CLICK HERE TO ADD YOUR EVENT

Drawing Out of Darkness

Unleash your creativity in this workshop at Summerhall as you master the versatile art of charcoal, using Frank Auerbach's iconic techniques to build and deconstruct bold, expressive masterpieces!

Drawing Out of Darkness

About Drawing Out of Darkness

Inspired by Frank Auerbach’s 'Charcoal Heads’, we’ll look at the particular qualities of charcoal, this versatile drawing material that enable forms to emerge out of the darkness. Echoing Auerbach’s technique, we’ll construct/deconstruct our drawing in order to observe/learn selectiveness in our mark-making.

Charcoal is the simplest, most sustainable of elements to draw with and perhaps one of the most accessible to grasp. We’ll start the session by trying out various forms of charcoal (blocks, sticks, powder, compressed, etc) together with estompé and putty erasers.

Suitable for everyone (16+). All materials will be provided.

Please bring a folder/portfolio to take your drawing home with you. Working with charcoal can be messy so please come prepared (old shirt/apron).

Sponsored Links

MNB
Edinburgh Street Historians
Arc Inspirations
St Mary's Music School
Escape The Past
Cancer Research UK
Support The Makers

Other Events at Summerhall

TBC Improv UK’s Monthly Open Improv Jam

Selected dates between 27th November 2025 - 9th April 2026

TBC invites you to a monthly improv drop-in jam. It's a fun inclusive event where absolutely all are welcome, no improv experience required.

READ MORE

Vibrant Viki’s Messy Art Club

9th January 2026 - 18th December 2026

Vibrant Viki’s Messy Art Club is a lively, hands-on creative experience designed especially for children under five who love to explore, play, and get wonderfully messy.

READ MORE

Edinburgh Ceilidh Club at Summerhall

Selected dates between 13th January 2026 - 14th July 2026

Come and experience Scottish dance the way its meant to be every Tuesday at the Edinburgh Ceilidh Club in Summerhall!

READ MORE

CATALYST: Art as Activism - All Day, Waiting For Another Sun to Rise

31st January 2026 - 29th March 2026

Within this show at Summerhall, Molly Wickett reimagines a post-apocalyptic landscape through a queer and disabled lens.

READ MORE

CATALYST: Art as Activism - Any Body Home

31st January 2026 - 29th March 2026

Any Body Home features works developed during the Hugo Burge Foundation x Summerhall residency Art as Activism (2024), along with other pieces exploring related themes.

READ MORE

CATALYST: Art as Activism - A Heart in Exile

31st January 2026 - 29th March 2026

A Heart in Exile brings together three bodies of work that trace the inner landscape of migration; its fractures, its expansions, and its quiet, unresolvable tensions.

READ MORE

CATALYST: Art as Activism - Net Worthy

31st January 2026 - 29th March 2026

Net Worthy explores how capitalism drives biodiversity loss through its emphasis on extraction via industrial agriculture and aquaculture to produce perpetual profit.

READ MORE

Welcome to Improv: A Drop-In Improv Class w/ TBC Improv UK

Selected dates between 24th February 2026 - 28th April 2026

Learn the basics of improv, play some exercises and games, and laugh a lot at this fun and inclusive class run by TBC Improv UK at Summerhall!

READ MORE

TBC Improv Presents: Fresh Faces of Improv - Longform!

Selected dates between 11th March 2026 - 9th June 2026

Get ready for a showcase of the newest improv comedy talent in Scotland with TBC Improv UK!

READ MORE

Summerhall Arts Surgeries

Selected dates between 11th March 2026 - 20th March 2026

Summerhall Arts Surgeries returns for a special Spring edition, marking the first standalone iteration of the programme outside of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe!

READ MORE

TBC Improv Presents: Fresh Faces of Improv - Shortform!

18th March 2026

Get ready for a night of unscripted hilarity featuring some of the most exciting new voices in Edinburgh’s improv scene!

READ MORE

Ink Drawing Workshop

19th March 2026

Come along to Summerhall and have fun at this lively ink drawing workshop where you'll experiment with fun tools and techniques to capture the beauty of nature and stunning Japanese gardens!

READ MORE

Rage Room

26th March 2026

Turn your temper into a triumph with Catriona MacLeod and Phil Shaw's brilliant workshop on harnessing rage for creativity and positive change... perfect for when you've run out of plates to smash!

READ MORE

Aphrodite Rogue By Eleanor McMahon

27th March 2026

Head to Summerhall on Friday 27th March for Aphrodite Rogue by Eleanor McMahon – a comedy about love, uncertain futures, and the importance of trying again, no matter how pointless it may seem!

READ MORE

Monoprinting With Plants Workshop

1st April 2026

Join Kit Martin at Summerhall on Wednesday 1st April for a relaxed and creative introduction to monoprinting with plants, and make beautiful, one-of-a-kind prints using leaves and natural textures!

READ MORE

The Storyteller’s Body: Extended - 6 Session Workshop

1st April 2026

Join Inés Álvarez Villa & TBC Improv UK in this workshop for anyone who would like to gain the confidence to speak to an audience, including storytellers, teachers or someone who loves stories!

READ MORE

Introduction to Botanical Inks

2nd April 2026

Join Kit Martin at Summerhall on Thursday 2nd April for an introduction to botanical inks, where you will experiment with colour shifts by adding household chemicals and mixing inks!

READ MORE

Introduction to Chemigrams & Phytograms

4th April 2026

Join Kit Martin at Summerhall on Saturday 4th April for an introduction to chemigrams & phytograms, where you'll learn how to make experimental, abstract images using expired darkroom papers!

READ MORE

Flower Power Drawing Workshop

12th April 2026

Join artist Jules Bradbury for a laid-back Sunday afternoon workshop and take a deep dive into drawing flowers with water-soluble colour at Summerhall on 12th April!

READ MORE

TBC Improv: Intro to Longform Improv Course (103)

14th April 2026

This Intro to Longform is an 8-class course that builds on core improv skills and introduces the tools needed to create connected, meaningful shows.

READ MORE

TBC Improv: Cast & Conquer: Forming an Improv Group (Elective)

15th April 2026

TBC Improv: Cast & Conquer is a 4-week intermediate course designed to help improvisers take the leap from classmate to castmate.

READ MORE

Stream Of Consciousness Writing And Abstract Drawing Workshop

16th April 2026

Join Janet McKenzie at Summerhall on Thursday 16th April for a Stream of Consciousness Writing and Abstract Drawing Workshop, to project internal rhythms and dramas onto paper!

READ MORE

ANECDOTE

17th April 2026 - 18th April 2026

Head to Summerhall for two day exhibition ANECDOTE hosted by seven photography students each creating projects in relation to their personal experiences and exploring causes close to them!

READ MORE

TBC Improv & Friends: A Night of Improvised Comedy

Selected dates between 17th April 2026 - 10th July 2026

Get ready for a double-header of brilliant improv at Summerhall as TBC Improv & Friends deliver a night of high-octane, unscripted chaos that'll leave you grinning from ear to ear!

READ MORE

Guest Workshop: Solo-Prov & Being Obvious

19th April 2026

Learn to be present, obvious, and boldly simple as David Elms guides you through grounded improv and the joyful art of solo-prov in this workshop at Summerhall.

READ MORE

Jackals

24th April 2026 - 25th April 2026

Set on a sunny day in Vienna, Jackals is a gripping, contemporary reimagining of the astounding real-life scandal between Emma Eckstein and a young Sigmund Freud!

READ MORE

Introduction To Cyanotype Workshop

9th May 2026

Come along to Summerhall on Saturday 9th May and join Kit Martin to be introduced to the historical cyanotype printing process, which is a camera-less form of photography!

READ MORE

TBC Improv: Intermediate Shortform Improv Course (202)

13th May 2026

Intermediate Shortform is an 8-class course that sharpens your instincts, expands your game vocabulary, and teaches you how to play shortform with precision, creativity, and confidence.

READ MORE

Art and Spirituality Workshop

14th May 2026

Use creativity to fulfil spiritual needs in a divided world on this Art and Spirituality Workshop, tutored by Janet McKenzie at Summerhall on Tuesday 14th May!

READ MORE

Walking on Eggshells

14th May 2026 - 16th May 2026

Walking on Eggshells from, Siren Theatre Company and Scissor Kick, is a theatrical celebration of survival and a humorous insight into living and navigating relationships with Complex PTSD.

READ MORE

Mixed Media Landscapes Art Workshop

28th May 2026

Join tutor Sheila Chapman at Summerhall for this Mixed Media Landscapes Art workshop where you will use various methods to create a colourful A4 size landscape painting!

READ MORE

SELF Inner And Outer Landscapes Workshop

11th June 2026

Join tutor Janet McKenzie at Summerhall for this workshop and be given the methods and means, through experimentation and discussion, to describe and express your inner life!

READ MORE

Guest Masterclass: Shortform & Calvinball

13th June 2026 - 14th June 2026

Boost your short form skills and embrace rule-breaking creativity in Calvinball with Hayley Kellett. A weekend of joyful, fearless play.|

READ MORE

Drawing Out: Art And Healing Workshop

16th July 2026

Drawing Out, seeks to enable a shift in one's state of mind, to heal, to create a personal 'toolkit' of preferred materials and methods to support one's ongoing creative practice!

READ MORE

Sponsored Links

King Pins
The Chocolatarium
Wonder & Co
Fayre Play
Edinburgh Tartan Parade
Kids Pass
Edinburgh Dungeon

Similar events you might like...

Cocktail Craft Masterclass

Cocktail Craft Masterclass

Selected dates between 9th January 2026 - 19th December 2026

Join Summerhall Distillery at their historic venue for an immersive cocktail masterclass, where the art of mixology meets the science of spirits!

READ MORE
Community Connections

Community Connections

Selected dates between 14th January 2026 - 8th April 2026

Each month in the beautiful and historic Abbey Strand Centre, Community Connections will explore themes from across the Royal Collection and the history of the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

READ MORE
Castle Chorus Weekly Rehearsal

Castle Chorus Weekly Rehearsal

Selected dates between 15th January 2026 - 26th March 2026

Castle Chorus is a small, friendly choir open to anybody who loves singing. If you’re interested in coming along, singing some songs and meeting new people, feel free to just turn up on a Thursday!

READ MORE
Brick and Sip - A LEGO Workshop with Alcohol

Brick and Sip - A LEGO Workshop with Alcohol

Selected dates between 25th January 2026 - 30th July 2026

Presented by Brick and Sip, come along to The Gilded Saloon and live your childhood dreams of being a LEGO® Master Builder, while fulfilling your adult dreams of having a drink!

READ MORE
Sound Bath Meditation Workshops - Elements

Sound Bath Meditation Workshops - Elements

Selected dates between 1st February 2026 - 1st November 2026

Reconnect with your inner self and the natural elements on a Sound Bath Meditation Workshop with Marcela Tršová at Birchwood Art Studio!

READ MORE
Regency Dance Classes

Regency Dance Classes

Selected dates between 3rd February 2026 - 31st March 2026

Come and learn dances from Jane Austen's time at Institut Français d'Écosse with Talitha MacKenzie, a teacher of Historical Dance & Dance Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

READ MORE
Painting Party With The Paint Club

Painting Party With The Paint Club

Selected dates between 3rd February 2026 - 4th August 2026

Join The Paint Club at BrewDog DogHouse for a relaxed and creative evening of painting where a friendly artist will guide you step-by-step from a blank canvas to your very own work of art!

READ MORE
The Blacksmiths Knife Making

The Blacksmiths Knife Making

Selected dates between 6th February 2026 - 27th March 2026

Learn the fundamental basics of blacksmithing in a supportive and engaging environment on this one day course run by Work of Iron at The Pitt.

READ MORE
Young Explorers - Monthly Programme

Young Explorers - Monthly Programme

Selected dates between 8th February 2026 - 14th June 2026
Various Locations Edinburgh

Are you a young wildlife adventurer who likes exploring in the outdoors? Then join Green Explorers monthly programme for 8-12 year olds and have fun and adventures in Edinburgh's local wild places!

READ MORE

Find other events in Edinburgh

Sponsored Links

MNB
Edinburgh Street Historians
Arc Inspirations
St Mary's Music School
Escape The Past
Cancer Research UK
Support The Makers
King Pins
The Chocolatarium
Wonder & Co
Fayre Play
Edinburgh Tartan Parade
Kids Pass
Edinburgh Dungeon

Popular Events

An Evening With Louis Theroux
Louis Theroux comes to Edinburgh for a rare live appearance at the Festival Theatre, offering audiences the chance to step inside the mind of one of Britain's most distinctive documentary makers!
A Play, A Pie and A Pint
A popular feature of the Traverse programme, A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Òran Mór returns this Spring!
St Patrick’s Day At the Three Sisters
Join The Three Sisters, in the heart of Edinburgh's Little Ireland, for the capital's famous St Patrick's Day celebration, back for yet another year of festivities!
One Day: The Musical
The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh and Melting Pot present the World Premiere of One Day The Musical, a celebration of love, fate, and the moments that define us forever.
Christopher Macarthur-Boyd: Howling At The Moon
One of the hottest tickets at the Fringe in 2025, Howling At The Moon is Christopher Macarthur-Boyd's new show of nocturnal stand-up about neurodivergence, sexuality and lunacy!

Popular Listings

Corn Exchange Haddington Edinburgh Playhouse Festival Theatre Edinburgh Howden Park Centre Livingston Kings Theatre Edinburgh National Museum of Scotland O2 Academy Edinburgh The Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh Traverse Theatre Usher Hall