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Watercolours and floor drawings

16 Jul, 2025

Amid watercolours, ink and soothing music, we met with the adults at Leiston Long Shop Museum for our final Extra Time session.

After a gentle musical start to the session, Jo encouraged participants to use their less-dominant hand, and just their sense of touch, to define and draw a variety of hand tools.

Details were added using inks, watercolours and other art materials, after which the group sketched items from the Museum collection to add to their composition.

When asked about their ‘favourite bits’ over the last 6 weeks, the group cited the pewter pour and how much they had learned through that experience.

“There were so many processes,” one said, “It took such skill and experience to make the piece. After witnessing that, you come back into the Museum and look at the engineering in quite a different way – you can really appreciate the work and skill that went into producing all the tiny parts of these engines.”

Over at the school, it was also all about composition – but only after Jo had taped huge pieces of lining paper to the floor whilst the children went through some of the moves inspired by Hattie, balancing the space and leading with their chins.

After which, they lay down on the floor and draw round each other – which they did with great enthusiasm.

The rest of the afternoon was spent applying elements from all the previous sessions to create their own personalised footballer.

These included some of the acetates used to produce the cyanotypes, the rubbings on silver foil and lettering from some of the engines, as well as photographs and images of their clay discs.

Sadly, some children were off school with a sick bug, so we didn’t get to say goodbye to them all – but we’ll be back next term for a celebration assembly and to share all the lovely work they have created.

And Jo will be running workshops at the Long Shop Museum on Saturday, 13th September, as part of Heritage Open Days, when we’ll also be exhibiting a selection of their pictures and the Extra Time shield.

Long strips of white paper laid out on a table with drawing and painting materials down the middle. A series of hands and arms suggest there are people sat either side of the table

Drawing to music

Two adults sit side by side in front of a long piece of drawing paper. Each holds a tool in their hand, the man holds a red clamp and the woman a spanner and they are drawing the objects. Also in front of them are beakers of water, pencils and red paint tins

Drawing objects with their eyes closed and using their less-dominant hand.

Adults sit either side of a long table covered in white paper and assorted art materials, each drawing a tool

Having drawn their tool - a clamp, hammer, spanner and hack-saw - participants next coloured in their drawing using a variety of materials

A red metal clamp, a paint box and a painting of the tool, together with other art materials on a white background

From metal tool to delicate watercolour

A long view of an old engineering works, with steam engines either side, tables down the middle and people standing and sketching items

Sketching items in the Long Shop Museum

A gentleman stands in front of a steam engine, sketching a detail

Sketching details on a steam engine

A woman holds up her drawing to compare it with an image of an old steam engine on an information board about flow line production

Flow line production - the Long Shop was purpose built as a long workshop for the production of portable steam engines

Two watercolour pictures on a table top, Jeanes, Wrentham Stores using details sketched in the Long Shop and the clamp in brown inks and paint

Watercolour, inks and graphite drawings, inspired by items in the Long Shop Museum

A child dressed in white t-shirt and black shorts lies stretched out on a large piece of white paper whilst another child draws round her

Striking a footballing pose, as your pal draws round you

Two school girls sit on a huge piece of drawing paper taped to the floor, colouring in life-sized drawings of themselves. A row of blue stools stand in the background

Filling in the details on their players

A child lies on her stomach on the life size drawing of herself, with a variety of pens around, as she adds detail to the drawing

A happy afternoon spent lying on the floor drawing

Overhead view of child drawing figure with clock face, arms raised and photo of munitionette beside

Using the photograph of a munitionette as inspiration for her player

R Garrett & Sons Leiston Works Suffolk England

Extra Time a child sized drawing of a footballer on paper laid out on grey floor

A child-sized footballer playing for Extra Time

A life-sized drawing of a footballer with black and white striped top, clock face and pink leggings London Makers printed on band around socks

Her player, complete with acetate clock face and fingers

Large drawings of football players in graphite with silver foil embellishments

Another munitionette holding a trophy above her head

A hand drawn football player wearing a decorated hijab

A beautiful football player with purple boots

A large drawing of a football player with one eye closed and fancy laced boots

Fancy laced boots and one eye closed, all the better to focus on the goal

A colourful drawing of a football player with an Extra Time belt and stripey skirt

Chasing down mid field

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‘Thank you to everyone for such an enjoyable experience for the past six weeks. It means so much to me to explore all these different creative processes.’

‘I've really enjoyed meeting new people - and usually I'm not that confident but right from the start it felt okay and I really enjoyed myself.’

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