Collection: Best selling products

An ideal gift for the festive season, the second edition of the publication will be available for purchase in-person at the NAS Gallery reception from Friday 1 December 2023 or on-line. If purchasing on-line, please note that books will be mailed via Australia Post and NAS cannot guarantee their arrival before Christmas.  

Radiance is a celebration of the work of Elisabeth Cummings OAM, one of Australia’s most exceptional and esteemed painters, and a distinguished/ alumna of the National Art School. This exhibition focuses on her primary medium, working in oil paint, with major works from the last 30 years featuring the artist’s distinctive painterly language and revelatory colour. Cummings’ art practice is grounded in the experience of her surroundings distilled into visual form. Vibrant, semi-abstract compositions in themselves, most artworks emerge from the artist’s memory of and response to specific landforms and ecologies, as well as beloved internal spaces.

Have you always wanted to paint but haven’t known where to start? Designed for complete beginners, this course will give you a solid and practical foundation in painting using acrylics and oil paints. Learn simple processes for colour mixing, composition, and perspective, to produce a suite of finished paintings.

Work directly from the nude figure to understand the balance between observed figuration and abstract formal qualities. All fundamental drawing elements are considered, including compositional issues of the human form, space and structure.

Learn to incorporate textures with acrylic paints and create visual tensions that bring depth and tactile surfaces to your artworks. Experiment with layering three-dimensional elements and acrylic paint to develop relief effects and abstract compositions.

Capturing the subtle details of the face requires strong observational and drawing skills, and learning to draw portraits becomes achievable when broken down into key components. By understanding these foundational principles, you’ll enhance your portraits and enrich your sketchbook with greater confidence.

Learn to paint expressively with an individual approach while increasing your knowledge and understanding of the importance of colour, composition and form. Using acrylic or oil paint, students will learn how to mix and experiment with colour and will be encouraged to paint quickly and loosely and to develop expressive brushwork.

Published by the National Art School on the occasion of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, this comprehensive catalogue celebrates the 2025 iteration of the prize, presented at the National Art School Gallery. The publication includes forewords by Dr Kristen Sharp, National Art School Director and CEO, and Michelle Belgiorno-Nettis, Sir William Dobell Art Foundation Chair, an essay by Lucy Latella, Curator of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize exhibition, and images of the 57 finalist works with accompanying artist statements. 

This course presents a unique approach to understanding and applying colour developed by David over the last 25 years for art and design practitioners and teachers as well as anyone just fascinated by colour. It consists of eight beautifully illustrated lectures complemented by optional practical exercises that progress from mastering colour control in paint through to still-life painting studies. The lectures are given live in class with time allowed for discussion but can also be viewed outside class as video recordings. Students undertake the practical exercises outside class and can submit photos by email for feedback and discussion.

Learn how to throw pots with a strong architectural form to create objects of simplicity and beauty. Explore the basic structures, movements and techniques of wheelforming in this hands-on course and become proficient on the potter’s wheel.

Learn to draw forms and structures of the human head, facial features, body dynamics and discover the connection between the ‘character’ and the ‘face’. Using pencil, charcoal, ink, wash and collage, to make quick sketches and sustained drawings from plaster casts, live models and a self-portrait.

Explore the varied processes of screenprinting starting with basic stencils and moving into photographic techniques. Learn how to create original prints from drawings, photographs and existing images, as well as how to use the darkroom and the computer for photographic processes with image separations and colour mixing. 

In this hands-on two-day workshop, you’ll create exquisite porcelain objects embellished with hand-painted colours. Learn how to work with fine white porcelain clay, make your own watercolour underglazes and model and paint your own unique forms, whether figurative or vessel based.

Discover the sensuous beauty of classical oil painting techniques and be guided through a series of structured exercises and demonstrations of methods and specific ways of using materials. 

Learn the art of clay modelling and create a life-size portrait bust that captures both likeness and character. Discover the techniques and principles of working with clay, exploring its plastic properties to sculpt a 1:1 scale portrait. 

Explore the art of hand-building in clay and create contemporary ceramic artworks, from enhanced vessels to expressive figurative sculptures. Learn the fundamental hand-building techniques—including coil, pinch, slab construction, surface decoration and glazing.