Learn and build confidence in drawing techniques and bring them together into a hand-bound zine.

Camden Art Centre’s garden and plant observation will be the guiding theme of this workshop, which aims to instil confidence and enjoyment in drawing for those who don’t draw regularly and to provide new avenues for exploration for those who already have an established practice.

After a welcome introduction with cups of hot tea and sharing of her love of drawing, artist Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck will invite participants to explore drawing through considered prompts.

The final part of the workshop will be dedicated to conversation among participants and the hand-binding of the day’s creations into small art books, also known as zines.

The workshop is designed for adults and is suitable for those who have not drawn in a long time and those with an established creative practice.

This workshop is inspired by The Gardening Drawing Club, an independent artist-led community initiative founded in 2021 by Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck, offering opportunities for adults and children to explore the relationship between art and horticulture. The project draws on concepts explored in permaculture, deep ecology, and natural farming.

A curated small library of zines from international publishers, offering a wide range of formats, themes, and approaches, will be available to consult throughout the afternoon.

This workshop encourages a creative, relaxed, supportive atmosphere, with organic herbal tea provided.

The participants will return home with:

• Practical skills in basic zine-making and simple bookbinding techniques.
• Their handmade zine created during the workshop.
• Creative inspiration and ideas for future drawing and zine-publishing projects.

This workshop has previously taken place in Seoul, Tokyo and Castello Delle Stiviere under the title ‘Your Drawing Nature’.

The Artist Images

The Artist

Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck (b. 1990, France) is a transdisciplinary artist based in rural Oxfordshire. Her practice, rooted in ecological awareness, spans painting, sculpture, photography, publishing, horticulture, and participatory projects.

Johanna founded the independent, artist-led imprint Poetic Pastel Press in 2015, perhaps best known for its printed publication series Journal du Thé: Contemporary Tea Culture, which she co-founded in 2018. The deep ecology movement influences the imprint, with works printed in England using vegetable-based inks and distributed in over thirty countries. Poetic Pastel Press has participated in notable international book fairs, including Offprint in London and the Tokyo Art Book Fair. Johanna has also led and participated in talks on artists in publishing at venues such as BOAN Books in Seoul.

International imprints, including InOtherWords (UK), Chose Commune (FR), Nieves (CH), Hat Press (UK), Jane & Jeremy (UK), Editions Ulmer (FR), Ao-hata (JP), and Tombolo Presses (FR), have released publications on her practice. Her latest photography book, Please Take Your Shoes Off and Come In, has been edited and published by Pon Ding (TW).

Johanna’s work expresses care and tenderness, reflecting on the fragility and beauty of life. Recent solo exhibitions include Dreaming About Tomorrow at Nidi Gallery, Tokyo (2022). Group exhibitions include Soil at Somerset House, London (2025), The Equal Right to Live and Blossom at Kate MacGarry, London (2024), One Foot in the Sky at Contemporary Sculpture Fulmer, UK (2023), and Edge Effects at Whitechapel Gallery, London (2024). Johanna’s work will be featured in the 2026 Drawing Biennial at the Drawing Room, (2026).

In addition, Johanna founded the collaborative initiative The Gardening Drawing Club. She has organised and facilitated workshops and learning programs for adults and children at multiple British art institutions, including Camden Art Centre.