Linocut Printmaking Inspired by Botanical Forms with Jo Biggadike
Course Suitability: Suitable for all
Maximum Participants: 12
Course Description:
In this beginner-friendly workshop, you will learn how to create lino print designs using nature and botanical forms as your inspiration. Linocut is a fantastic way to explore printmaking without the need for expensive equipment.
During this workshop you will learn to create an effective linocut design, how to transfer your ideas onto the lino block, and safe techniques for using cutting tools. We will also explore simple printing methods that you can continue to use at home. By the end of the session, you will know how to print your linocut effectively and will take home a selection of prints along with your newly created linocut block, which can be reused in the future.
We will be using washable printing inks, but please be aware that they may still stain clothes. We recommend wearing old clothes or bringing an apron. All materials needed to create your linocut will be provided.
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:
All materials supplied within session at a cost of £10, to be paid on the day.
About the artist:
Jo Biggadike is a full-time artist and printmaker based in Cheltenham. She studied Textile Design at Chelsea School of Art and worked as a designer in furnishing fabric prints. Seeking a more handcrafted and personal approach, she now specialises in hand inked, limited edition linocut prints, inspired by her walks in the surrounding countryside. In 2020, she completed a Master’s in Illustration from the University of Gloucestershire and now sells her work internationally and regularly exhibits across the Southwest, Wales, and Midlands.
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, £75 for non-members
Otter in Graphite with Jamie Boots
NOW FULLY BOOKED
Course Suitability: Suitable for all
Maximum Participants: 12
Course Description:
Join artist Jamie Boots for a three-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.
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, £75 for non-members.
Join us on a Saturday morning in June for a free story time in our cosy corner, learning about the environment and how we can help.
Sessions are 10:30 and 11:30, and last 15-20 minutes
14th, 21st and 28th June
Suitable for all children, but aimed at little ones
Free, no need to book
With thanks to The HERDS x Art Fund
Garden Views with Ros Wise
Course Suitability: Suitable for all
Maximum Participants: 12
Course Description:
During this course you will be taught how to paint a garden view. This can be based on a magazine type photo or ones own work. The view can be your garden or somewhere you have visited. You can include garden borders, bird tables, sheds, a quiet corner or just a few of your favourite plants.
Materials Required:
A canvas or board to paint on
Acrylic or oil paint
A selection of paintbrushes and some paper to sketch out ideas on.
About the artist:
I have been painting the natural world for decades. I am most notably known for the Cycle of Flowers which usually hangs above the staircase in Nature in Art. I paint gardens and wild spaces.
Places are on a first come first served basis.
To secure your place on this course a £25 non-refundable deposit is required.
All courses are £59 per day for members, £75 per day for non-members.
Monoprinting with Carole Bury
Course Description:
Come and experiment with the lovely medium of monoprinting, as Carole Bury guides you through the process at Nature in Art!
Famously, the painter Degas used mono-print, creating some wonderful examples of the process. He used mono-printing as a way to make base layers for his paintings, showing how versatile it is. There are several ways you can approach mono-printing and Carole will talk you through the options before you get creative in the studio. You might choose to paint directly onto the plate, or maybe you’ll make negative marks by inking up the block with printing ink and wiping areas away. You will use leaves and objects to create marks in the ink film… the list goes on! You’ll have a wonderful time getting hands-on and will create prints to be proud of.
At the end of this fun day experience, you’ll leave with a selection of prints that you have made during the workshop.
Materials Required:
All materials supplied within session for a charge of £5 to be paid on the day. Please also bring:
- An apron
- A folder or spare paper, suitable to carry wet prints away at the end of the day.
- Notebook and pencil
About the artist:
Carole Bury is an experienced textile artist with a sound background in drawing and monoprinting. Using stitched blocks to print from, she employs multiple print layers, and will embellish with stitch and gilding.
Her enthusiasm and knowledge in the Studio is infectious, and will gently encourage, ensuring potentials are met. Carole lives in Gloucestershire and is a regular artist-in-residence at Nature in Art. In June 2025 she will take part in the popular Cheltenham Open Studios. Her textile practice researches landscape and our part in it, as pilgrim routes are explored. They are quiet, thoughtful pieces providing calm and space.
Picture It in Collage and Stitch with Richard Box
Course Suitability: Suitable for all
Maximum Participants: 12
Course Description:
Do you want to create one of your own designs and translate it into a picture using Richard’s well known technique which combines fabric collage with both machine and hand embroidery? Then this is your course!
Under Richard’s careful guidance you will be supplied with a learning pack at the start of course and he will teach you how to progress through it step by step. Once you have experienced the process you will be able to start interpreting northbound designs in this way with the materials which you will need to bring with you.
Materials Required:
- A selection of coloured photographs and magazine pictures which will act as your guide and inspiration. Choose uncomplicated images with clear distinctions of colours and tonal values.
- A sheet of tracing paper.
- Sellotape.
- Two pairs of scissors: one for paper, the other for fabric.
- A small jar or PVA.
- A small brush for the adhesive.
- One square metre ( approximately ) of hessian in any colour.
- Lots of scraps of all kinds of fabric sorted in reds, pinks, yellows, oranges, blues, purples, greens, brown, greys, whites, blacks and multicoloured.
- An electric sewing machine with which you are familiar and possesses a darning foot, sometimes known as a free motion foot.
- Please note that this foot is crucial. If you have not used one before, try to practise with it beforehand so that you will be comfortable doing free machine embroidery during the course itself .
- 90 or 100 sized sewing machine needles.
- Machine sewing and machine embroidery threads in the same colours as above.
- Hand sewing yarns and threads in the same colours as above.
- Some coloured pencils.
- A large-eyed, sharp pointed needle ( e.g. a yarn darner ).
About the artist:
Richard has been working as a painter and textile artist for over 60 years. He has written seven books about the subject and continues to encourage everyone to enjoy being creative in these disciplines.
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, £75 for non-members.
Accurate botanical painting with Simon Williams
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.
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
In collaboration with the Green Pledge Project at Gloucestershire Archives, we will be having a Hedgehog themed family fun day. There will be a couple of different art activities available and a fun fact hedgehog hunt garden. Activities will run from 10am – 12:30 then 1:30 – 4pm.
£3 per child! No booking necessary! Just turn up on the day!
Painting a country scene in acrylics with Kim Thompson
Course Suitability: Improvers
Maximum Participants: 12
Course Description:
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 canvas board, the process is broken down into easy to follow steps. Participants will tackle the fast drying time of the paint, building layers and adding details, including eyes, fur and textures found in nature and learn about composing a scene from photo reference and sketches.
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 Required:
Materials will be provided within the session for a charge of £20 to be paid on the day.
About the artist:
The natural world inspires the work of nature artist, Kim Thompson . She studied wildlife illustration at Dyfed School of Art, West Wales, graduating in the late 1980s and then working in book and magazine publishing. This training, which included taxidermy and field studies, instilled a fascination with nature and strongly influenced her painting style. Kim works primarily in acrylics and oils, creating paintings with vibrant, textured backgrounds as well as more traditional wildlife and animal, portraits studies and landscapes.
Kim is represented by Iona House Gallery, Woodstock and the Palais des Vaches Gallery, Lower Exbury. New Forest.
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, £75 per day for non-members.
Felt kingfisher with Agnese Davies
Course Suitability: Absolute beginners
Maximum Participants: 12
Course Description:
Participants will be needle felting a semi 3D version of Kingfisher in a hoop. I will teach you how to use felting needles, mix wool colours with some silk and create a beautiful and colourful bird 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 tools, please bring them along.
Materials Required:
Materials will be provided within the session for a charge of £10 to be paid on the day.
About the artist:
Agnese Davies is an award-winning artist who has gained international recognition for her lifelike creations. She is passionate about the natural world and loves all animals. Her sculptures are delicately created, crafting wool over carefully proportioned armatures. Great care is taken to capture the detail and personality of the individual subjects.
In 2023, amongst other highly commended awards, Agnese was the winner of the Ross-on-Wye Arts Competition and a finalist in the Broadway Arts Festival. She was recently invited to be Artist in Residence at Nature in Art.
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 per day for non-members