JOHN SINGER SARGENT: WATERCOLOUR NUDES

JOHN SINGER SARGENT: WATERCOLOUR NUDES!

Online Live Class: WEDNESDAY 24th September 6:30 UK TIME

+14 DAYS RECORDING ACCESS

Taught by Laura Smith

Led by Laura Smith, this class will be a deep dive into the luminous world of John Singer Sargent, with a particular focus on his intimate watercolour studies of the nude. Best known for his dazzling society portraits, Sargent also produced a remarkable body of private works in watercolour—paintings that shimmer with light, fluidity, and immediacy. We’ll explore how he used quick washes and layered transparency to capture both the vitality of the human form and the atmosphere of the moment.

Looking closely at Sargent’s approach, students will experiment with the unique properties of watercolour—its fluidity, unpredictability, and capacity for both subtle delicacy and bold expression. We will use simple exercises to build confidence with brushwork and transparency, before moving into more sustained figure studies inspired by Sargent’s practice.

Watercolour itself has a rich history stretching back centuries, but in Sargent’s hands it became something freer and more experimental than the carefully controlled tradition of botanical studies and landscapes.

His watercolour nudes, often painted while travelling, were never intended for public display, making them especially candid and revealing. This class is an opportunity to embrace that same spirit of experimentation, using watercolour to explore the body with immediacy and sensitivity. And of course—we all have an old watercolour set tucked away in a drawer or studio; this class is the perfect excuse to dust it off and rediscover just how versatile and joyful the medium can be!

This class is designed for all levels and will encourage students to approach watercolour with freedom, curiosity, and play.

Materials:

Thick cartridge or watercolour paper

Watercolours

Pencil

ABOUT OUR TUTOR

Laura Smith is a painter living and working in London. She completed her BA at the Slade School of Fine Art in 2003 and went on to win the Richard Ford Award and the Drawing Prize during her studies on The Drawing Year at The Prince's Drawing School (now the Royal Drawing School) in 2004. She graduated from her MFA at the Slade School of Fine Art in 2012, winning the Clare Winsten Memorial Award. Laura was shortlisted for the Threadneedle Prize in 2011 and has recently shown at the Mall Galleries, Jerwood Space, Flowers Gallery, Lubomirov-Easton and the Royal Academy of Arts.

FAQs - Please read these thoroughly so you can be fully prepared for the class:

WHO IS THIS FOR:

This class is suitable for ALL LEVELS.

TICKETS:

We suggest an amount of £20. However, we understand that may not be possible for everybody. Please be honest and pay what you can afford so that we may continue to offer our sessions on this basis whilst also giving our tutors a sustainable wage.

There is also a ticket option to "Pay It Forward" to support us and our students! We offer classes for free to those who can't afford the minimum amount (If this is you please email us to join for free). This continues to ensure our classes are available to everyone!

ONCE BOOKED:

You will receive a confirmation email and be able to access information on how to join the event via your eventbrite "Online Event Page" You can access this by signing into eventbrite or creating an account using the email address that you booked with.

IN THE CLASS:

You can't be seen or heard in our classes, your audio and video are automatically turned off and there's no way these can be turned on. You can talk to us and others in the class in the chat box!

AFTER CLASS:

We love to see your drawings or anything else our classes inspire! You can share them with us by tagging us on instagram (@londondrawinggroup) or emailing us if you don't have socials.

ARE YOU TRYING TO BOOK VIA THE EVENTBRITE PHONE APP?!

We have been in touch with Eventbrite, and they have informed us that currently you cannot book tickets to online events in their app. It's very frustrating and we have been assured they are working on a solution. In the meantime, we recommend that you book tickets to our events outside of the iOS app - either via a web browser or a desktop. If you book our classes regularly we recommend deleting the eventbrite App.

RECORDING ACCESS

W e will email the recording link to everyone who has booked approx 2 hours after the live class finishes. This will be available to watch anytime within 14 days

IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS OR QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL:

hello@londondrawinggroup.com

And that's it!

We're really looking forward to you joining us.

Love,

LDG