16 Mar Wednesday…with the Weekend Workshop

At the weekend I ran a couple of workshops looking into flat lay arrangements, particularly with the use of colour…

I love using colour, texture and shape within my arrangements and it was a lot of fun getting people to order domestic colour as well as colour in nature; building a sort of palette, noticing and acknowledging how everything makes you feel, and then incorporating those elements into compositions…

I like to notice details and differences of colour and get my participants to go on a sort of colour treasure hunt around my home, garden and shed; choosing things which we can categorise into colour groups. I also enjoy emptying my cupboards to find natural textures and colours to compliment domestic objects…

Ordering the ‘ingredients’ and then studying small details and shapes before pushing it aside and working on a piece is also an important part of the visual journeying.

It’s always brilliant working with the participants choices and observations and I love the challenge of working with whatever they come up with…

I gave a demonstration on Saturday afternoon of how I tend to build a composition…working with what surprises me and what might suddenly take my eye, rather than any intricate planning. ( it’s the aqua composition with a hint of orange which you can see half way through this post.)

On the Saturday, jeweller Fiona Hutchinson  ( and she’s also on instagram here ) brought along some pieces of her jewellery to work with in the afternoon, and origami artist Coco brought a bagful of her delicate origami to her one-to-one on Sunday…and my cat decided just before lunch on Saturday that he would make a guest appearance on the table too…

So, here are a selection of images from both days, which illustrate some of the process we worked with as well as some finished compositions…

Sara from Notes by a Stylist ( and Lobler and Delaney ) created some gorgeous work with these beautiful pinks and soft jade greens… …and Lilian from Ling Yeon B  ( and @lingyeongb on instagram ) found she started working on more of a flat lay ikebana with a brilliant use of texture with the colours she chose… Lots of elements of Fiona’s fantastic jewellery are natural; cast silver cumin seeds, peppercorns and cinamon for example as well as incredible aquamarines ( which was apt as it’s the birthstone for March! ). Her pieces seemed to be drawn towards texture ( and some lichen I had found in Dungeness and Cornwall! )… Both days had wonderful weather which always brightens the shed, and the images below are from the Sunday work with origami artist Coco Sato…

If you would like to attend a workshop, please e-mail me at: 5ftinf@gmail.com to be put on the mailing list, as well as checking for new dates of my Workshop Page here 

I’ll also be talking mobile photography and how I work at The Photography Show this Saturday with Mollie Makes, or if you’re in London over the next couple of days I will be in the Makers Market Event at West Elm on Wednesday evening 6:30 – 9pm or Thursday 10am – 8pm