Workshops & Studio Events
Atelier Foundations: Oil Painting
A Five-Day Introduction to Classical Painting
In-Person | 5-Day Workshop
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Dates: 5th - 9th October, 9:30am - 4:30pm
Price: £249
Class Description
This five day workshop starts at the very beginning: what oil paint actually is and how to handle it and each project with confidence. Students will be taught a consistent, repeatable approach to accurately mixing the colours you see, again and again (no more muddy blobs!) as well as the academic approaches used to start and finish an oil painting. With each lesson students work on multiple stand alone painting exercises and complete a finished master study throughout the week.
We will also cover solvent-free methods of painting and cleaning up, so you can follow the same process either way.
Day 1 Materials and paint handling, studio safety and fat over lean, including the very basics of oil painting like cleaning brushes. We practise imprimatura portrait silhouettes in oils, beginning our week long study.
Day 2 Learning to model form and mix paint into a value string — the most essential exercise for beginner oil painters. We finish by working up a monochrome oil portrait in umbers and white (grisaille or bistre painting).
Day 3 paint palette set up and logical colour mixing and how to get consistent results. We complete colour studies, matching real mixes to our reference to plan our final colours.
Day 4 Using all the knowledge and studies so far, we complete the first pass of colour on our painting, learning about the concept of "first painting" and ébauche.
Day 5 We learn to mix mediums into our oil to create luminous glazes and knit together hard, soft, and lost edges creating a lifelike, academic finish to our paintings.
No experience necessary equally suited to complete beginners and to more experienced painters wanting to work through the classical process in full.
What's included!
All paints, mediums, oils, solvents, painting substrates, rags and reference materials are provided!
What to bring:
A sketchbook and pencils, for notes and any sketching you want to do alongside
Paint brushes, please ask for suggestions on good brush sets that aren’t listed. we recommend using pro arte or Rosemary & Co brushes:
A great starter selection that are top quality - Michael Richardson Plein Air Starter Set from Rosemary & Co https://www.rosemaryandco.com/brush-sets/michael-richardson-starter
Budget option then this will work - Pro Arte : Mastertouch : Reflex : Filbert : Oil & Acrylic Brush Set from https://www.jacksonsart.com/pro-arte-mastertouch-reflex-filbert-oil-acrylic-brush-set
A palette knife — teardrop shape, no bigger than 2–5cm in length, though whatever you prefer or already have will work https://www.jacksonsart.com/jackson-s-extra-offset-crank-painting-knife-no-5
A palette for mixing — wooden or whatever you prefer or already have will work. This palette is a decent size and looks good quality if you need one https://www.jacksonsart.com/jakar-varnished-rectangular-walnut-palette-30x40cm
(Please ask about any materials you already have and are unsure about or if you want any suggestions on what to buy/ bring)
places limited, pre-booking required.
Saturday Life Drawing - Sustained Pose
Dates TBC
A 3 hour untutored sustained pose figure session.
£30
Join a community of like minded artists for a relaxed afternoon of drawing or painting in Lancaster’s only classical art studio. A small group setting, beautiful north lighting, with plenty of space to see the model and work comfortably.
All Artists are welcome, from beginner to experienced. Please bring your own materials. Easels and drawing boards supplied.
places limited, pre-booking required.
Saturday Morning Classical Drawing Class
Saturday 12 September, 10:30AM - 12:30PM
2 hours tutored
£15
At an introductory price join us for a 2 hour tutored session teaching classical drawing techniques, aimed at beginners but all are welcome who may be interested in the classical atelier methods of drawing and painting.
Join a community of like minded artists for a relaxed morning of drawing in Lancaster’s only classical art studio. A small group setting, with plenty of space to work comfortably with a dedicated tutor.
Materials needed: 2B pencils, eraser (knead-able preferred) and bound sketchbook (optional)
places limited, pre-booking required.