Draw Plants Together offers friendly, inclusive drawing workshops that focus on our relationships with plants
The workshops are a space for creativity, social connection and an appreciation of the plants that live around us, and the local ecologies we are part of
Draw Plants Together the unceded Aboriginal Land where the drawing workshops take place.
We pay our respects to First Nations Elders and all First Nations people, and recognise their ongoing custodianship and care of Country.
draw
Drawing is a great thing to do. It can be a relaxing and enjoyable process, and can tune us into the present and into noticing the world around us differently.
Lots of us have the feeling ‘I can’t draw’. And part of what I want to offer with Draw Plants Together is an opportunity to loosen this feeling, invite other ways of thinking about drawing, and allow for the sensory and relational qualities of drawing to be felt.
The workshops provide a space for creativity and experimentation and the opportunity for you to spend some time with your own personal, subjective creative experiences of drawing.
I hope you enjoy :)
“This is the most fun and least intimidating time I've ever had drawing”
– participant, Glenroy Library Makerspace
NECCHi East Coburg
Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve
Merri Creek Primary, Yarra Bend Park
plants
At the heart of the workshops is the relationship we have with plants.
Plants are all around us, whether they’re house plants, herbs, vegetables, weeds, street trees or plants in nature-strips, reserves, parks and gardens.
And all of us have a relationship with them, in one way or another.
When we tune in to notice plants and draw them, all sorts of things emerge. We can start to appreciate their forms and colours, or their behaviour and character. And drawing plants together in small groups, we get to hear what other people notice too.
When we care for plants, they respond, and often in beautiful ways. And something I love about plants is that they can show us how beautiful care can be.
Plants are also beautiful to draw.
“Today’s workshop encouraged me to look a little closer at plant physiology. Through drawing I was able to take notice of different shapes. I enjoyed looking at my favourite indigenous plants through a different, and creative, lens.”
– participant, VINC Nursery
Farm Raiser
Rotunda Wetland, Clifton Hill
Nanadhong - Cathedral Range State Park
Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve
together
Draw Plants Together workshops are a nice mix of personal time for creativity, alongside opportunities to connect with others and to participate in a creative process as a group.
Drawing plants together often involves conversation and connection with others, and also conversation around plants.
The workshops are a gently social space, a way to reflect together, on creativity, on local ecologies, and on many other topics.
I hope the workshops support personal, social and ecological wellbeing, and bring people together in respectful, caring ways.
“I really enjoyed the guided freedom that Craig provided in the session. It allowed our own expression while all working together”
– participant, Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve
VINC Nursery – propagation shed
Laak Boorndap Test Garden – Fed Square
Upfield Urban Foresters
Draw Plants Together is an inclusive space
Everyone of all ages, backgrounds, sexualities, genders and abilities is welcome
A respectful space for First Nations people
A respectful space for LGBTIQA+, non-binary and gender diverse people
I prioritises accessibility
Please let me know what you need for the workshops to be the best experience for you
Workshops are delivered in English unless co-facilitated or with an interpreter
I am a qualified English language teacher, and am happy to provide English language support
Workshops fees are by sliding scale and seek to be equitable
No fee for First Nations people
Draw Plants Together makes regular donations to local First Nations orgs and local community-led initiatives
“A very gentle, informative approach. I felt safe, supported and inspired to be creative and connect with plants. The best workshop I've taken”
– participant, 'Plant life queer life' with Bridge Queer Gathering for FUSE Darebin
Friends of Royal Park
“Draw Plants Together offers a form of relaxation, even meditation, ways of engaging with plants free of the pressure to ‘know already’, and ways to think about how we respond to climate change, injustice and species loss in ways that can support action rather than overwhelm to inaction”
– Liz Morrigan, participant at NECHHi East Coburg
about me
Hi there :) My name is Craig (he/him).
I started Draw Plants Together in 2023 as a way for me to contribute my experience and skills in art and learning in connection with my love of plants and my interest in well-being.
I’ve worked as a learning facilitator (aka teacher, educator) for around 20 years in a range of different contexts. I’ve completed studies in art (RMIT and VCA), linguistics (Monash) and an Advanced Certificate with Gestalt Therapy Australia – probably one of the most meaningful learning experiences of my life. Last year, I participated in the Habitat and Conservation Management course through Darebin Creek Management Committee. I volunteer and have occasional work at Victorian Indigenous Nurseries Co-op (VINC).
Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more about the workshops or have a chat :)
Laak Boorndap Test Garden – Fed Square
A note about the knowledge I share around indigenous plants
I often share and refer people to resources by First Nations authors and individuals, and celebrate First Nations work in this area, however, as a non-Indigenous person, I don’t have Indigenous knowledge myself or position myself as a knowledge holder in relation to Indigenous knowledge.
If I share knowledge around indigenous or native plants in the workshops it is from a non-Indigenous perspective. The things I know are based on my work in a nursery, personal study, and my experiences observing and growing some of these plants.
My knowledge of plants in general is incomplete and provisional, and shifts and changes as I learn.
