4 brilliant things to do this March

From exciting cinema to creative workshops, these are our top picks for the month

Try your hand at life drawing. Image: Royal Academy of Arts

Get sketching with online workshops

Ignite your creativity with the Royal Academy of Arts’ monthly online sketch club, designed for both professionals and amateurs. Each session is led by a different artist, who guides students through a different theme. From drawing geometric patterns to rendering landscapes, you are sure to learn something new, and all that is needed is a pencil, paper and a rubber.

Book tickets at royalacademy.org.uk

Rudyard Kipling’s study at Batemans. Image: National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel

Discover the tools of a famous writer

Join the conservation team at Bateman’s in Sussex as they begin work on Rudyard Kipling’s study. The famed writer lived here for over 30 years, amassing a wonderful collection of books and other objects that sparked his imagination. At special ‘show-and-tell’ events you can observe as conservationists handle, clean and reveal the stories behind objects such as an engraved inkwell and a Scottie dog-themed ashtray, as well as books that hold pressed flowers and annotations.

The Writer’s Home: Show and tell – Kipling’s desk and study, at Bateman’s on various dates from 9 March

nationaltrust.org.uk

The poster for Roman Holiday. Image: courtesy Glasgow Film Festival

Celebrate female-focused cinema in Glasgow

The Glasgow Film Festival returns with a focus on women’s narratives, including a celebration of Lee Grant’s work. This acclaimed actor and director was already Oscar-nominated by the time she fell victim to the anti-communist blacklist of the 1950s. The festival will focus on the innovative and compassionate documentaries she made in the 1980s, which shone a light on social inequality and prejudice, including the Oscar-winning Down and Out in America. Other highlights include ‘In The Driving Seat’, a programme that highlights stories of women’s journeys of self-discovery, from Roman Holiday to It Happened One Night.

Glasgow Film Festival, 1–12 March

glasgowfilm.org

Artist Sophia Moffa with a young pupil at a clay workshop. Image: courtesy Warwick Arts Centre 

Try your hand at clay

This three-week course organised by Warwick Arts Centre invites you to get your hands dirty and create your very own clay sculpture. With expert tuition from environmentally focused artist Sophia Moffa, the sessions include learning initial techniques such as coiling and modelling, harnessing ideas inspired by the natural world, and decorating finished creations. It is an amazing opportunity to experience the wonders and possibilities of the medium. 

Adult short courses: Clay with Sophia Moffa

At Warwick Arts Centre, 15, 22 and 29 March

Book via warwickartscentre.co.uk