Create beautiful postcard-sized watercolour paintings, inspired by St. Ives and its surroundings. No experience necessary, just come along, have fun and discover the joy of watercolour.

This relaxed session combines time in our studio overlooking Porthmeor Beach with some walking and sketching around St Ives.

We begin in the studio with a short introduction to watercolour, looking at materials, paper, and working with a limited palette. You’ll get a feel for the medium’s fluid, expressive qualities before heading out to the harbour with postcards and water-soluble watercolour pencils in hand.

Taking in scenes such as Smeatons Pier, the harbour boats, and the sweep of sky and sea towards Godrevy Lighthouse, Hilary will guide you in capturing simplified outlines of your scenes, paring back detail to capture the essence and atmosphere of place.*

Back in the studio, you’ll work into your existing postcard drawings with watercolour paint, gradually building colour and atmosphere through short demonstrations of washes, superimposing and wet-on-wet techniques. You will also have fun exploring resists and experiment with various techniques and tips to create texture.

By the end of the session, you’ll have created three personal postcard paintings that capture something of St Ives, ready to share or keep. A gentle and enjoyable introduction to watercolour, designed to build confidence and leave you feeling inspired.

*For the PM workshop, we plan to visit different locations, i.e. Porthgwidden beach, looking at scenes across the bay towards Lelant and Hayle Towans, the rocks, skies and sea towards Godrevy lighthouse.

Please note: This is an adult workshop, however we would welcome children aged 14 or over, if accompanied by a paying adult. This is the case as we cannot guarantee that all our tutors have been DBS checked.

What to Bring

No need to bring a thing, all materials will be supplied. As we plan on working outdoors for some of the duration of the workshop, please wear sensible shoes and bring a coat or sunhat as appropriate.

For the PM workshop, one of the locations we plan to visit will be Porthgwidden beach. Students will be standing on the sand, which may be wet, for up to 15 minutes for one of the drawings.

Timings and Breaks

AM Harbour – The workshop will run from 9.30am-12.30pm

PM Beach – The workshop will run from 1.30pm-4.30pm

Please arrive 10-15 minutes before the start time so you can check in at reception and get settled in. We will serve tea and coffee at break times during the workshop.