From introduction to a completed piece:

This course is held over 10 weeks where we will first be exploring and experimenting sketching with watercolour pencils and later moving on to painting with watercolour.

Watercolour pencils are perfect to use because they are adaptable, clean and portable. Though they are similar to normal pencils, it is when you add water that their uniqueness appears. When learning how to use watercolour pencils, we will be experimenting with lots of different techniques on scrap paper and when confident we will be using them on the finished sketches.Before we start the projects, we will learn basic skills and techniques of sketching, like crosshatching, brushing out colour, brushstrokes, blotting, wet on dry, dry on wet, dry on dry, grading colour and learning how to achieve light and shade. We will also cover the rules of perspective, composition and texture that will help us in finalising our watercolour pieces.Watercolours have a translucent, light quality and are great to experiment with brushstrokes and detail. We will learn how to hold a brush and experiment with top techniques like highlights using tissue paper, wet-in-wet, achieving a gradient effect, using a dry brush and building up on light and shade, hatching, crosshatching and solid shading.We will aim to have finished pieces of still life, landscapes, city scenes, portraits of animals and people, and any ideas of abstract art will be welcomed to explore. Most of all we will try to have fun by exploring different watercolour techniques.

For part #1 of this course you will need watercolour pencils, a set of brushes suitable for watercolour, a pencil sharpener, an eraser, good quality paper and a jar for water.

For part #2 of this course you will need watercolour paints, brushes suitable for watercoulours, a pencil, a palette and a pad of good quality watercolour paper.

It would also be useful to have a board or easel, and a putty eraser but these are not essential. Paints are available in pans and tubes. Tubes can be useful when painting large areas, whereas pans are smaller and easier to transport.

We have a small amount of materials available to use but to get the best from this course you will need your own equipment. These can be purchased from professional art shops and WHSmith, but also please look at more affordable ones in The Works, QD, Poundland and online stores as these items can be purchased for a nominal sum and are perfect quality for anyone who wants to try painting without spending a lot of money.

*Please note, the course won't run in the half term, or the week after. It will resume as normal after these dates.

You will need to complete an enrolment form in the centre before the course begins, we can help you with this and it won't take long (approx 15 mins) we just ask that you bring proof of ID and your national insurance number so that we can reserve you a space on the class. Please note that we do reserve the right to withdraw the offer of a place if the enrolment form is not completed ahead of the course.

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Art for All - Drawing and painting with watercolours