Bow Skills workshop: life drawing in the Nunnery with Jamie Zubairi and Thamesmead Life Drawing
Tuesday 4th February 2025 , 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Bringing together our artist community, come along to the next session in our Life Drawing in the Nunnery series, hosted by Thamesmead Life Drawing’s Jamie Zubairi. All levels of experience are welcome!
After settling in, Jamie will guide us through our life drawing experience for the evening – for some, a chance to start your drawing and mark making journey, for others, an opportunity to further hone your figurative drawing skills. This session we are joined by disabled, hyper-flexible male life-model David, throwing his own brand of unique shapes – you can see his work here.
We’ll spend the first half of the session working through a couple of short poses to warm up your drawing muscles and explore different methods of drawing and mark making, before taking a short break to grab a drink and stretch your fingers.
After the break, we will spend the rest of the session working through a longer 35-minute pose where you can really focus on your technique and finesse your drawing, with time to share your creations with the rest of the group at the end (if you want to and feel comfortable doing so)!
All levels of experience are welcome.
What do I need to bring?
We encourage everyone to bring along your own drawing materials and paper, but we will have a limited number of extras on hand for folks who are unable to do so. A hardback sketchbook is ideal as we will only be supplying seating, but feel free to bring along your own A3 drawing boards, clipboards, or small easels too!
Doors will open at 6pm, with the life drawing session running in the Nunnery Gallery from 6.30pm until 8.30pm, followed by open socialising time. Please note that the Nunnery Café will be closed during the session, but you are welcome to bring your own bottle!
Concession rate applies to students, over 65s, under 18s, Bow Arts artists, National Art Pass members, and key workers.
More about Jamie Zubairi
Jamie Zubairi is an artist, actor, photographer, voiceover and creative facilitator of mixed Anglo-Malay heritage. After Art Foundation at DeMontfort, Zubairi trained as an actor at LAMDA and his work ranges from the Edinburgh Fringe to West End, to film and television. He’s best known for playing Inspector Chen in the BBC radio series INSPECTOR CHEN MYSTERIES. He painted and drew whenever he wasn’t acting and after meeting his mentor in 2009, created various performances that incorporate live painting, text, and performance, notably SKYLARKING (2011), UNBROKEN LINE (2012), and TIDES (2017, film directed by Tupaq Felber). He runs Thamesmead Life Drawing and occasionally teaches acting at LAMDA.
About Bow Skills
Bow Arts seeks to support creative professionals at all stages of their careers. In 2015, Bow Arts launched Bow Skills in response to an artist survey which showed over 90% of practicing artists find it useful to receive further support outside formal education.
Bow Skills is a dynamic and relevant programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) which is informed by an artist steering group and open to all creative practitioners across London. The programme of talks, panel discussions, new skills labs and peer crits is open to all, with concession rates available to students, over 65s, under 18s, Bow Arts artists and key workers.
Access information
The Nunnery Gallery has step-free access throughout from street level, including to the accessible toilet, and is service animal friendly. This venue does not have a hearing loop system. Accessible parking is not available on-site.
If you have any questions regarding accessibility at this venue or event, would like to make us aware of any access requirements that you have in advance of visiting, or would like this information in an alternate format including Easy Read, please email nunnery@bowarts.com or call 020 8980 7774 (Ext. 3)
Access requirements could include things like providing equipment, services or support (e.g. information in Easy Read, speech to text software, additional 1:1 support), adjusting workshop timings (e.g. more break times), adjustments to the event space (e.g. making sure you have a seat near the entrance) or anything else you can think of!
Transport Information
Opening hours: Tuesday- Sunday, 10am-4pm
Address: Nunnery Gallery, 181 Bow Road, London, E3 2SJ
Nearest station(s): Bow Road (District and Hammersmith and City lines) is a 6-minute walk away, and Bow Church (DLR) is a 3-minute walk away.
Bus: 205, 25, 425, A8, D8, 108, 276, 488 and 8 all service the surrounding area.
Bike: Bicycle parking is located at Bow Church Station. The nearest Santander Cycles docking station is at Bow Church Station.
