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Frequently Asked Questions...

Materials

Below is our general list of materials. If you’d like to paint but you’re entirely new to it, don’t feel like you have to rush out and buy everything. It might be a good idea to just bring drawing equipment on your first day and we can discuss materials as we go.

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For drawing: 

  • A2 size cartridge paper

  • HB+2B pencil

  • Kneadable eraser

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For painting:

Paints/Colours:

  • White (Titanium OR Cremnitz/Lead/Flake)

  • A bright yellow (e.g. Cadmium Yellow, Lemon Yellow)

  • Yellow Ochre

  • A bright red (e.g. Cadmium Red or Vermillion)

  • Alizarin Crimson or Alizarin Claret

  • Transparent Red Oxide (and/or Burnt Sienna, Venetian Red or similar earth red colour)

  • Raw Umber

  • Ultramarine Blue

  • Ivory Black

NB: All paint colours may be useful when painting still life so other paint colours you own can be brought along.

*Please buy artist-quality paints, as cheap student-quality paints will only make oil painting harder to learn. We use mainly Michael Harding and Old Holland paints, but brands such as Winsor & Newton, Gamblin & Rembrandt are also acceptable. Please do not buy oil paint sets, each of the colours above is chosen specifically.​

  • Brushes – we recommend bringing brushes in a range of shapes and sizes. We tend to use primarily hog-hair filbert brushes. We also recommend bringing a few softer brushes for softening edges. It is also useful to have a few flat brushes, as well as some small round brushes for details. A soft fan brush can also be useful for softening edges.
    * Brushes must be in good condition. In terms of brands, we like Isabey, Rosemary & Co., Robert Simmons Signet, Escoda or Da Vinci. (Some of these brands will only be available online).

  • Board/canvas

    • (16x14 inch approx. or a bit larger – square shape is ok too)

    • Eg: gesso board, fine weave linen (Artfix, Claessens are good) – oil or acrylic primed. Canvas sheet can be taped/pinned to board if not stretched.

  • Palette Knife – Metal, not plastic

  • Wooden Palette (the studio is also able to supply palettes for use during class)

  • Paper towel

  • Rags (old T-shirts etc. are good)

  • Solvent - must be odourless and kept in a container with a lid

  • Linseed oil + small container for medium

Classes

What happens in thie Still-Life Classes?​

These classes are intended to help students develop their still life painting and/or drawing skills. You will be provided your own lightbox setup for the term, which means that you can work on a painting or drawing at your own pace, for as many classes as you wish, without any disturbance to the lighting or the objects you're painting. You can work on one painting or drawing for the term, or as many as you like. Still life is a great way to explore all aspects of making realistic artworks and the class covers concepts such as drawing, proportion, tone, colour-mixing, composition and more.

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Beginner drawers will go through a series of exercises starting with still life setups made from simple 3D shapes, and will gradually progress to more complex studies. The aim is to get fluent at understanding what you're seeing as a collection of shapes of light and dark and representing those shapes in the simplest way possible on the page. Then we look at how to use shading to give a sense of the light and form of an object.

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What happens in the Figure Classes?

We run a figure painting class on Wednesdays and a portrait painting class on Fridays. You're also more than welcome to focus on drawing in graphite or charcoal in these classes. In the figure class we paint a nude live model with two five week poses each term. This gives you plenty of time to make finished artworks and learn new things about capturing the human form. You can also work on portraiture during this class if you like.

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On Fridays we have a focus on painting the portrait, and this class features a live model in a clothed or costumed pose. We will have two poses for the term, each for five Fridays, with two different models. It’s a great way to learn about painting portraits and an opportunity to throw some colour into our work.

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Who are these classes for?​

This class is for anyone who would like to improve their ability to paint from life. It is suitable for all levels of experience and is particularly great for students who are interested in having the time to take their work to a higher level of finish than is generally allowed for in other art schools. This class is also an ideal starting point for beginners, who can focus on the fundamentals of drawing from life - you can start with simple projects and then move on to more complex drawing challenges or painting.

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What do I need to bring?​

If you’d like to paint but you’re new to it, don’t feel like you have to rush out and buy everything. It might be best to just bring drawing equipment on the first day and we can discuss further materials as we go. If you’re going to focus on drawing you’ll only need the drawing materials.

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The studio also has some drawing and painting materials for sale if needed.

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