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Sophie Charalambous is a visual artist and designer. She studied Fine Art Painting at Brighton University and undertook postgraduate studies on the Motley Theatre Design course before working for several years as a theatre designer. In 2009 she attended The Drawing Year at The Prince's Drawing School (now the Royal Drawing School) and in 2010 exhibited in the Discerning Eye Drawing Award and was commissioned the School by Van Cleef and Arpels to draw in their workshops in Paris. Sophie took part in the 'Pretty Gritty City' exhibition at The Prince's Drawing School in Shoreditch in 2013 with two other Drawing Year alumni. She now combines her own practice with working collaboratively in the theatre and leading arts projects with community groups. She teaches drawing and painting with the Royal Drawing School to adults at Drawing School Central and on The Foundation Year and regularly collaborates with The British Museum to create and deliver events and workshops which respond to their changing exhibitions. In her own practice Sophie explores the theatricality of every day places through drawing and painting, re-imagining them with a heightened sense of reality and detail. She works from observation and memory using a variety of materials.
On drawing
I create drawings in lots of different ways and for different reasons; some drawings are just drawings for the sake of themselves, while others are made from observation to try to understand something more deeply. I also make drawings which are designs for a performance or event. When designing for theatre I always begin by making imaginative drawings which are a direct visual response to a text. They are the genesis of the design and allow me to bring to the surface and explore ideas about mood, tone, the journey of characters and the world they will inhabit. Materials are important when I draw and I enjoy exploring effects and techniques which can be achieved by combining different materials. I use colour in drawings and am also interested in the grey area between drawing and painting. This interest in materials and techniques forms part of what I teach.
