What’s On

Nov
15
Sat
Sketching birds with Trevor Smith FULLY BOOKED
Nov 15 all-day

Sketching birds with Trevor Smith

Book here

 

Course Suitability: Suitable for all

 

Maximum Participants: 12

 

Course Description:

A one day workshop aimed at introducing and exploring the subject of sketching birds. Suitable for anyone with an urge to draw!
The day will include:
•    A look at simple avian anatomy, focussing on the movement of the skeleton and feathers and their effects upon form and structure.
•    Simple sketching techniques for capturing an image.
•    A brief discussion on suitable materials for use in the field.
•    A brief look at foreshortening effects.
•    Adding colour to a sketch.
•    Putting it all into practice using reference material.

 

 

Participants will need to provide the following materials:

1/ A good quality pad or book of cartridge paper, or loose sheets.
2/ A selection of B grade pencils, charcoal, or graphite drawing pencils.
3/ An eraser.
4/ A colour medium; for example: Watercolour, coloured pencils, pastels etc,
for applying colour to sketches if desired. (one medium is enough)
While colour can be applied onto cartridge paper with good results, watercolour, or pastel paper or board may be preferred by some participants.

NB – Reference material will be supplied on the day, but participants are advised to bring photographic reference of desired subjects, if the intention is to draw a particular species.

 

About the artist: 

Trevor is a wildlife artist whose inspiration comes from British wildlife; working from life wherever possible.
Sketching in pencil and watercolour, his sketchbooks provide a unique connection to a living subject that is of great value to him; they provide a record of his encounters with wildlife and, acting as aide memoirs, allow recall of past events with clarity.

The immediacy of watercolour makes it his chosen medium with which to achieve this.

Trevor is self employed and has spent much of his career working in wildlife conservation.
‘Britain’s wildlife and wild places are under threat as never before. As wildlife artists we are better placed than many to witness this decline, but can also be influential in highlighting the loss of biodiversity by helping to shape opinion to reverse that loss’.
Trevor has taught fellow artists and novices alike to sketch birds, for many years now, specialising in passing on his experience of sketching from life, in the field.

 

 

 

To secure your place on this course a £25 non-refundable deposit is required.

All courses are £59 per day for members, and £75 for non-members

Nov
20
Thu
Painting still life with Lucy Burton – CANCELLED
Nov 20 all-day

Painting still life with Lucy Burton

Book here

Course Suitability: Suitable for all

 

Maximum Participants: 12

 

Course Description:

In this workshop we are going to consider lots of compositional ideas and guidelines, arranging and lighting our fruit on a transparent plate with different coloured backgrounds.  We will be looking to create interesting and unusual compositions, shadow shapes and colour relationships.  We will then sketch out our composition on canvas, before applying the paint in a dynamic and interesting way: focusing on colour mixing, brushwork and how to paint shadows effectively.

 

 

What will be supplied:
A selection of fruits (or vegetables)
Coloured backgrounds
What to bring:
A canvas or board min A4, max A3, rectangular or square
A selection brushes eg. Rosemary Ivory Short Flats nos. 2,3,5, Ivory Filbert size 0
A selection of artist quality paints oils or acrylics eg. Daler Rowney starter set
A black sharpie and a ‘fine liner’ pen (or similar)
A spotlight or anglepoise desk lamp
Palette knife – eg. Winsor and Newton size 22
Paper Palette and a box to take your work home in
A phone or IPAD for taking photos
Oils only: A jar and some low odour thinners/ white spirit substitute for cleaning your brushes, some rags or plenty of tissues to wipe brushes clean.
Optional extra items 
‘Liquin’ painting medium if working in oils
A ‘Stay-wet’ palette if working in acrylics

 

About the artist: 

Lucy is an oil painter and teacher, living in Leamington Spa.
Whatever the subject matter, Lucy encourages students to apply the paint in a dynamic and interesting way: focusing on colour mixing, brushwork and composition.

She paints commissions, sells her work and exhibits locally with ‘Leamington Studio Artists’…and has also:

•    Worked as the ‘Artist in Residence’ at ‘The Artroom’ Gallery in Leamington,

•    Painted live at ‘Blenheim Palace Flower Show’

•    Been a wildcard artist on ‘Landscape Artist of the Year’

•    Exhibited with ‘Warwickshire Open Studios’

 

 

 

Places are on a first come first basis.

To secure your place on this course a £25 non-refundable deposit is required.

All courses are £59 per day for members, and £75 for non-members

Nov
22
Sat
Winter Landscapes with Liz Robertson – CANCELLED
Nov 22 – Nov 23 all-day

Book here – £118 / £150, £25 deposit required to book 

Course Suitability: Absolute beginners, Beginners, Improvers

Maximum Participants: 12

Course Description:

Everyone has their favourite season.  Winter is often overlooked because of the harshness of winter weather at times and shorter daylight hours.  However, Liz wants you to look at Winter through a different lens: softer colours and light; deeper, dramatic contrasts; extraordinary views ‘through’ a wooded landscape; the ‘other-worldly’ quality of snow and its effect on a landscape.

 

Liz always aims to provide a really accessible course for all levels of textile art experience. She will teach you several textile techniques which feature in her own textile artwork, including; fabric painting, wet felt making, needle felting, applique of considered materials, stitch and collagraph printing.  You will use a selection of these techniques (or all!) to create a Winter landscape of your choice.

Please bring along any photos, sketches, dried or fresh plants that you would like to use as inspiration. Additional materials will also be available.

 

Materials Required:

Please bring a variety of Winter landscape photos to inspire the artwork you’ll produce during the course.

You may wish to bring an apron and gloves as we will be using paint.

Liz will provide the required art materials for course participants. The cost per person will be £5.00      which will be paid to Liz by the participants.

 

About the artist: 

Liz is a textile artist and teacher. Her textile artwork is exhibited in galleries, community settings, including Gloucester Cathedral, and featured in a national publication. She has 40 years experience of teaching in all types of educational settings.  She delivers art workshops in her studio and further afield, including at national events.  Liz is delighted to have been Artist in Residence at Nature in Art, including in September this year.  She has also lead large textile art projects, for a regional arts festival, arranging and featuring in UK-wide exhibitions.  Liz’s passion for natural landscape is expressed in her colourful and textural textile artwork.

Dec
6
Sat
Papercutting with Sarais Crawshaw FULLY BOOKED
Dec 6 all-day

Papercutting with Sarais Crawshaw

Book here

 

Course Suitability: Suitable for beginners and improvers

 

Maximum Participants: 12

 

Course Description:

Learn about the origins of papercutting and its spread worldwide. Look at how to simplify images in positive and negative space, and make networks of joins to hold a papercut together. Experiment with different tools and types of cuts, folders and tears to create different effects and to use contract or colours to enhance the images. Create a one or two-layer papercut picture.

 

www.saraiscrawshawart.com

 

What to bring:
A materials list will be supplied, alternatively students can order from the artist.

 

About the artist: 

I have always been curious about the natural world and my work reflects this fascination with wildlife and wild places. Since 2000, I have been developing my own ideas in papercut, alongside my other artwork in acrylic paint and pastel. I try to capture the behaviour and character of animals, and to picture them in their wild habitats. I am President of the Wildlife Art Society International.

 

 

 

Places are on a first come first basis.

To secure your place on this course a £25 non-refundable deposit is required.

£59 per day for members, £75 for non-members

Feb
28
Sat
Creative Fabric Collage with Anne Ward
Feb 28 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Course details:

   Join Textile Artist Anne Ward for a day of mindful, collage stitching. Bringing nothing more than a supermarket size bag of fabric scraps,threads, trims buttons and beads, sewers will create a personal fabric collage suitable for the front of a special greetings card or as a piece of textile art. Stitches will be taught and trims used to embellish.

   This is intended as a mindful process bringing people into the present moment with a project that is small enough to pick up and work on in a spare 5 minutes once the class is over.Try not to buy fabric scraps, beg from friends and family if you don’t sew, the results will be worth it and will be good.

Materials and additional costs: 

Materials 

  • A Supermarket size bag of fabric scraps, less upholstery weight, more cotton weight.
  • A basic sewing kit – pair of scissors, any needle, any ordinary sewing cotton.
  • Notebook and pen.
  • No ideas necessary but bring some if you want. They normally emerge as we go.

The tutor will provide the following for £7 (cash). 

  • A selection of embroidery threads.
  • A card each
  • Backing fabric
  • Some trims
  • handout

Suitability:

Suitable for all 

Spaces

12

Price: £62 / £79

Book here

Mar
7
Sat
Scraperboard with Jackie Cox (CANCELLED)
Mar 7 @ 10:00 am – Mar 8 @ 5:00 pm

PLEASE NOTE THIS COURSE IS NO LONGER RUNNING

Course details:

During this course we’ll investigate the possibilities of this fascinating medium.

Traditionally scraperboard has been used to achieve exquisitely detailed artwork by scratching through black India ink to expose the white chalk layer beneath.

Day 1: We’ll review and try out the different types of scraperboard available and then use the many tools available for making textural marks to achieve a beautiful piece of black and white art. We’ll also look at how this may then be coloured to achieve another effect.

Day 2: Using a white chalk surface, we’ll use black ink in specific areas to then create our next piece of work. Lastly we’ll investigate the ways we can cover the white surface with coloured inks and use our scratching out skills to achieve a different, but still detailed piece of scraperboard art.

Materials and additional costs: 

Supplied by tutor for £12 (cash) 

Suitability:

Suitable for all 

Spaces

12

Price: £124 / £158

Book here

Mar
14
Sat
Introduction to Painting Folk Art Seasonal Flowers with Katie B Morgan
Mar 14 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Course details:

Paint your own beautiful,colourful flowers using water based paints.

Learn and get inspired by Folk art.

Learn how to use different shaped brushes to make the marks, lines and dots.

Mixing colours

Create a card , label, coaster to take home using learnt techniques.

Materials and additional costs:

I will supply the use of brushes and paints and will have extra coasters, decorations etc that you can paint at a small extra cost.

Suitability:

Suitable for all

Spaces:

12

Price£62  / £79

Book here 

Mar
22
Sun
Spring Wildflower Watercolours with Holly Foskett-Barnes (FULLY BOOKED)
Mar 22 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Course details:

Join Artist-Gardener Holly Foskett-Barnes to expand your creativity and nourish your wellbeing this Spring.

In this course we’ll enjoy learning a range of watercolour painting techniques alongside mindful activities throughout the creative process. Studies will be inspired by beautiful Spring shoots and wild flowers around the Nature in Art gardens and local surroundings.

Please note this course will run until 4pm.

Materials and additional costs: 

  • A4 pad of thick cold-pressed watercolour paper, minimum 300gsm. Recommendation: Daler-Rowney Aquafine Texture.
  • Quality watercolour paint set with at least 12 half-pans. Recommendation: Winsor & Newton, Cotman Watercolour, Sketchers Pocket Set of 12.
  • Set of round watercolour brushes, size 2, 4, 8 and 10, with pointed ends. Recommendation: Pro Arte Academy Brush Wallet Set of 5.
  • A ceramic paint palette or side plate from the kitchen for mixing colours, preferably white, plain and as flat as possible.
  • A clean, empty jam jar for a water pot.
  • A pencil, whatever your preference for drawing.
  • Plain white A4 copy printer paper for sketching.

OR 

Borrow equipment from Holly for £10 (cash) 

Suitability:

Suitable for beginners and improvers 

Spaces

12

Price: £62 / £79

Waiting list here

Mar
28
Sat
Mini Craft Market @ Education Centre
Mar 28 @ 10:00 am – Mar 29 @ 4:30 pm

We have our amazing Mini Craft Market where our talented local crafters can get together to share and sell their handmade products.

Previous crafts have included: nature crafts, paper crafts, woodwork, paintings, illustration, crochet/knitting, weaving, decoupage, cards, glass,  silk painting,  textile bags,  jewellery, resin art and flood painting.

Held in the Education Centre and is free to enter!

10am – 4:30pm (3:45pm for December Market)

Apr
11
Sat
African painted dog in graphite with Jamie Boots
Apr 11 @ 10:00 am – Apr 12 @ 5:00 pm

Course Suitability: Suitable for all

 

Maximum Participants: 12

 

Course Description:

Join artist Jamie Boots for a two-day exploration into the nuanced world of graphite pencil art. This workshop delves beyond basic sketching, offering insights into the subtle techniques that breathe life into your creations. Participants will discover the art of manipulating pencil sharpness, pressure and tones to convey the fine details such as skin textures and expressive eyes.

 

Materials Required:

All materials supplied within session.

Book here