The Dig Ventures team are currently excavating the ruins of a medieval palace, built and occupied by the Prince-Bishops who ruled England’s northern border in the middle ages.
From floor to ceiling, these palaces would have been filled with beautiful medieval art, including glittering tapestries, colourful murals, painted ceilings, decorative tiles, and illustrated manuscripts filled with people, animals, and architectural motifs.
In this live, online experience, we’ll show you how to create a piece of medieval art that’s fit to hang on the walls of our palace – or in your own home!
The session will begin with a short visual tour of medieval art, drawing from the rich history of illustration, architecture, and fashion.
You will then be led in some basic drawing techniques and exercises to help you create your very own medieval-style portrait.
You will need:
- Paper
- Any colourful pens, pencils, and paints you have at home
- Scissors, glue, and a small piece of blue tack
- A pinch of curiosity, and a desire to have fun learning about medieval art!
Our session is being led by archaeologists, and a professional illustrator. As part of this session, you will get to:
- Meet our archaeologists (and our artists!)
- Take a virtual walk around the ruins of our medieval palace
- See examples of the kind of art that would once have hung on its walls
- Learn some basic drawing and illustration techniques to create your own art inspired by what you’ve seen
- Create a medieval-style portrait to hang at home!
This will truly be a totally unique class and we are very excited to get drawing with you all!
No previous experience necessary. We’ll take you step-by-step through the process so that everyone walks away with a piece of art to be proud of!
What age group is this for?
This event is primarly aimed at adults, but all ages are welcome. Families can join in too!
Will you be recording the event?
Yes, we’ll be recording the event. If you can’t attend live – don’t worry! We will send a link to everyone who registered within a few hours of the event ending. You will be able to replay the event for 7 days.
More about your hosts
This event is being organised by DigVentures. We’re a team of archaeologists who are on a mission to share archaeology with the world and make your dream of becoming an archaeologist come true. You can find out how to join us one a real-life excavation here.
Your illustrator is Aaron Jacob Jones, who loves teaching art, and doing portraits, as well as illustrations. You can see examples of Aaron’s non-medieval portraits here.
More about this site
This dig is one of a series being delivered by Dig Ventures to revitalise the history, heritage, and landscape along the River Skerne.
It’s being made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Durham County Council’s Archaeology Section, and Durham Wildlife Trust.
Bishop Middleham Castle, on the outskirts of Bishop Middleham, presents a tantalising opportunity to learn more about two key areas – early medieval buildings, and how the Bishops of Durham extracted wealth from their land.
