You’re best to phone ahead and book, though walk-ins are welcome too. There’s a huge range of blanks to choose from at a variety of price points (starting at £10, most pieces between £15-£30), the price includes your paints, then they glaze and fire it for you in the kiln. We each decided to paint a small plate as it’s a nice flat surface and completely blank canvas - some of the pieces are quite specifically shaped so it seemed they’d be more of a colouring in situation.
There are paints, brushes and sponges on each table, along with a water bowl for cleaning your brush. If you’re feeling cautious (like me!) you can draw a design on lightly in pencil first as it’ll fire off in the kiln. The paint colours go darker once they’re fired but you can see the little heart chips which show the final glossy colours for reference. They recommend you paint 3 coats for a solid colour, though 2 will show some brush strokes which can be a nice effect.
I went for a picnic-inspired design with a pink scalloped edge shape and a red sort-of gingham grid. Lyndsey made a keepsake plate using her wee boy’s footprint which turned out so cute. They also do clay imprints for tiny hands and feet but that’s a 4-6 week process and is by appointment.
We were there for around 2 hours in total, and it was such a nice chill way to spend a morning. We got a text when our plates were ready to collect around a week later. It’s so cool to see them glazed and ready to use - they’re food-safe but need handwashing. I actually love how my plate turned out and am quite tempted to go for a few more sessions to make a multi-coloured set!
With Galentine’s Day just around the corner, you might be looking for the perfect mate date; how about a drawing day? It’s a wonderful excuse to spend some quality time with your bestie and you can do it for free!
When I was noting down ideas for activities Wee Dundee last month, I spotted an Instagram post by local illustrator, Cara Rooney featuring a drawing day adventure. It looked like such a lovely thing to do so I reached out to see if Cara would have me along on one so I could blog about it and luckily for me, she said yes!
You may be wondering what a drawing day is, and I’m sure there could be lots of variations. For us it was a mix of walking, exploring, drawing, coffee, and lots of good chats. You don’t have to be amazing at drawing to enjoy yourself - there’s plenty of joy in slowing down and noticing things around you that you wouldn’t usually.
If you’re thinking of arranging your own drawing day date you will need:
- A willing friend
- A sketchbook or other type of notebook
- Some drawing materials (you don’t need much - limited colour palettes are fun!)
- An idea of a route or at least a starting point
- Warm clothes if you’re going to draw outside like we did (fingerless gloves would have been handy)
- If you’re on a budget, pack a thermos and some snacks, or even a full picnic
- A plan B if you’re relying on good weather
We arranged to meet for lunch at Pacamara as a starting point and hoped the weather would be on our side afterwards. Cara told me she likes to divide up her Moleskine page into little boxes, which makes it into more of a storyboard - I love the end result with her playful style. I was feeling very out of practice and had a scarily blank sketchbook but I reminded myself it was just for fun and it felt so nice and mindful once I started doodling.
After lunch, we headed down Taylor’s Lane to Magdalen Green. It was very breezy but we found a picnic bench at the bottom end which was a little more sheltered - it didn’t stop our pens from blowing off the table though! We were also interrupted by an overenthusiastic dog who came and slapped my sketchbook. After drawing here, and photographing said drawings, we walked along the waterfront until we found a good spot to stop next.
The sun was starting to set, which meant some beautiful evening light along with the choppy waves that feature nicely in Cara’s drawings. By this point we were pretty chilly, so decided to finish our day with a hot drink at Blend to warm us up. Blend is back to opening until 8pm on Thursdays now, so it’s ideal if you’re looking for a cosy place to hang out after dark. We did some last doodles over oat chai lattes, then it was time for our drawing day to come to an end.
It was such a fun afternoon and I’d definitely recommend it as something different to do. A big thank you to Cara for letting me be part of a drawing day and for sending me over these copies of her super cute sketchbook (below). You can find Cara’s work on her website here, or follow her on Instagram here.
I’d love to know if you decide to have a similar drawing day. Let me know if you’d like to see more mate dates on the blog!
