Workshops
The workshops mostly take place in Dunsden village hall, which is conveniently situated just ten minutes from Henley and Reading. It is in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside on the Chiltern ridge above Sonning in Berkshire. There is plenty of free parking on site.


All of our live workshops need to be paid for in advance. They are available to members only and can be booked and paid for by
(If you haven't created an account on our website (member's login), you will need to do so. If you are not a member yet, please go to our "Join Us" page first).


Normally there is a charge of £20 per workshop for all members.
Bookings will be available 30 days prior to the workshop date.
If places are still available for the workshop a few days before the date, then members can book one extra place for a guest.

Future workshops

Beaded Jewellery
Gillian will give an overview of bead making; introduce the beads available for the workshop, demonstrate tools and techniques, show completed examples to inspire. Members can then pursue their choice of projects, supported by the tutor.
Booking fee includes making three items from the following
o Necklace
o Pair of earrings
o Bracelet
o Brooch
Members to bring lunch and means of paying for any additional projects
Tea/coffee/biscuits provided by HACG
31 January 2025 - Tutor Gillian Hicks
10:00am - 3:30pm

Art of Jaipur Block Printing
Your tutor, Marea Brown, will first give a short history of the ancient art of Indian block printing. She will then demonstrate the various techniques used and will also cover more advanced methods such as layering of patterns and combining different colours on the same block.
She will talk through the best types of paints, blocks and fabrics to use and explain the differences between printing on fabric and printing on paper.
Then you will be able to choose from hundreds of different hand carved wooden blocks (from botanicals and animals to traditional Indian designs as well as some antique blocks) and you will practise on old fabric until you are ready to create your own textiles. Please wear old clothes or bring an apron!
You can choose to print the following items:-
A. £9 - table runner and 4 placemats or
B. £13 - table runner and set of 4 napkins or
C. £9 - table runner, 1 tea towel and 1 tote bag or
D. £9 - set of 4 napkins, 1 tea towel and 1 tote bag
There will be a few blocks available to buy at the end of the session for anyone who is interested in pursuing this craft at home.
Members to bring lunch and means of paying for any additional projects.
Tea/coffee/biscuits provided by HACG.
21 February 2025 - Tutor Marea Brown
10:00am - 3:30pm

Paul Klee Inspired ‘Tiny Townscapes’
Have fun spending the day painting, printing, cutting and sticking!
Inspired by the works of Paul Klee and contemporary artist Emma Brownjohn, we will explore different approaches to creating stylized images of tiny townscapes.
With multiple layers of paint, print and collage we will develop our piece of work incorporating a variety of techniques.
A fun and informal workshop, lots of step-by-step demos & individual help.... no experience necessary…..just a big apron!
Materials to bring:
Heavy watercolour paper or mixed media paper as a base for your work
Collage papers…..small scraps of book pages, patterned papers, music scores – whatever you have (tutor will also bring some)
PVA or acrylic matt medium or glue stick
Drawing pencil, rubber, black fineliner pen, optional white pen
Felt tips or Posca pens or coloured pencils (tutor will also bring some to share)
Acrylic paints or tube watercolours/gouache – primary colours, black & white plus any others you may have
Brushes (inc. a broad flat one if you have it), palette, water pot, kitchen roll, scissors
Textures to print with e.g bubble wrap, ribbed card, wallpaper etc (tutor will also bring some)
Images for inspiration as starting points – photos, magazines, travel brochures etc
Old clothes / apron
N.B This is also suitable for work on textiles – substitute watercolour paper for calico and collage papers for small pieces of fabric. Acrylic paints work well on fabric, as well as actual fabric paints.
11 May 2025 - Tutor Karen Carter
10:00am - 3:30pm

Abstract Painting - Remembered Places
Abstract artist Sarah Burton will introduce us to a world of remembered places. Using our memories as a springboard we will abstract shapes and use bold marks and colour choices to create a unique contemporary painting.
Painting without reference to photographs, you will be creating your own individual and unique landscape.
Materials:
Acrylic paints - bring your favourite colours - a mixture of opaque and transparent if possible. (no oils or watercolours)
A square canvas, any size you like but no smaller than 50cm x 50cm
We will be using flat Mottler brushes. If you don't have any, I will bring some.
Water pot
Palette
Kitchen roll
An easel if you use one
A pen that doesn't smudge when painted over but beware of Sharpie pens!
12 July 2025 - Tutor Sarah Burton
10:00am - 3:30pm

Eye of the Tiger acrylic painting
On this day workshop participants will be tackling the subject of a Tiger's Eye using acrylic paint with the aim of completing a painting by the end of the day. This is a tutor led workshop with simple to follow step by steps to guide you through the whole process Kim uses to paint realistic, beautiful eyes as well as fur. The subject will be broken down into uncomplicated stages from drawing and under painting to building details and refining the painting, Colour mixing, surfaces and use of different brushes will be covered in the day.
Kim Thompson has used this versatile medium for over 35 years in her work as an illustrator and artist and knows very well its joys and challenges. Acrylics can cause frustration but with a few easy to learn techniques and tips anyone can make progress and get a better understanding of this paint and how to use it in their own work. This workshop will be suitable for both beginners with acrylic paint and those who have already tried it and want to learn more.
Materials and equipment list:
I buy most of my art materials from Bromleys Art Supplies or Jacksons . Please buy the SOFT BODY acrylics or similar from other art companies as these have more flow and opacity for detailed work. Student quality paint will be frustrating to use as you cannot build detail with them.
Art materials can also be found at The Range and Amazon and good art shops.
I have listed product codes where possible. Some items come in large packs so you might like to share with other artists. For example the carbon transfer paper.
PAINT
Liquitex Professional Soft Body Acrylic 59ml Bottles | Ken Bromley Art Supplies
Titanium white - Product code:1959432
Ultramarine Blue red shade Product code1959382
Cerulean blue hue Product code 1959470
Cadmium yellow medium hue Product code1959890
Cadmium red light hue Product code1959893 or Napthol red light Product code:1959294
Burnt Umber Product code1959128
Raw Sienna Product code 1959330
Yellow oxide Product code1959416
Alizarin crimson hue permanent Product code:8870345
BRUSHES
You will need a selection of brushes from something that will give a broad stroke of paint over the surface to brushes for finer detail. The following are inexpensive to buy if you do not already have brushes that will do the job.
Pro Arte 34WB Scholar Brush Wallet Set | Ken Bromley Art Supplies
Basic brush set: Product code: 34WB
Short handled bristle brush 38mm Product code:2215
Pro Arte Series 22 Varnish Brush Flat | Ken Bromley Art Supplies
PALETTE
I use a simple plastic palette which can washed and re used or the Stay wet palette is good if you already have one.
Oblong White Palette | Ken Bromley Art Supplies
Product code ART313
PAPER
A4 smooth cartridge paper and rough paper for practising paint strokes
For example Daler Rowney cartridge paper pad Product code: D403010400
PENCILS
6H graphite pencil Product code: 34192
Derwent Graphic Pencils | Ken Bromley Art Supplies
I also suggest buying some HB and 2B pencils for drawing your image before you transfer to your board. You can buy a pack of 12 HB pencils with rubbers on the top in Tesco for £1! A pencil sharpener is also useful.
SURFACES
We will be painting canvas board as listed below and mountboard (which I will supply ).
Loxley Canvas board 10 x 8 inch I suggest buying 2 boards so you have a spare.
Loxley Canvas Boards | Bromleys Art Supplies
Ken Bromley art suppliesProduct code: LCB108
OTHER ITEMS
Carbon transfer paper from Amazon A4 size.
Avinoxs Carbon Paper for Tracing - 100 Black Grid Thick Transfer Paper Sheets for Copying Designs on Paper, Metal, Glass, Canvas, Wood, Rock & Other Art Surfaces (A4/8.25 X 11.65 Inches) (100) (100) : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen
You will also need a roll of masking tape. Product codeTP08
Masking Tape | Ken Bromley Art Supplies
A roll of kitchen paper/ kitchen towels.
Water pot.
9 February 2025 - Tutor Kim Thompson
10:00am - 3:30pm

Silver Birch Trees
Students will create a mixed media study using Brusho ink crystals and drawing pens.
Packed with lot of hints and techniques throughout the day. They will create a beautiful study with a focus is on composition, texture, details and depth.
Additional charge:
All material are provided by your tutor for an extra fee of £6 per student payable directly to the tutor.
11 April 2025 - Tutor Caroline Crawford
10:00am - 4:15pm

Paint your own house in pen and watercolour
On this workshop you will create a house portrait of your own house (and you could make all those changes you have been dreaming about e.g. change the colour of the front door, tidy up the garden, clean the roof etc!)
We will start by reviewing all the images so that we know which techniques to cover during the workshop before we get to work eg brick work, reflections, trees and so on.
Next we will trace the outline image onto watercolour paper. After that we will prepare the line drawing in black line and will add watercolour, refining this as we go through the day
Janina will lead you through all the steps involved and there will be lots of encouragement and time to ask questions.
What to bring:
Please print out your main image of your house in the size you want to paint (as we will be tracing). Bring extra photos of any details especially any features in shade, These can be actual prints or you can work form your digital device.
Watercolour paint - blue (phthalo or cobalt or ultramarine), yellow ochre, Payne’s grey, burnt sienna, buff titanium. If you have any flowers in bloom bring appropriate colours for those. Pans or tubes are fine.
Smooth watercolour paper – for example Cass Art A4 hot pressed (HP) smooth 300gsm or similar. You will need a sheet for the painting and another for testing colours and masking fluid. Smooth watercolour paper is often called “hot pressed”.
Watercolour brushes – small round number 2, medium round number 6. A small flat number 2 is useful for brickwork
Fine waterproof black pen eg Staedtler Pigment liner 0.3
Pencil, sharpener, eraser
Mixing palette
Jam jars for water
Kitchen roll
If you have the following please bring them otherwise Janina will have some spares you can borrow.
Masking fluid
Dip pen
Tracing paper
Carbon or tracedown paper
6 June 2025 - Tutor Janina Maher
10:00am - 3:30pm