A summaryJoin us at Gainsborough Community Library for a variety of creative workshops throughout the Summer holidays for 10-16 year olds! Workshops are 9:45am - 3:30pm and include lunch, drinks and snacks.
Free places are available for those eligible for benefit related free school meals. Unsure if you’re eligible? For guidance visit www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals.
For more information on each workshop and our brilliant artists, please visit our website:
suffolkcommunitylibraries.co.uk/blank-page
If your booking is made within 72 hours of the workshop, we may not be able to accommodate specific dietary requirements. Please get in touch with the library location for the workshop to discuss options.
Library: Gainsborough Library, Clapgate Lane, Ipswich, IP3 0RL
29 July: Collage and digital book creation workshop
30 July: TBC
5 August: Wordy wrap clay pot workshop
6 August: Songwriting workshop
12 August: Special effects make-up
15 August: Bookmaking workshop
19 August: Graphic t-shirt design workshop
20 August: Coding with Scratch workshop
22 August: Eco printmaking workshop
26 August: Songwriting workshop
27 August: Inspirational portraits workshop
29 August: Print and illustration workshop
Workshop details:
Tuesday 29 July 2025 09:45- 15:30
My Style - print, collage & digital folded books with Michelle Brace
Work with gel plate printing, collage, text, digital drawing and mixing to create a folded book in your own unique style!
You will start the day by creating your own series of printed texture papers for use in your colourful collage. Your collage will be photographed and added as a background for digital layering, mixing and drawing in Procreate on the iPad (supplied for use in the workshop). Your design will be printed out in colour on A3 paper and folded into a book. You will then be able to add a title and any finishing touches to your book using acrylic markers and cut up text.
Tuesday 5 August 2025 09:45- 15:30
Clay: Wordy Wrap Pot with Emma Jayne Robertson
Join ceramic artist, Emma Jayne Robertson, to make a wrap pot from clay covered in all sorts of textured prints.
You can include words, phrases and imagery inspired by your favourite story.
We will start by drawing out ideas and develop these into a final design. Then we will create!
You will roll out your clay and then spend time exploring all the fabrics, stamps, buttons, shells and more from Emma’s texture box.
She will then show you how to wrap it around a former and add a base to make it into a pot/vase. Each participant will get to choose one colour for their pot/vase before they leave. This will be applied by The EJaRt Creative Team and wiped back to highlight the patterns on the surface before it has its final firing. The inside of the pot will be glazed and the outside left natural.
Items will be delivered back to the library for you to collect, after being glazed and fired.
Please Note: Delivery can take 4-6 weeks as your pot will need to dry out thoroughly and be fired twice in the kiln.
Please bring an apron or old shirt to protect your clothes. (We do have some disposable aprons if anyone forgets them on the day).
Wednesday 6 August 2025 09:45- 15:30
Songwriting and Album Art Creation Workshop with Ben Brown and Catalina Carvajal
Join musician Ben Brown and visual artist Catalina Carvajal for this free creative workshop for 10-16 year olds! Explore your innate creativity to spontaneously create exciting and unique works or audio and visual art. Participants will go on a creative journey, writing and recording a song with Ben and creating the cover art with Catalina. In this workshop we will explore songwriting; rhythm, rhyming and harmony as well as visual arts. Together we will write a song by brainstorming ideas and using a variety of creative techniques and games.
Once created, we will then record the song in the space! We will also cocreate a piece of cover art to accompany the track. The completed tracks will be uploaded to Bandcamp as part of the Blank Page EP which will be downloadable for free (individual participants will not be named).
Please do not bring instruments to this workshop.
Tuesday 12 August 2025 09:45- 15:30
SFX Make Up with Lorna- Jane Garside
Join arts practitioner Lorna-Jane Garside for this creative workshop for 10-16 year olds at your local library. Learn how to create your own cuts, bruises and gory special effects makeup looks! Participants will learn how to create the gory looks they've seen on stage and screen. You'll be making your own stage blood, creating latex prosthetics, and learning how to apply cuts and bruises. We'll build the weirdest and most creative story we can think of and design the special effects to go along with it!
Friday 15 August 2025 09:45- 15:30
Creative Bookmaking - make a diary in a day with Hazel Garrity
In a relaxed, supportive atmosphere, we will be making personalised journals using traditional bookbinding techniques and tools.
Follow step-by-step demonstrations and surprise yourself by learning new skills. You will make a carefully crafted journal from scratch choosing from a range of colourful papers and adding your own special details. It’s fun to include inserts, pull-outs, envelopes, flaps and recycled materials to reflect your personality and interests. You will be proud to take home your unique book and can continue to add more words and images in the months to come.
Risks
Use of adhesives - PVA approved for use in schools
Sharp tools (needles and awls) - Clear warnings and instructions given at start of workshop.
Tuesday 19 August 2025 09:45- 15:30
Graphic T-shirts with Sarah Nkugwa
Join printmaker and graphic designer Sarah Nkugwa for this free creative workshop for 10-16 year olds at Gainsborough Library, as part of The Blank Page Project! Learn how to use typography to create exciting graphic t-shirts to support big change in the world.
We will be exploring different ways of using Typography to design on trend graphic messages to be worn on a t-shirt. Participants will make their way through a series of experimental design ideas and learn how to use vinyl and the heat press safely to make one-of-a-kind t-shirts to take home.
Wednesday 20 August 2025 09:45- 15:30
Coding on Scratch with Phil Willis
Join software developer and robot creator Phil Willis for this free creative workshop for 10-16 year olds at Great Cornard Library, as part of The Blank Page Project! Learn how to use coding software to create your own computer game.
This workshop will guide you through the creation of your very own computer game. You will be introduced to programming concepts such as scratch and raspberry pi to design and create a computer game for you to play and share with your friends. No computing experience necessary, only a desire to learn.
Friday 22 August 2025 09:45- 15:30
Eco printmaking workshop with Holly Scholfield
Join artist and designer Holly Scholfield for this creative workshop for 10-16 year olds at your local library. Design and make your own beautiful dry point etching using environmentally friendly materials. This workshop will be a busy day of drawing, designing, and printing! Using recycled Tetrapak, we will explore the traditional printing technique of dry point. You will be guided through the whole process from start to finish, using etching tools, inks and a printing press. Participants will get to go home with their own unique prints.
Tuesday 26 August 2025 09:45- 15:30
Charlie's Community Song Factory with Charlie Law
Participants will write a song together in a group and record it in one day. The song will be professionally mixed and mastered and participants will receive an mp3 of the song. Charlie Law is a local singer-songwriter who has been featured on BBC Introducing and performed gigs with Ed Sheeran, Frank Turner and Turin Brakes.
Wednesday 27 August 2025 09:45- 15:30
Inspirational people portraits with Lily Hammond
Getting young people inspired. A session to discuss and consider icons and leaders in their relative industries. To encourage young people to believe they can do wonderful things, and to be inspired by wonderful people. Lily will lead the session offering guidance and assistance on creating the portraits and using Carbon paper for those who are less confident, there are options to tailor the workshop for all ages and abilities.
Friday 29 August 2025 09:45- 15:30
Exploring Adinkra – A West African-Inspired Print & Illustration Journey with Lily Hammond
Join artist Lily from Uwu Studio for an experimental and joyful print and illustration workshop inspired by the powerful visual language of Adinkra symbols and her recent journey to Nigeria. This creative session celebrates the bold colours, rhythmic patterns, and meaningful symbols of West Africa through hands-on making and playful exploration.
What are Adinkra symbols?
Adinkra symbols originate from the Akan people of Ghana and represent ideas, values, and philosophical concepts. Traditionally used in textiles, ceramics, and architecture, these visual motifs express everything from wisdom and unity to courage and transformation.
In this workshop, we will delve into the beauty and meaning behind these symbols, using them as inspiration to design our own unique artworks. We’ll explore vibrant colour palettes, create our own block prints using foam and card, and experiment with wax-resist techniques—a traditional method still widely practised across Nigeria as well as illustrative techniques and experimentation.
You'll leave the session having learned new techniques and created a bold collection of African-inspired prints and illustrations to take home.
