For many artists, the real subject of painting is light and colour. These two interlinked elements create the mood, space and form within a pictorial world. Mostly, this has been seen as a daytime practice, with the direct or ambient sunlight modelling highlights and shadows. However, there is an alternative nocturnal approach, which has fascinated artists such as Domenichino, Salvator Rosa, J M W Turner, Atkinson Grimshaw, Pierre Bonnard, Paul Nash and Paul Klee. For example, the lunar light of a full moon utterly transforms the usual perception of chromatics, and produces strange, unexpected relationships between tone and hues. Nocturnal light is obviously slight when compared to daytime lux levels but, as the pupils adjust, the imagination steps in to generate new sensations and interpretations, which radically liberate mark-making and colour sensibility.

During this course, you will explore working with the margins of daylight at dawn and dusk, as well as what it means to work in full darkness or by candlelight. There will be sessions reworking nightscapes from memory the following day. This is, in every way, an adventurous and experimental course that aims to produce extraordinary works of power and subtlety, ideal for people who want to find a new and unexpected side to their creativity.

You will be looking at specific aspects of colour theory, tonality and mark-making. The timetable for the course will be highly unusual, so it is unlikely that you will eat breakfast or dinner at routine times. There will be a rest period during each day to compensate for our extended sessions in the evenings and early mornings.

Please bring warm, wet weather clothes and boots/waterproof shoes, hat and fingerless gloves, as it is cold at this time of year.

Arrival day - Friday From 4pm:

• Arrival for residential students

7.30pm – 9pm:

• First teaching session – attendance is an essential part of the course
• Practical sessions drawing outside with oil pastels, oil markers, pencils on black paper

Saturday and Sunday:

5.30am – 7.30am

• Drawing

2pm – 4pm:

• Afternoon class

7.30pm – 9.30pm:

• Dusk drawing

10pm – 11.30pm:

• Night drawing

Departure day - Monday: (Residential students to vacate rooms by 10am)

5.30am – 7.30am:

• Drawing

2pm – 3pm:

• Final review of course work and individual directions – very important session

3pm:

• Classes finish, please vacate workshop by 3.30pm

We appreciate that you will need to have periods of rest in the mornings and afternoons before the night time sessions, but you will be free between to continue working on previous projects.

Included

• Black paper
• Oil pastels (gold, silver, bronze, copper and black)
• A set of metallic pencil
• Gold and silver marker pens

What students need to bring

• An assorted range of chalk pastels, oil pastels, coloured pencils, wax crayons, colours inks - please bring whatever colour range you have, i.e. some or all of these depending on what you work with
• Ten sheets of various A2 dark coloured papers i.e. black, maroon, navy, sap green, dark brown – do choose papers that have a good surface i.e. Canson Mi-Tients papers, Fabriano or Hahnemuhle
• Black and white Conté sticks
• A range of gold, silver, bronze, copper, brass drawing media to include Neopastels, pencils, oil marker pens – the greater the range, the better and more varied the results
• Waterproof (cheap) plastic portfolio to store paper in or finished drawings
• Glassine paper to put between finished drawings to protect them
• Very warm clothing, including waterproof trousers, hat and fingerless gloves
• We suggest wellingtons and a torch may be useful

Available to buy

Available from shop: A good variety of materials are available to buy, including various A2 dark coloured papers, i.e. black, maroon, navy, sap green, dark brown (Canson Mi-Tients papers, Fabriano or Hahnemuhle), black and white Conté sticks, a range of gold, silver, bronze, copper, brass drawing media to include Neopastels, pencils, oil marker pens, a range of colours in oil pastels, soft pastels, pencils, bulldog clips, plastic portfolios and glassine paper.

Additional information

Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio. This includes stout covered footwear, i.e. no open-toes or sandals, and safety boots, if specified.

Arrival day
Residential students can arrive from 4pm, non-residential students to arrive by 7.15pm for registration. Students arriving earlier are welcome to purchase dinner in the College Dining Room from 6pm.
Students meet their tutor in the Bar at 7.30pm prompt to go to studios.
First Teaching session: 7.30pm - 9pm (attendance is essential)

Daily timetable
Course teaching: 9.15am - 5pm
Morning session: 9.15am - 12.45pm including coffee/tea break
Lunch break: 12.45pm - 2pm*
Afternoon session: 2pm - 5pm including coffee/tea break
Teaching finishes: 5pm
Evening working: students may have access to workshops until 9pm, but only with permission from the tutor and provided any health and safety guidelines are observed.

Departure day
Course teaching: 9.15am - 3pm
Teaching finishes: 3pm

Residential students will need to check out of rooms by 10am. Please note, the tutor may make slight variations to the daily timetable as required.

*Lunch can be purchased on campus, view options

Terms & Conditions