Course details
Would you like to create a simple still life that is bold and striking? Emma McClure will share with you the secrets of using vibrant colour and playful compositions to create your own painting.
Capture the essential nature of a subject in a fresh way and create a simple still life in acrylics or oils. Through close study of everyday natural and manmade objects learn to see beyond the surface – transforming familiar forms into bold, simplified compositions rich with personal expression.
Begin the course by exploring contemporary still life artists such as Christine McArthur, Ann Armitage, and Florence Hutchings, whose inventive approaches challenge traditional notions of the genre. Participate in engaging observational drawing sessions with pencil and charcoal, capturing the essence of a still life arrangement of your choice.
Evolve your studies into playful mixed-media explorations using charcoal, ink, collage, and mono-printing to help bridge the gap between drawing and painting and loosen creative inhibitions. Through guided exercises in colour mixing, the use of viewfinders, and quick thumbnail sketches, develop intentional, harmonious palettes and discover dynamic ways to construct a painting.
Explore expressive mark-making techniques using brushes, palette knives and unconventional tools and begin building up your paintings with increased confidence and freedom. There will be the opportunity to work on a variety of scales – such as quick studies on board or large, gestural paintings on paper, encouraging personal experimentation.
Conclude the workshop with a group discussion, offering space for reflection, shared insight and appreciation of each student’s unique creative voice.
This is an ideal course if you are new to painting or would like some guidance on how to simplify forms and bring colour and life into your work.
What will I learn?
- How to select and create strong compositions with an intentional colour palette
- Different approaches to painting still life in an abstract way
- How to loosen up and generate ideas for a painting
- How mixed media work can inform the composition of a painting
- The possibilities of working with a limited colour palette
- Different mark-making and paint application techniques
Who would this course suit?
This is an ideal course if you are new to painting or would like some guidance on how to simplify forms and bring colour and life into your work.
Ahead of your oil painting course with us if you would like to brush up your skills, you are entitled to 25% off our online “Getting Started with Oil Painting” course here. You will be given a code after purchasing our studio oil painting course.
Our studio ‘Beginner’s Oil Painting’ courses can be found here.
Taught by
What to Bring
Our studios are fully equipped and we provide you with all the materials you need for your course. However, if you have a favourite set of brushes or any specialist materials that you would prefer to use, please bring them with you.
Timings and Breaks
The first day starts at 10am and finishes at 4.30pm, please aim to arrive ten to fifteen minutes before the start time.
All course days after that start at 9.30am and finish at 4pm and there will be an hour for lunch. There are plenty of nearby places to eat and we will serve tea and coffee at break times during the day.
FAQs
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