Back to Basics in Watercolour (workshop 1)

This workshop is for those that are struggling to get to grips with watercolour, have tried it out before and and been put off, or work in different media and want to learn the key techniques of watercolour to avoid the common pitfalls and bad habits. We will cover all the dos and don’ts of this challenging medium including– colour mixing, wet-into–wet, layering and blending and effective brushwork. Through carefully guided exercises you will learn the key skills which you can take away and practise again at home in your own time.

Building on the Basics in Watercolour (workshop 2)

This is a follow up to the the Basics course where we will apply the techniques from the first session to paint various subjects throughout the day, including a simple landscape and still life, to further develop your skills and gain more confidence and achieve more predictable results.

You can book only one of the workshops or both.

BEGINNERS WATERCOLOUR MATERIALS

Brushes: Sable watercolour brushes are best but pricey, so l use a lot of synthetics these days as the quality is so much better than it used to be. The lower price means that you can afford to buy more sizes.
• SAA Silver all rounder brush size 10,
or Ken Bromley Artists' Value Round Ftofie Brush size 12
• SAA Silver flatmate brush 0.5inch
• 1 inch flat brush (arry make)
• Artway Synthetic quill Mop, set of 3 are an excelent value set

Paints
Here are the colours we will be using:
cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, lemon yellow, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, alizarin crimson,
burnt sienna or sepia, winsor violet (dioxazine) and paynes grey If you are buying colours individually, watercolours in tubes are better value in the long run. I use Winsor and Newton Artists' quality tubes, but recently I have been buying Jackson's own brand as they are very reasonably priced and good quality, although they don't have as many colours as other brands. If you prefer to buy pans (small dry squares of colour) it is better to get them as a complete set in a portable palette. Rosa Gallery watercolour sets are very good value and come in a variety of different sized sets and can be bought from Ken Bromley's art supplies.
Bockingford 300gsm Glued Watercolour Pad 14'x 10* (360 x 260mm) this is a reasonable quality paper in a glued block that won't cockle as you paint on it.

Other bits
Plastic palette with deep wells for watercolour
• Water pot
• Water spray (not vital)
• 2b pencil and eraser
• paper towels

Please bring your own lunch but HACG will provide tea/coffee/milk.

Beginners workshop in ‘Learning to paint in oils’ - Workshop 1

Many students shy away from using oil paint but this workshop will teach you the joy, ease and advantages of using this fabulous medium!
Learn to mix colour from a limited palette, how to apply and layer the paint and how to use different techniques and mark making. You’ll never look back!
No previous experience with oil painting necessary.

What to bring
- Pad of paper palettes for paint mixing
- 4b pencil, rubber and putty rubber
- Palette knife size 22 or similar
- Canvas paper or canvas board any sizes between 12”x10” and 12” x 16”
- Selection of flat, synthetic brushes in a range from 4 - 12 and or hogs hair brushes 8, 10
- One small round brush size 2, for detailed work
- Rags or baby wipes (biodegradable)

You will need Liquin original painting medium or linseed oil and Sansoder’ or ‘Zest It’ low odour thinners

Oil Paint - best quality student grade oils to buy are Winton by Winsor & Newton
- Cadmium Red
- Cadmium yellow
- Ultramarine Blue
- Titanium white
- Cerulean blue
- Permanent Rose
- Raw Umber
- Yellow ochre
- Burnt Sienna

Art Suppliers
Jacksons Art supplies
CassArt


Painting for beginners in oils - Workshop 2

Landscapes

Learn how to let loose and capture the fantastic colours of our amazing surroundings in oil paint.
Using the knowledge gained from workshop no.1 and using a similar limited palette we can experiment how best to represent the natural beauty of the world around us.
I will supply lots of gorgeous images but please feel free to bring your own If you have a particular photograph of a place you love, to use as your reference. Please if you do bring your own photograph make sure it is a clear image with some good directional lighting.

This workshop is also suitable for students starting their oil painting journey but who didn’t manage to attend workshop 1.

What to bring
- 4b pencil, rubber and putty rubber
- Palette knife size 22 or similar
- Canvas paper or canvas board 12” x 16” (30 x 40cms)
- Paper tear off palette pad for oil or acrylics
- Selection of flat, synthetic brushes in a range from 4 - 12
- One small round brush size 2, for detailed work
- Rags or baby wipes (biodegradable)

You will need Liquin original painting medium and sansoder or zest it low odour thinners.

Oil Paint
- Cadmium Red
- Cadmium yellow
- Yellow ochre
- Ultramarine Blue
- Titanium white
- Cerulean blue
- Permanent Rose
- Raw Umber
- Burnt umber

Art Suppliers
Jacksons Art supplies
CassArt

You can book only one of the workshops or both.

Please bring your own lunch but HACG will provide tea/coffee/milk.

How can a landscape be turned into a semi-abstract, geometric structure?
Working from a reference photo (your own or the tutors), we will explore colour & shape and the relationship between space & flatness.

What to bring… Tutor will be working in Acrylics on canvas.
Suggested tools… Palette knives, masking tape, ruler and your own paints and surface. You may like to bring an easel.

Please bring your own lunch but HACG will provide tea/coffee/milk.

The picture is an example (Mary Swanzy) of geometric structure

Kawandi patchwork is a vibrant, traditional Indian quilting style from the Siddi community, known for its unique construction: starting from the outside edges and stitching inward with a simple running stitch to create textured, colourful quilts and items from fabric scraps, often with decorative folded pieces called phula.

On this workshop we will create a small Kawandi patchwork piece which can be made into a bag if desired

Things for students to bring:
30-35 ready cut squares of fabric 2 ½ inches square. Variety of fabrics, minimum 10 different ones.
1 piece of backing fabric measuring approx. 14 inches by 8 inches. Any pattern
Sewing kit – needles including one with large eye, lots of pins, small scissors, cotton thread.
Thread for top stitching – preferably cream coloured perle or skein of cream embroidery thread
Zip 7” in colour to tone with fabrics (optional if making a bag)
2 large buttons to go with chosen fabrics (optional if making a bag)

Tutor will provide:
Terylene wadding

Please bring your own lunch but HACG will provide tea/coffee/milk.

On this workshop we will learn techniques using the art of decoupage. The tutor will demonstrate how to achieve a flawless finish that can be applied to a variety of items. Students then pursue their own Easter-themed projects with tutor support.

Things for students to bring
1. Plain white picture frame to decorate. Preferably flat rather than shaped – see picture below
2. If desired, clean jam jars to decorate as tealight holder
3. A variety of patterned paper napkins or tissue paper.
4. Trim e.g. ribbon
5. White acrylic paint to paint wooden Easter-themed blanks.
6. Acrylic paints/brushes to decorate (paint mixing tray to put paint in)
7. PVA glue (or mod podge if you have it, no need to buy expensive glue, PVA is perfectly adequate).
8. Scissors
9. Pot to put glue in as it needs to be mixed
10. Paint brushes to use with glue
11. Clingfilm
12. A hair dryer (due to time of year you may need it to speed up drying time in between coats)
13. Something to carry work home in as may not be completely dry.

Organisers will provide
• Blanks for students to purchase e.g. eggs that can be filled and Easter baskets
• Some napkins for students to purchase

There is a no materials charge payable BUT students can purchase items from the organisers on the day on a ‘pay-as-you-use’ basis e.g. eggs, rabbits. Students to bring cash please.

Please bring your own lunch but HACG will provide tea/coffee/milk.

The picture is a type of flat wide frame – usually available in The Range, Hobbycraft, Ikea etc.

There will be two workshops. You can book only one of the workshops or both.

Workshop one (12th of June - 10am – 3.30pm):

We invite you to a beginner’s day of exploring acrylic painting and its many different techniques. Under the guidance of our Chairman, Simon Pink, he will explain about different brands of paint, types of brushes and how to use them, talk about canvas verses acrylic paper, varnishing work and signing. This is a great workshop for beginners who are not sure where to start with acrylics or if you are more experienced and just want to know more.

Throughout the session, Simon will walk you through each step of painting offering plenty of encouragement and time to explore various acrylic techniques and ask questions. This is an experimental acrylic workshop.

What to bring:
Acrylic paint – bring any colours you may have
Acrylic brushes – bring a good selection of sizes
Blank canvas ideally 50cm x 50cm to experiment on
Easel - either table top or floor standing
Mixing palette, tear off palette or paper plates
Jam jars for water
Kitchen roll
Table cover / floor cover
Sense of humour & lunch


Workshop two (3rd of July - 10am – 3.30pm):

We will paint a picture together using the techniques you have learnt and honed from session 1. Simon will guide you with your chosen style with encouragement and tips as you go.

What to bring
Please bring any reference picture you would like to paint, this could be a landscape, bird, or foliage.
Acrylic paint – bring any colours you may have
Acrylic brushes – bring a good selection of sizes
Blank canvas ideally 50cm x 50cm
Easel - either table top or floor standing
Mixing palette, tear off palette or paper plates
Jam jars for water
Kitchen roll
Table cover / floor cover

Please bring your own lunch but HACG will provide tea/coffee/milk.