A structured oil painting course to learn the basics of oil painting with a still life set up.

The first day will consist of an introduction to artists’ materials and how to organise your working space, along with analysis of colour characteristics and properties. You will briefly be looking at colour from the scientific point of view, considering colour theory and its history. This will be followed by one of the colour mixing exercises on a 14 x 10 inches canvas board, during which you will be able to discover the rich possibilities that a traditional limited colour palette offers.

The second day will be devoted to painting a still life. The morning will begin with a brief A4 paper size soft pencil sketch. Topics such as composition, proportions and tonal analysis will be discussed and applied. After this, in preparation for a bigger painting, you will first create a small (15 x 10 cm) grisaille (one colour and white) study, where you will learn how to simplify your composition and to pay attention to its tonal values. The tutor will demonstrate the process. The rest of the day will be spent working on a full colour still life, during which you will be encouraged to paint an impasto work using a bigger brush, as opposed to using a tiny amount of paint applied with a small brush.

You will also learn about the importance of emotional connection with the visual world and the need to create your own interpretation of what you see, with a view to translating it into painting confidently.

By the end of the course, you will have made three paintings to take home with you.

Included

On this course the College will supply most of the materials, including three cotton canvas boards (one 10cm x 15cm, one 24cm x 40cm and one 30cm x 40cm approx.), a palette knife, artist’s long flat hog brushes - numbers 4, 6 and 8, cartridge paper, 6B graphite pencil, rubber per student and some oil paints, masking tape, paper palettes and studio safe solvent to share amongst the group.

What students need to bring

• Apron
• Jam jar with lid for washing brushes
• Optional - a firm flat plastic or wooden palette (tear off disposable palettes will be provided), long flat hog brushes - small to medium sizes (for example ‘Pro Arte’ from number 5 to 8). No synthetic brushes. (Long flat hog brushes in size 4, 6 and 8 will be provided.)

Additional information

Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio, this includes stout covered footwear (no sandals or open toes).

Daily Timetable

Course teaching: 11am–5.15pm
Students arrive: 10.30am-11am (coffee optional)  
Morning teaching: 11am-1pm
Lunch break: 1pm-2pm (lunch is not included)
Afternoon teaching: 2pm-5.15pm (15 minute break, 3.30pm–3.45pm)
Teaching finishes: 5.15pm  
 

Short courses are open to anyone aged 18 and over. The course fee covers tuition and materials where stated. You will need to bring all other items listed under the ‘Materials to bring’ section.

Refreshments

Coffee and tea are included in the course fee, but you will need to bring lunch with you to eat in the refreshments room. There are also plenty of other local venues to purchase food.

Access

If you have any specific access needs, we will need to know about your access requirements in advance. Please tell us about your needs in confidence by emailing: [email protected] This venue has steps to the front reception, with limited access via a side gate to the ground floor. There is a small lift to higher floors or stairs.

Safety

Short course students are required to sign a safety compliance form as part of West Dean Health and Safety regulations.

Refunds and cancellations

Please refer to our terms & conditions below.

Disclaimer

The information given is accurate at the time of publication. However, West Dean College reserves the right to cancel or amend courses if circumstances require.

Terms & Conditions