Course details:
On this one-day course, you will make plant climbers, plant supports, trellises and decorative Garden Hurdles, all out of willow and hazel grown in Somerset and Gloucestershire.
Helen will guide you through each stage of the process, whilst introducing you to the different varieties of willow/hazel which you can use to make your creations unique.
By the end of the day you should have been able to make 3-4 items to take home to put in the garden.
Materials and additional costs:
The tutor will provide the required materials for course participants. The cost per person will be £12, to be paid to the tutor on the day of the course. (Please try and bring the exact change)
Suitability:
Beginners – Improvers
Spaces:
12
Price: £62 / £79
Natural Materials Into Paints & Inks – with Fiona McIntyre ARE
Fiona McIntyre is an experienced tutor and artist working with mineral pigments and foraged plants. On this two day course she will guide you in the transformation of natural materials from the Earth into exquisite naturally harmonious inks and watercolours.
DAY 1
Processing and cooking plant material from trees and flowers into the three primaries plus brown and black. This is very hands on so you are advised to wear an apron and bring your favourite brushes to try the inks at the end of the day. Some tiny sample bottles will be provided to take home.
DAY 2
Fiona will talk you through some of the raw materials she forages from river beds, and the processes involved in making paint on a glass slab. You will make your own watercolour paint from pigments, and have an opportunity to try them out on paper towards the end of the day. You can also take some samples home in tiny shells or pans.
Materials and additional costs:
All materials including paper and gloves are provided.
Spaces:
12
Price: £124 / £158
Course details:
Immerse yourself in the vibrant world of impressionist style landscape painting over this two-day acrylic course. Guided by Jonathan, you’ll explore the expressive brushwork, luminous colour, and atmospheric effects that define the impressionist style. Through structured demonstrations and practical exercises, participants will learn to capture light, movement, and mood while working from photographs. Beginners and improvers are welcome, with all techniques explained step by step. At the end of the course, you’ll have created your own impressionist landscapes, gaining confidence and inspiration for future painting.
Materials and additional costs:
Supplied by tutor for £45 cash
Or email for materials list
Suitability:
Absolute beginners – improvers
Spaces:
12
Price: £124 / £158
Course details:
Immerse yourself in the vibrant world of impressionist style landscape painting over this two-day acrylic course. Guided by Jonathan, you’ll explore the expressive brushwork, luminous colour, and atmospheric effects that define the impressionist style. Through structured demonstrations and practical exercises, participants will learn to capture light, movement, and mood while working from photographs. Beginners and improvers are welcome, with all techniques explained step by step. At the end of the course, you’ll have created your own impressionist landscapes, gaining confidence and inspiration for future painting.
Materials and additional costs:
Supplied by tutor for £45 cash
Or email for materials list
Suitability:
Absolute beginners – improvers
Spaces:
12
Price: £124 / £158
Course details:
Do you want to develop your skills with your sewing machine and learn how to ‘draw’ with the simple straight stitch? Then this is your course! You will start by stitching a design which Richard, your tutor, has prepared for you. He will demonstrate every stage step-by-step.This will give you the confidence and the understanding necessary to empower you to start and develop your own design on the second day. However, there is no rush and no pressure !!! Some experience with using the ‘darning foot’, which allows you to stitch freely in any direction is important. Try practising, even a little, beforehand, so that you are confident with it and excited about its amazing possibilities
Materials and additional costs:
- A sewing machine, with which you are very familiar and well practised with using the Free-Motion Foot / Darning Foot, which facilitates free machine stitching.
- Sewing machine needles – sizes ranging from 75 to 90 or even 100.
- A variety of machine sewing and /or machine embroidery threads ( cotton, polyester, rayon, viscose etc, ) in the following colours for the first project : several greens, one white, one pale blue, one pale pink, one pale yellow, one metallic silver and one metallic gold. After that, bring everything ! *
- Some coloured pencils.
- An embroidery hoop at least 9 inches in diameter or slightly larger.
- A quarter of a metre of thin white cotton / polyester sheeting
- Some printed images for the subject you choose to do after Richard has taken you through his prepared design
Suitability:
Beginners – advanced but must have confidence in using sewing machine and darning foot
Spaces:
12
Price: £124 / £158
Please call 01452 733942
Course details:
Having used acrylics for over 35 years as a wildlife artist and illustrator, Kim Thompson has learnt many useful techniques to achieve the detailed results seen in her work which she will share on this two day course.
Working from start to finish, using acrylics on board, participants will paint a Kingfisher perched on Bull rushes. The process is broken down into easy to follow steps, learning about composing a scene from photo reference and sketches, the fast drying time of the paint, building layers and adding the details and textures found in nature.
This workshop will appeal to those who are looking to establish a good understanding of using acrylics or who might have already tried them and want to learn more about this versatile paint. Kim is a considerate and encouraging tutor and will bring a relaxed approach to the two days.
Materials and additional costs:
- £20 cash to be paid to tutor for a range of acrylic paints, pencils, painting surfaces and brushes and all other items which will be used in the workshop.
Suitability:
Improvers
Spaces:
12
Price: £124 / £158
Course details:
This course will focus on botanical drawing and painting techniques in the option of working in watercolour or gouache. Both days will begin with a practical demonstrations covering drawing and painting techniques. Observational skills are a very important part of botanical art so students will be encouraged to work from life. Producing detailed studies of either plants, leaves, fruit or vegetable specimens. Course tutor Simon Williams will advise on a practical one-to-one basis. Guidance will be given on observations, colours suggestions and how to paint from the initial base coats to more controlled techniques. This will include rendering textures, contour definitions and colour transitions. Gouache is an opaque form of watercolour and is not an inferior medium to watercolour. For much of the time it is used for illustration, book design and publishing for its fantastic reproduction and vibrant colour. This course is open to all intermediate to advanced level and it is preferential to have some drawing/painting experience as botanical work requires a precise rather than loose style of painting. Please visit the tutor’s website to see samples of his work and CV.
Materials Required:
Materials list can be supplied on request, and will be emailed to all participants 4 weeks before the course.
Suitability:
Intermediate
Price: £124 / £158
Spaces: 12
Course details:
“I would like each student to produce a painting that suggests a garden escape, a place to escape the pressures of modern life. It can be a painting of a single flower, an herbaceous border, a path, trees, views, in a garden or out into the wider landscape.”
Materials and additional costs:
- Canvas or board
- Brushes in small, medium and large
- Paints – oil, acrylic, pencils, inks NOT watercolours
- A photo to work from
Suitability:
Beginners – advanced
Spaces:
12
Price: £124 / £158
Course details:
Participants will be needle felting a version of a peeping Barn owl . I will teach how to use felting needles, mix wool colours with some silk and this popular British bird of prey that you can hang on your wall. All materials will be provided, but if you have done needle felting and you have your own favourite felting needles, mats, scissors or other tools, please bring them along. You will be learning techniques taught by an experienced award winning artist Agnese Davies (A.D.Woolcraft).
Materials and additional costs:
- £10 material charge to be paid to tutor, cash
Suitability:
Absolute beginners
Spaces:
12
Price: £62 / £79
Course details:
Discover how to embed beautiful dried botanicals grown in the grounds of Nature in Art on this full day workshop with tutor Emma from Nature’s Inspiration.
Create coasters working with flowers, foliage and vegan non-toxic epoxy resin learning how to use this incredibly complex medium in the morning. Break for lunch and whilst your coasters are curing this afternoon we will switch to a UV cured vegan non toxic resin which is premixed and cured using LED lamps. Working with more intricate flowers to create your very own botanical jewellery, or accessory up to 3 (choose from earrings, ring, pendant, cufflinks, broach, bookmark, keyring or hairgrips). Demould your coasters and learn how to finish your jewellery before the end of the workshop.
Materials and additional costs:
All materials will be provided. £20 in materials will need to be paid on the day with an additional £5 if you’d like to make an extra set.
Suitability:
Beginners to improvers
Spaces:
12
Price:
£62 / £79
Please call for details. Thank you.