Helen is the founder of Sketchface, a creative drawing movement based in Chelmsford that helps people rediscover the joy of drawing. She’s also an unapologetic early bird, often waking at 4:44am and using the hour between 5 and 6am as her creative power hour.

Sketchface is designed to level the playing field. It doesn’t matter whether you can draw or not. Through playful exercises and simple rules, participants are encouraged to get out of their own way, let go of perfectionism, and enjoy the creative process. Sessions are fuelled by music, movement and experimentation, creating a space where people can make work freely without worrying about getting it wrong.

We discuss how many people lose confidence in drawing through their experiences at school, and how Helen’s approach helps people reconnect with creativity. Exercises often include drawing with a continuous line, drawing without looking at the paper, using a non-dominant hand, or holding a pencil from the very top. The rules act as a "get out clause", removing the pressure to control the outcome and helping participants avoid judging their work too harshly.

A popular warm-up exercise is “writing for the bin” – creating something with no expectation of keeping it, simply to enjoy the process before throwing it away. Sketchface embraces this mindset throughout, encouraging play rather than performance.

At Sketchface events, participants both draw and pose for one another, creating an interesting dynamic where everyone gets to observe and be observed. Drawings are exchanged at the end of the session. This leads to a conversation about vulnerability, including Nick’s memorable experience of drawing a life model as a centaur and then having to show it during a serious critique session.

We talk about the strange intensity of sitting and looking at someone for sixty seconds, and Helen’s giant soft emotional-support pencil, which participants can cuddle if they feel uncomfortable posing.

The philosophy behind Sketchface is heavily influenced by illustrator Wendy MacNaughton and her belief that drawing can be a tool for connection rather than judgement. Helen asks a simple question: if creativity only makes you feel bad about yourself, why would you continue doing it?

The conversation also explores Helen’s background in art psychotherapy and the fashion industry, her habit of drawing a self-portrait every day for the last five years, and how daily creative rituals can become a meaningful practice. Nick compares this to his own project of taking a photograph in the first photo booth he encountered each day for a year.

Other topics include drawing on the floor rather than at a desk or easel, Sangita draws for the first time in years, the surprisingly difficult challenge of drawing trees, the emotional complexity of illustrating hugs, Nick’s recommendation of the game Six Second Scribbles, and the importance of creating environments where people feel safe enough to experiment.

Ultimately, Sketchface is less about learning to draw and more about learning to enjoy drawing again.

Helen Girling Art
Sketch Face

Are You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media, Chelmsford, ESSEX
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Thanks to NGDA for their support