Thursday 2 April 2020

Doing stuff

READ ME FIRST

Purpose: to collate links that focus on the doing aspect first (so you can do an activity as you watch) as doing passive things (also some in this list) for a long time can also cause stress. Do add yours.
Though the following links can be overwhelming, try and browse. Pick something. Try it for 20 mins (pomodoro method) - if you enjoy it, stay. If not, walk away (no effort needed to go there, no need to have screen on/dress up, no effort needed to walk away). Most things are free or pay-what-you-want to support them. It’s right to support. 

CRAFTS and Mainly drawing links to DO

Indoor sketching challenge - tips and a hashtag/join  to follow for urbansketching at home - http://urbansketchers-london.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-thirty-day-indoor-sketching.html

Urban sketchers Reading (@Rdgsketchers on Twitter and Instagram) are also doing some urban sketching in their FB group. 
Draw-alongs (free on youtube)
1pm BST on Instagram with Koosje and 12pm ET (5pm BST) on Facebook with Danny weekday draw-alongs called live drawing parties on this youtube channel playlist SketchbookSkool (also FB live but actually youtube) - you can catch up whenever and note that the actual drawing session itself is about 20-30 mins I think. You can skip if not in the live feed. Covers some fun daily drawing exercise.

Rebecca Vincent Art Club - Sunday 5pm, about 30 minutes, on instagram TV (https://www.instagram.com/rebecca_vincent_tattoo). Each week she shows you how to draw a different thing in her style - a friend sent me this and I tried the one on drawing mushrooms.
Carla Sonheim 5 short,FUN exercises (max 5 mins) available for free here
https://www.carlasonheim.com/online-classes/drawing-blast-5-fun-exercises/


Creative sessions ( (currently Mindful Still Life:, Keep Creating- Creative sessions in drawing and simple making with themes and artist hosts) - I think this is zoom based
http://londondrawing.com/online-creative-sessions/) on various days and times (see link) - All sessions are pay as you feel- please make any contributions to the London Drawing Crowd Fund
Costumed LIVE drawing daily - zoom based https://drawingamerica.com/daily-live-costumed-model-drawing/ $10


Life-drawing class (on crowdcast) ( it is nude life drawing) - 
http://atyn.co.uk/#dropin - this was really good -Monday eve 7-9pm - 4 quid - may go to 5 quid to cover their production costs.

"Projects, lessons and tips by artists to help people get creative while housebound during Covid19 crisis" Isolation art school (Instagram)  - a link sent to me via a friend.
Link to links from Craft council on all sorts of crafts (not just drawing)
There are also courses on SkillsMatter etc.

Kids (and young-at-heart folks)

Daily doodling workshop by a kid's writer called Mo Willems which are fun w kids apparently 
The kid should see this videos - may have some experiments to try at home as well https://thekidshouldseethis.com/collections


Audible stories - free audio books  for kids of all ages (no account necessary just click and play) - https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

More ideas in this blog...at http://www.nicoladunkinson.com/2020/04/04/things-to-do-with-kids-during-self-isolation/

Arty series to watch and play along with maybe

Grayson’s Art Club will air weekly on Channel 4 at 8pm from Thursday 16th April.
Grayson Perry will be doing an Arts club show for Channel 4 for lockin. You can sign up for an art at home activity pack https://firstsite.uk/art-is-where-the-home-is/ 
A fab series on outsider artists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pEyeZhXOUw that I watched when it came out - wonder how it aged.
Waldy has links to arts documentaries that he gives free access to for a week (note: some of them are two hour long!) e.g. https://twitter.com/JANUSZCZAK/status/1243999428165406721 but that’s a watch only

LOCAL THINGS TO take part in online

Check your local groups ,services, meetup groups etc.
General
Bear in mind, local libraries are often signed up to magazine and book apps (and language learning apps , driving test apps ) as well so you can check what facilities there are. (See below for link to Reading Berks libraries)

Eventbrite, meetup etc. will link you to local groups - what is local anyway when it’s online - but it may be a chance for you to find others outside your usual group
Reading, Berks

 Reading Library online Ours has magazines (free through RBDigital) and cloudLibrary app to offer free books and audio books and have just added BorrowBox (for more audio books. Login with your library card and enjoy. Driving theory tests, language learning etc are also options. You can register with the library online if you don'thave a card as yet). You can also donate money to help the library buy more books. https://www.reading.gov.uk/libraries for all the links.

 What's on Reading also has some links for cultural options


Reading rep have created lockdown education packs - https://www.readingrep.com/education-pack/
"We have created fun educational packs that allow children and young people to be creative at home. They have been written by the tutors that run our Monday and Saturday Youth theatres and are full of games, exercises and fun videos."
Jelly arts group are running knit/craft and natter nights (zoom) and some events including an instagram story on Jelly Tots (takes inspiration from a known artist and has a small activity for little ones)

LISTS of all the things
Theatre front seats links from Guardian Culture
Time out/Timein guide 
This is an exhausting link of things -good links to online streaming of Northern lights (our day time), aquariums, and botanical gardens green houses included in this long list of ideas (including theatre, ballet, opera and other etc. links) https://www.timeout.com/things-to-do/best-things-to-do-at-home-stuck-inside-bored
Their main guide:
COSMIC SHAMBLES - Stay at Home festival
https://cosmicshambles.com/stayathome (various times and themes) - supporting the loss of revenue to performers as a result of COVID (saw a really good one on marine biology)

HistFest Lockdown - a mini free history festival 1pm 3 April onwards (Youtube) http://histfest.org/events/

READ ME AGAIN

Pick something. Try it for 20 mins (pomodoro method) - if you enjoy it, stay.
If not, walk away





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