Evening Watercolours Summer Term 2025: “Capturing the Light”

with Sophie Newnham

Watercolours are a pleasure to work with, whether adding a wash of colour to a drawing, layering to find new colours and shades or as a way to create delicate textures and form. 

This medium has subtlety, translucency and an element of surprise.  Over the course, we will also be looking at a handful of artists who have found new and interesting ways to use watercolours.

Open to all levels

Summer Term 2025 Course Dates

28 April

5, 12, 19 May

(Half Term 26 May)

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 June

7, 14, 21 July

Part one - Skies, Sea and Landscape

(28 April; 5, 12, 19 May)

inspired by the work of Van Gogh and Turner

Van Gogh

we will be learning how to:
• Mix a natural colour palette
• Build layers to depict a scene-landscapes, sky, sea.
• Paint freely, wet-on-wet, free form flow, mark making and blending.
• Move from large to small brushstrokes.
• Fine-tune, add some details with pure pigment and inks.

Part two - Painting the Still Life

(2, 9, 16, 23 June)

Inspired by the work of Euan Uglow and Andy Pankhurst

Euan Uglow

• Learning how to observe form through light and shadow.  
• Mixing the tonal palette.
• Understanding structure and plains.
• We will be learning how to use the flat brush to build structure and form into our still-life paintings.
• We will be painting directly from life- fruits, vegetables and natural forms.

Part three - Gardens: fountains, urns trees and flowers

(30 June; 7, 14, 21 July)

Inspired by the paintings of John Singer Sargent, referencing images from Chiswick House and Gardens

J S Sargent

• Building layers from light to dark.
• Looking at ways to allow the light and pockets of bright pigments to shine through.
• Capturing the fleeting visual effects of nature.
• Adding structure to draw the eye to points of interest (urns, fountains, walls)

Skills covered: From drawing to watercolour painting. Painting with washes vs detailing; Fine-tuning our watercolours with pencils and fine-liner pens; Adding depth, seeing a range of tones; highlighting.

All necessary materials will be provided for your first session.

Materials provided throughout the course: Pencils- Hs to Bs; rubbers; basic paint, palettes and water holders.

Materials to bring with you: a range of watercolour brushes of various sizes; a block of watercolour paper; a simple set of watercolour paints; a set of fine-liner coloured inks; a bottle of masking fluid, and paper towels.

““Sophie took us through all the key skills we needed for drawing and painting from nature and somehow I now have the confidence to just try drawing things around me. Before this I had no idea how to even start. Thank you!”

Undecided? contact us to arrange for an initial taster. If you decide to continue to the end of term, the taster is deducted from the course fee.

For a taster session, all materials are included. For regular students, please see above for advice on materials required, and of course we can advise you on obtaining materials at the taster.