FASHION ILLUSTRATOR, LIVE EVENT ARTIST
& FASHION EDUCATION SPECIALIST
FASHION ILLUSTRATION WORKSHOPS
FOR SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
- LONDON & UK
My educational workshops are designed for universities, schools, colleges and cultural organisations, and can be tailored to learners aged 13 and above. Through fashion illustration, drawing, collage and visual storytelling, participants are encouraged to build confidence, experiment freely and develop their own creative approach. *Scroll down for community and charity workshops.
With over ten years' experience as an educator, a PGCE with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), an up-to-date DBS certificate, I combine pedagogical knowledge with active creative practice. Alongside my fashion illustration practice, I am a tutor at the Royal College of Art, the world's number one university for Art and Design. My workshops challenge traditional approaches to drawing by encouraging movement, experimentation and thinking through making.
A CREATIVE EXPERIENCE
DESIGNED AROUND YOUR STUDENTS
Every workshop is developed specifically for the students taking part. While sessions follow a clear structure, activities can be adapted to suit different age groups, project themes and learning objectives. Workshops encourage experimentation, creative confidence and individual expression. Workshops can be tailored to support existing project themes.
For the best experience, I recommend a full-day workshop, allowing students time to experiment, reflect and develop ideas. I ensure to discuss access requirements in advance to ensure all participants can engage fully.
Above all, I want students to leave feeling more confident. The strongest outcomes often come not from producing a perfect drawing, but from discovering new ways of thinking, making and communicating ideas.
If you are interested in booking a workshop, email me at info@elyseblackshaw.com
"Elyse’s teaching style is creative and hands-on and underpinned with theory. The students responded well to her teaching and produced some amazing work which they used to develop their own design handwriting"
Senior Lecturer of BA Fashion Design, Manchester Fashion Institute
Previous educational institutions include: Manchester Metropolitan University, University for the Creative Arts, Newcastle College, Brighton MET College, Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts, Godalming College, South and City College Birmingham, Eltham Hill School for Girls, Solihull College, Colfe’s School, Manchester Enterprise AcademyFashion Minority Group Summer School
GRADUATE FASHION WEEK
My workshop practice is informed by active engagement with both higher education and the fashion industry. Since 2020, I have supported Graduate Fashion Week as a workshop facilitator and judge for the Fashion Illustration Award, (2023-26) working alongside emerging talent from universities across the UK.
This involvement keeps me connected to contemporary fashion education, current industry expectations and the skills students need to develop strong portfolios and distinctive creative identities.
These insights are embedded throughout my workshops, creating learning experiences that are both creatively ambitious and relevant to today's educational and professional environments.
Schools and Colleges Day Fashion Drawing Workshop 2025. Photograph Courtesy of Graduate Fashion Foundation, Photography by Lowri Cooper.
COLLAGE & CREATIVE REUSE
The collage element of my workshops emerged from research undertaken during my MA at the Royal College of Art, where I explored how fashion illustration could be used as a social tool for engaging with sustainability.
Rather than beginning with new materials, participants are invited to work with existing ones. Using unwanted artworks, discarded drawings and paper scraps, we transform materials that might otherwise be thrown away into new fashion images. The process encourages participants to slow down and consider the value of the materials they use, taking responsibility for what they create and recognising the creative potential of what already exists.
Participants are encouraged to look closely at the fragments in front of them, whether it's an expressive mark, a particular colour, an interesting texture or an unexpected shape. These become the starting point for experimentation, allowing students to explore layering, composition, scale and unconventional aesthetics through both small sculptural exercises and large-scale collaborative image making.
I provide a collection of repurposed papers gathered from previous workshops, old artworks and discarded sketches, and participants are encouraged to contribute their own unwanted materials where possible. This not only supports a more sustainable approach to making, but also introduces an element of collective authorship, where one person's discarded drawing can become the foundation of someone else's work.
In a full-day workshop, the collage activity typically takes place during the final two hours, allowing participants to build upon the ideas and drawings generated earlier in the day. Wall space is required, as the process often culminates in large-scale fashion images that encourage ambitious thinking and collaborative making.
“...a hugely successful day for students, who thoroughly engaged with the workshop, immersing themselves in it completely. They built on their drawing and observation skills as well as 3-D textural awareness. Feedback from all of them was overwhelmingly positive, and they were totally inspired by it. A huge thank you to Elyse for an absolutely sensational day.”
- Colfe's School 2024
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
My community workshop practice is rooted in the belief that fashion illustration can be a tool for connection, participation and creative empowerment. I am interested in how drawing can bring people together, encourage conversation and create opportunities for shared experiences.
Working with organisations including Wandsworth Council, Banbury BID and TRAID, I have delivered workshops in a wide variety of public and community settings. These sessions encourage participants to explore drawing, collage and image-making in accessible ways, regardless of previous creative experience.
Rather than focusing on technical skill, workshops prioritise experimentation, confidence building and collective participation. Through playful activities and collaborative making, participants are given permission to take creative risks, discover new ways of working and contribute to a shared creative environment.
Selected project: I teamed up with Traid Shepherd's Bush to host a fashion illustration workshop that celebrates second-hand clothing using materials sourced from the Traid warehouse.
*Scroll down for more examples of community projects
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who are your workshops for?
My workshops are suitable for learners aged 13+ and can be adapted for schools, colleges, universities and cultural organisations.
Do students need previous drawing experience?
No. Workshops are designed to build confidence, encourage experimentation and support all abilities.
What topics do you cover?
Sessions can explore fashion illustration, figures, collage, visual storytelling, research methods and portfolio development. Workshops can also be tailored to existing projects.
Do you travel outside London?
Yes if accessible by public transport and in reasonable travel distance. Please contact to discuss your location and we can see how we can make it work. I am based in London but regularly deliver workshops across the UK.
What makes your workshops different?
My workshops focus on creative confidence rather than perfection. Using movement, speed and experimentation, participants develop their own visual language and approach to drawing.
Is the sustainability activity included?
Yes. Many workshops include a collage activity developed through my RCA research, using repurposed materials to explore sustainability, creative reuse and fashion image-making. In a full day workshop, this is usually implemented in the afternoon.
How do I book?
Simply email me with your preferred date, location and group size, and I'll recommend a suitable workshop format.
Related Reading
London Borough of Culture 2025: In partnership with Wandsworth Council, the RCA commissioned alumna Elyse Blackshaw to create original artworks exploring the theme of creative health. The resulting works were displayed on public banners outside Wandsworth Town Hall during Wandsworth Arts Fringe and the previous summer. The project engaged 378 pupils across years 3–6, reaching 15 classes from 10 schools.
“Elyse’s talent and creativity really came through in her work on the mural for Banbury BID. Her ability to bring the community’s creations together and create a beautiful piece of art that is now admired by all is fantastic. I highly recommend Elyse for any artistic project, her passion and dedication always exceed expectation."
Banbury BID Strategist
In 2024, in Banbury Improvement District in partnership with Chiltern Railway commissioned Elyse Blackshaw to create a series of workshops where participants could collage and create illustrations inspired by people and places in Banbury. The participant artwork was digitally recreated to form mural scenes to improve the walkway of of a unused car site.
In partnership with Wandsworth Council 2024, Elyse Blackshaw was commissioned to facilitate a series of workshops to create artwork for local libraries for the Wandsworth Arts Fringe. The workshops, titled "Fashion Wandsworth" introduced primary schools across Wandsworth to fashion illustration techniques. Children learnt how clothing can be used as a social tool to project important messages into the world. They designed their own clothing with colours that represented their identity, and slogans that gave messages to Wandsworth and the World.
In February 2026, in the British Library commissioned Elyse Blackshaw to create an collage workshop exploring alternative fairytale characters. Elyse designed and illustrated and extensive collage pack and facilitated a family drop in workshop at the British Library to celebrate the opening of the Fairy Tales exhibition. This project was comissioned by the Living Knowledge Network to give access to libraries across the UK to use the collage pack.
In 2022, Elyse Blackshaw was commissioned by John Ruskin Primary in Southwark to facilitate workshops in all year groups to generate images for a playground mural. The theme of the mural was anchored on wellbeing. Children illustrated their favourite people, places or dreams to be featured in the mural. Elyse digitally recreated these illustrations, staying true to the children's original handwriting and medium, and compositioned the mural to include all imagery.
In 2022, Elyse Blackshaw collaborated with Shop From Crisis Peckham to facilitated a second-hand fashion drawing workshop. The workshop coincided with Elyse's illustrated window display in partnership with Captain Cyan printing services.