges of some of them so that they stand out more when you stick them down.
4.Choose a base, for example a piece of card, poster board or an art canvas.
5.Now comes the really fun part – arranging the images onto your base. Overlap the pictures so that you can’t see the surface that you will stick them on to. It is totally up to you how you arrange them but it is important to do this before sticking them down.
6.Once you are happy with the positioning of the images, very carefully start to stick them down using PVA glue or a glue stick. (You might want to take a photo or draw a sketch of it first so that you will know how to reassemble it.)
7.To complete the collage, you will need to seal all the images onto
the base. Use a paintbrush to paint a thin layer of PVA glue across
the whole collage, taking care to stick down any bits of images
that aren’t stuck down properly. Don’t worry, the PVA will dry clear
and form a protective layer over the collage.
8.Because this is an initials collage, you might also want to write down what images you have included on the collage on a separate
piece of paper that you could attach to the back of the base. This is a particularly good idea if the collage is going to be a present, so that people can see the range of images you have included.
Other ideas for collages:
• Decorate a 3D (3 dimensional) object, for example a box.
• Decorate a picture frame.
• Create a collage of things that are important to you.
Artwork by Michelle Ashworth Photo S. Zaidi MPHDS
Useful websites
www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Collage - ideas about starting a collage activity
www.collageart.org - dedicated website about collage
www.tate.org.uk/learning/schools/collagemontage2284.shtm - Tate gallery website with examples of different types of collage including
activities to try out
www.art-e-zine.co.uk - a funky site with lots of ideas
www.davidmach.com - website of Scottish artist David Mach which has a section on collage
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Get Creative
it’s
good for your Mental Well Being
Plating Up Food
If you have watched any cooking programmes on television, flipped
through a food magazine or been to a fancy restaurant you will
probably have noticed the importance placed on the presentation of
food. As the saying goes ‘we eat with our eyes first’ and plating out a
meal can be fun, creative and encourages people to tuck in!
You don’t need to be a professional chef to create an appealing dish.
A little bit of inspiration and time is all you need. Here are some simple
tips to get you started:
the protein) and elevate it by placing it on or leaning it up against the starch.
• Pour or spoon sauce under the meat rather than on top. You could also drizzle it across the plate in a line or swirl. If you think people will want more sauce then you could serve it in a jug.
• Use large plates so the food isn’t too crowded.
• Use garnishes that you can eat. Things that can’t be eaten have no place on a plate!
• Create a clock. Imagine that the plate is a clock face. Arrange
your starch (for example, potatoes or rice) at 10 o’clock, protein (for example, meat) at 2 and vegetables between 9 and 3.
• Put an odd number of foods on the plate (three is best) as this gives the dish ‘visual tension’, that is, it looks exciting.
•
Use shapes for contrast. Cut your vegetables into shapes before cooking, for example, carrot triangles or slice a chicken breast r ather than serving it as a whole. Use vegetable and fruit with interesting shapes, for example, star fruit, okra
•
•
Serve bright and contrasting colours. A plate with similarly coloured foods on it can look unappetising. The easiest way to add colour to a dish is to garnish it, for example, sprinkle chopped
parsley, coriander or chives over the dish.
Don’t forget that cooking itself can be a creative activity. You can try
out new foods, new recipes or even create your own recipes. There
are lots of ideas and recipes available on line and in a huge range of
cookery books (check out your local library).
If you are serving food on a platter, be sure to separate the colours. Try not to put different foods of the same colour next to each other. Platters also look best when arranged symmetrically. Keep in mind that balance is important, particularly when making a round platter.
• Arrange the food so that it makes a particular shape, for example,
a heart.
• Arrange the food so that it makes a picture, for example, use broccoli for trees, mashed potato for hills.
• For more drama, choose a ‘focal point’ of the meal, (this is usually
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Photo Fotalia
Food Layout by Michelle Ashworth
Photo by S. Zaidi MPHDS
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Get Creative
it’s
good for your Mental Well Being
SECTION 2: LOOKING AT ART
Visiting an art gallery
Going to an art gallery can be a great thing to do to lift your spirits.
Galleries can help give you a fresh perspective on life, provide
new ideas and inspiration for your own creative work, or simply be
somewhere to go to take to time out from your normal routine. They
are usually free places to visit and so available to everyone.
Top tips for visiting a gallery…
•Art galleries are often in grand buildings; take a look at the architecture, it can be amazing. Galleries are there to be enjoyed by everyone and everyone’s views count.
•Be selective – galleries contain lots of artwork, and there will often be too much to take in at one visit. Look at just a few items
that interest you. Remember that you can always go back at a later date.
•Allow yourself to be drawn to whatever catches your eye, whether it is something that you think is wonderful or beautiful,
or something that you find horrible or difficult to look at. Looking at an artwork that strikes a chord with you in some way is a good
place to start exploring your own thoughts and feelings. Asking
why you do or don’t like something can help you understand yourself more.
•Ask about guided tours at your local art gallery. Gallery staff are happy to help and most galleries have tours and events, many of which are free.
•You might want to take a notebook and/or sketch book, and pen
or pencil with you. These could prove useful for jotting down
any thoughts or ideas you have, or for making sketches. You
might also use a notebook if you want to try either of the following exercises…
Exercises for you to try…
1. One word
Use this exercise if you are visiting a gallery with family or friends…
•Agree on a particular room or section within the gallery to explore.
•Without discussing it, each choose one artwork, within that room or section.
•Come up with one word that describes the artwork you have chosen.
•Go back into your group and take it in turns to tell one another the one word that describes your chosen artwork.
•Using only that one word, the others should try and guess which artwork it relates to.
•This exercise can be a good starting point for discussing why each of you chose a particular work and what it meant to you.
•Labels can be a great help if you want to find out more
information about an artist or artwork, but don’t feel that you
have to read them. You may just want to let the artwork speak for itself.
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Landscape by T. Cole Photo by C. Fortune
2. Impressions
An exercise to try on your own, or with other people…
•Choose one particular artwork and stand in front of it.
•Very quickly write down five words that describe the artwork you are looking at (e.g.: colourful, abstract, landscape, messy, bold).
•Next write down five words about the feelings that you think
the artwork suggests – you may want to take a little more time
over this part of the exercise – use words that say how the
artworks feels to you, rather than describing what you’re looking at (e.g.: hopeful, warm, energetic, curious, emerging).
•If you are with friends when doing this exercise you could
compare what each of you has written about the same artwork;
you’ll be amazed at how different people’s interpretations of one artwork can be.
•By encouraging you to look at the artwork in different ways – describing how it looks, and saying what emotions it brings to
mind - this exercise helps you discover more about what draws
you to an artwork, why a particular artwork might interest you, or
why you might find it difficult or unappealing.
Example
Autumn Leaves by Millais
Reproduced by kind permission of Manchester Art Gallery
Suggested descriptive words…
Colourful, romantic, sunset, historic, rural
Suggested words to describe how it makes you feel…
Peaceful, magical, dying, melancholy, warm
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Get Creative
it’s
good for your Mental Well Being
Art and craft activities and courses
Have a look within art and craft shops and local libraries for local
courses. Sometimes local community centres, church halls and
healthy living centres offer art and craft courses, for example, ZEST
in north Manchester (Tel: 0161 655 7888)
www.manchester.gov.uk Look under Leisure, libraries and culture for
your local facilities.
Adult Education classes
Freephone 0800 083 2121
www.manchester.gov.uk Look under education and learning.
Studio One - Art in the community, Wythenshawe.
Tel: 0161 436 6959
Start in Manchester - Art and gardening courses for people
recovering from mental ill-health. Online information about art and
mental health and downloadable resources.
Tel: 0161 257 0675
www.startmc.org.uk
St. Luke’s Art Project - Community artists work with groups and
individuals in a drop-in art studio in Longsight. Open to anyone,
especially those with mental health needs.
Tel: Alison on 0161 273 1492
www.stlukesartproject.org
Manchester Carers Forum offers craft activities for carers- look
under education and leisure on website.
Tel: 0161 819 2226
E-mail:[email protected]
www.manchestercarersforum.org.uk
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Art school evenings at Manchester Metropolitan University at their
Manchester School of Art on topics such as ceramics, jewellery, life
drawing, photography and printmaking.
Tel: 0161 247 6969
E-mail: [email protected]
www.artdes.mmu.ac.uk/shortcourses
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/
AdultLearning/index.htm
Search on this site for arts opportunities in your area by looking
under “choosing the right course for you”.
Open College of the Arts offers distance learning courses
– fees apply
0800 731 2116 (free for landlines, will vary for mobiles) www.oca-uk.com
www.tate.org.uk/learning/
Online courses for artists’ techniques and methods
Art galleries
Manchester Art Gallery
Mosley Street, Manchester,
M2 3JL
Tel: 0161 235 8888
www.manchestergalleries.org
Open times: Tues-Sun
10am-5pmClosed Mon
A range of exhibitions, talks, tours. There
are short courses for adults led by artists
(have a fee) and always something free
and fun for families (these can get busy
so arrive early if you can).
Artwork by
S. Dixon
Whitworth Art Gallery
Photo by C. Fortune
The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER
Tel: 0161 275 7450
General requests: [email protected]
Education queries: [email protected]
www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk
Opening times:Mon-Sat10am-5pm Sun12-4pm
There are collections of art and design including modern and historic
fine art, prints, textiles and a rare collection of wallpapers.
Offer a range of workshops run by artists, creative activities to
pick up and do anytime. There is a newly refurbished textile gallery
including a range of textile related activities from weaving to
designing costumes for your very own finger puppet.
Urbis
Cathedral Gardens, Manchester, M4 3BG
Tel: 0161 605 8200 Email: [email protected] www.urbis.org.uk
Exhibitions can be seen Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm
There are various events to take part in.
The Lowry
Chinese Arts Centre
Market Buildings. Thomas Street, Manchester, M4 1EU
Tel: 0161 832 7271
www.chinese-arts-centre.org
Tues-Sat10am-5pm Sun, Mon, bank holidays closed
A whole host of permanent art installations by contemporary Chinese
artists and interesting design features that reference Chinese culture.
Waterside Arts Centre
Waterside Plaza, Sale, M33 7ZF Info: 0161 912 5616 www.watersideartscentre.co.uk
Galleries Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
Free entry to all exhibitions. Offer various creative workshops which
sometimes include visual art. Some activities are free and some have
a fee.
Culture24
Find out about your local galleries and museums
www.culture24.org.uk
Tel: 01273 623266 Email enquiries: [email protected]
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ
Telephone: 0870 787 5780Email: [email protected]
www.thelowry.com
Opening times for exhibitions are open from Sun-Friday 11am-5pm
Sat 10am-5pm
Have exhibitions and offer workshops and activities to develop your
creative side. There are fun family activities, youth activities and
adult activities; most have a charge, for beginners and those with
experience.
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Artwork by W. Teal Photo by C. Fortune
Get Creative
it’s
good for your Mental Well Being
Useful websites for techniques and
inspiration
Books
www.about.com – a range of American websites dealing with
lots of subjects, some of which are arts and crafts based such as:
woodwork, beadwork, animation, candle-making, jewellery, graphic
design and quilting. They vary in depth and quality but two good
ones are:
New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook: Guided
Practice in the Five Basic Skills of Drawing, by Betty Edwards: a
user friendly workbook guiding you through the basics of drawing
– suitable for absolute beginners and those with some experience
Publisher: Souvenir Press Ltd (30 April 2003)
ISBN-10: 0285636642 ISBN-13: 978-0285636644
http://painting.about.com (a good introductory website about many aspects of painting and drawing)
http://photography.about.com (a good introductory website about many aspects of photography)
Doodle books are big news – anyone can doodle and these books,
designed for kids and ‘big kids’, give you loads of ideas to structure
your doodles into art. Here are a few examples but you’ll find more in
book shops and on-line at websites like Amazon:
http://familycrafts.about.com
Particularly good for simple projects and projects for families, but
there are projects suitable for all ages and in many crafts and arts
– American
Doodle While You Work by Staffan Gnosspelius (Michael O’Mara
Books) 2008
ISBN-10: 1843172941 ISBN-13: 978-1843172949
www.craftsforkids.com – good website for practical craft ideas for
children – American
ttp://www.wikihow.com/Category:Construction-Projects
h
– American editable site full of ideas for making things – this page is
about constructing useful, weird and wonderful items
Art Doodle Book: Create Your Own Masterpieces in the Style of
the Great Artists (Buster Books 2007)
ISBN-10: 1905158823 ISBN-13: 978-1905158829
Oodles of Doodles by Nikalas Catlow (Buster Books 2006)
ISBN-10: 1905158491 ISBN-13: 978-1905158492
Photo by J. Sutton
www.arthunt.co.uk/creative recycling.htm (ideas that use recycled
items in arty projects)
Artwork by Start Photo by C. Fortune
24
“I find painting therapeutic, I can lose myself in it”
Art and craft materials
To buy art materials there are local art and craft shops in Manchester
and the Greater Manchester area, which you can search on the
Internet for. Your local telephone directories will also list some of
these shops.
Look out for this guide on the Internet
This guide and the others in the series will be available on the
Internet in the future, with additional ideas and activities.
Was this guide useful to you?
Your comments and feedback on how useful this gide has been
to your wellbeing or to anyone else’s would be greatly valued
please send to:
[email protected]
Artwork by L. Baker Photo by C. Fortune
Bird by Adrian Desmond Photo by C. Fortune
25
Mental health support
Some useful contacts:
Samaritans: 0845 790 9090 (24 hours every day)
Saneline: A phone line for information and support
0845 7678000 (6pm to 11pm, every day)
MIND Information Line: 0161 272 8205 (Mon - Fri 10.30am to 2pm)
Crisispoint: For help in Manchester with a mental health crisis
0161 225 9500 (8am to 12 midnight, every day)
42nd Street: Helpline for young people 0161 832 0170 (Mon, Thurs
and Friday, 12.30pm to 4.30pm)
Self Help Services: A range of local self help groups and services
0844 477 9971
Anxiety UK: Information and advice about anxiety, panic and
phobia problems 0844 477 5774. (Mon - Fri 9.30am to 5.30pm)
NHS Direct: 0845 4647 (24 hrs a day
Local libraries: have health information points with a range of self
help books on mental health
Some useful websites:
www.mentalhealthinmanchester.org.uk
www.manchesterpublichealthdevelopment.org
www.mind-in-manchester.org.uk
www.selfhelpservices.org.uk
www.manchester.gov.uk - Look under health and social care for
MyManchesterServices to find services and opportunities to improve
your life; includes a section on mental health.
26
Artwork by Tim Cooke Photo by C. Fortune
“Being in my art class takes the
pressure off me and enables me to
focus on something other than myself
or what other people are thinking. It
builds my confidence…”
27
Designed by Manchester Public Health Development Service Feb 2009
Front cover - Figurative relief by Jim No 6. Photo by C. Fortune. Inner front cover - Flowers by Jamie Todd, Glyn Thomason & C. Fortune. Inner back cover - Artwork by Karen Burch. Photo by C. Fortune.
Back cover - Artwok by Lesley Woodside. Photo by C. Fortune.
Produced
and published by Manchester Public Health Development Service, Start in Manchester, Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, Manchester Art Gallery and Primary Care Mental Health Team 28
Central District. First published February 2009. For more information tel: 0161 861 2900.