Workshop details:

In this session, we will take our inspiration from the work of Gustav Klimt, embracing the rich colours of autumn to create a glowing woodland – complete with highlights of gold for a bit of bling!

Working in watercolour, gouache or acrylics (your choice) we will begin with colour mixing exercises to give us a range of autumnal colours to work with. We will explore layering, sponging and masking techniques to capture the impression of a sunlit autumn woodland. Then we'll add in detail with linework using cardboard and coloured pencil, and a smattering of spattering! And a final touch of gold leaf and/or metallic paint to add a touch of opulence!

There will be lots of demos for you to follow along step-by-step or use your own creative freedom to incorporate the materials and methods Karen demonstrates - the choice is completely yours.
Absolutely no experience needed for this fun and informal workshop.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Paper
Any medium to heavy-weight papers (approx. 250gsm or heavier) you would like to work on e.g watercolour / mixed media paper / acrylic paper etc

General
Kitchen roll, pencil, glue stick, sponge, masking tape, waterpot.
Apron or old clothes

Painting
Watercolours, Gouache or Acrylics – primary colours plus white – and any others you may have. (If using watercolour please bring a tube of white gouache)

Mixing palette – old plate or tear-off palette is fine
Brushes – whatever you have…. A flat brush, round brush and a fine brush will cover most requirements…..if you have a bristle brush or old scraggy coarse brush please bring that too.

If you have coloured pencils please bring them along – useful, but not essential – the tutor will bring some to use on the day

Please bring your own lunch but HACG will provide tea/coffee/milk.
Venue: Dunsden village hall

In this workshop our Chair Simon Pink will guild you step by step painting a still life of fruit in a bowl – Aerial view. You will paint a checked table cloth, a bowl and a selection of thee pieces of simple fruit in a modern style.

Materials to bring:
Selection of acrylic paints and brushes
Square canvas as this shape works well with a round plate
Canvas size 40cm sq.
Table easel if you have one
Pencil
Ruler
Water pot
Palette
Kitchen towel
Table cover or newspaper

For the still life, please bring three pieces of fruit – figs, oranges, lemons, apples or anything simple will be perfect.

If you have one, also bring a shallow bowl with a rim to arrange your fruit in. If not, don't worry; we all know the shape of a simple bowl, so you'll still be able to follow along.

We'll also be painting a decorative design around the rim of the bowl, so have a think about what you'd like to include. You might have a favourite ceramic bowl or plate with a pattern you'd like to use as inspiration, or you could create your own unique design. Let's be adventurous, have fun, and make each painting a little different!

Please bring your own lunch but HACG will provide tea/coffee/milk.
Venue: Dunsden village hall

Discover the magic of suminagashi , where ink, water, the environment and of course you, combine to create mesmerizing marbled patterns. This ancient Japanese art is relaxing and suitable for absolute beginner and experienced artist alike, but be warned it is quite addictive! This is a very mindful art form, so perfect to calm your brain ahead of the busy festive season.

In this day workshop we will cover:
The history and meaning behind suminagashi, the tools, the inks and papers you'll need. Step-by-step instructions to create beautiful marbled patterns using traditional and more modern techniques. How to avoid common mistakes and more advanced pattern-making. In the afternoon we will develop ideas of how you can use your beautiful marbled papers. You will come away with five greetings cards and we will mount one piece on a small wooden painting panel and finish it ready for display.

What to bring:

Please wear old clothes or bring an apron as ink stains.
Scissors.
An old paint brush for painting the side of the panel and applying glue.
Something to cover your table and some newspaper to dry your marbled papers on.

The marbling bath, rice paper, oriental brushes, ink, glue, wooden painting panel, sealant, hair dryer and card blanks will be supplied. There will be £6 materials charge payable to the tutor on the day. Please bring exact change!

Please bring your own lunch but HACG will provide tea/coffee/milk.
Venue: Dunsden village hall

We will look at where spirals occur in nature and discover the Fibonacci series of numbers. You will create your own nautilus shell using layered sheer fabrics and embroidery. Bead embellishment can be added later if desired. The resulting shell can be made into a wall hanging/picture or turned into a cushion cover, tote bag etc after the workshop.

Tutor will provide:
• All fabric for the project
• Carbon paper for tracing

Participants to bring:
• Some examples of actual natural spirals e.g. sunflower seed heads, shells, fir cones, galaxies, hurricanes etc or photographs
• A sketch book and pencil
• Sharp scissors
• Embroidery threads in blues/ purples/ white
• Embroidery needles
• Tiny beads with a needle fine enough to thread

Not essential but would be useful: An iron and board and extension lead. Fabric markers, Posca pens, sharpie pens

Workshop format:
• Learn about the spiral and how it appears in nature
• Create your own shell design on fabric to accentuate the spiral and embellish.

£5 CASH for materials fee payable direct to tutor on the day.

Please bring your own lunch but HACG will provide tea/coffee/milk.
Venue: Dunsden village hall

The gel plate is a fantastic base for making one off prints. Originally made from gelatine (hence the name) they offer a firm but squishy surface that releases acrylic paints beautifully to make very striking prints. There are many different ways of making designs for printing and the process is very fast (and very addictive!) and a great way to build up a stash of collage papers.

This workshop will be a mixture of simple gel plate printing techniques with the aim of building up a collection of papers suitable to be cut up for collage.

During the day there will be a series of collage projects using the gel printed papers, other decorative papers, and washi tape. The projects will include black line collage, chine colle, cut paper collage, and the “5 by 5” collage challenge.

Things for students to bring:

Apron

Gel plate. Recommended brands are Gel Press or Gelli Arts and Janina’s preferred size of plate is 8” by 12”. See also note below

Acrylic paint - 6 to 8 tubes of acrylic paint in your choice of colours. The Pebeo and Hobbycraft brands work well and are a reasonable price.

Roller (or brayer). Janina tends to use the 4 inch size, but any size will do

Paper – white printer weight paper to print on. Other papers will be supplied by Janina

Pencil and scissors

Glue – PVA or acrylic mat gel medium

Brush to apply glue and jam jar for water

Any images you want to work from. Simple graphic shapes such as flowers or birds work well.

Baby wipes, kitchen paper for cleaning

Important note on gel plates:

If you have your own gel plate please bring it. If you don’t have a gel plate then you can borrow one on the day. Please contact Janina in advance to reserve one Janina.maher123@btinternet.com

If you want to buy one ahead of the workshop the two main brands that work well with acrylic paint are Gel Press and Gelli Arts. Note - Speedball brand gel plates do not work well with acrylic paint. Please also avoid the super cheap ones now available, as they are variable quality

There will also be some gel plates available to purchase on the day, subject to availability.

Cover charge:
There is a cover charge of £5 to cover other materials used on the day. This includes black paper, thick paper and card for collage substrates, deli paper, wet strength tissue paper, decorative scrapbook and decoupage papers, washi tape, magazines for collage images, use of stencils and mark making tools.

Please bring your own lunch but HACG will provide tea/coffee/milk.
Venue: Dunsden village hall