Making Space for… Concertina Sketchbooks

Six weeks. Six people. One sketchbook — and the beginning of your own visual language

A small, intimate workshop programme held around the studio table in Lady Bay, Nottingham. Six consecutive Tuesday mornings, 10:30–12:30, starting 30th June 2026, and Thursday evenings, 19:00-21.00 starting 2nd June.

This isn't an art class. There are no right answers and nothing to copy. Instead, over six weeks, you'll work through a concertina sketchbook using mark-making, collage, drawing and response — building a personal visual language at your own pace, in your own direction.

The concertina format is the key.

The book unfolds as a continuous sequence — each page connected to the next, the whole visible simultaneously when it's open. It creates space for you to weave your own story through it. No two sketchbooks will look the same.

Book your place or find out more in the booking section

What's included

A concertina sketchbook to keep, a personal mark-making kit (pencil, fine liner, charcoal pencil) to keep, all shared materials, and six sessions of facilitated creative time with artist Paul Liptrot.

Practicalities

Tuesdays 30th June — 4th August 2026, 10:30–12:30

Thursdays 2nd July - 6th August 2026, 19:00 - 21:00.

Location: Around the studio table in Lady Bay, Nottingham. Full address confirmed on booking.

Group size: Maximum six people

Experience: All levels welcome — no experience necessary

Cost: £150 (founding cohort rate) £37.50 non-refundable on cancellation. Full refund if Studio | Paul Liptrot cancels.

Good to know: Dougie the briard is part of the studio — large, gentle and occasionally present.

The programme

Each session follows the same rhythm:

A short masterclass — examples from artists across history that open doors without prescribing outcomes. A worksheet activity — testing and exploring before committing anything to the sketchbook. An hour of focused sketchbook work. Group reflection — hearing how others responded is part of the learning. And a brief look ahead to next week.
The six weeks move progressively — from free mark-making and working within forms, through responding to objects and drawing sections, to mark-making with music, and finally a session of reflection and completion.
By the end you'll have a completed or near-completed sketchbook and something more valuable — a clearer sense of how you make and what you want to continue.