Collection: Short Courses

Learn to see beyond the bewildering details of your subject to gather the colour information you need to get your painting off to a great start! 

Discover how to think of colour in a way that enables you to mix the exact colour that you want confidently and directly, every time. The course assumes no prior knowledge and has given great results with students from beginner to advanced levels.

Learn the fundamental principles of abstract painting and discover how colours change and move in a picture plane. Tonee Messiah introduces painting techniques from modernist abstraction to the present day and shows how painters approach the translation of subject matter using colour as a powerful expressive tool and emotive agent.

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.

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. 

Expand your still life painting skills in an immersive weekend with renowned artist Jude Rae, who shares her insights into the genre within a cultural frame that supports both the traditions of realist painting and Abstraction. Through personalised instruction you’ll develop a personal visual language to create dynamic, engaging paintings.

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.

Enhance your expressive capabilities and expand your visual vocabulary with a focus on drawing and mixed media. Learn to use collage as a dynamic tool to explore subject matter, balance compositions, test colour and spatial relationships and venture outside your comfort zone. 

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 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.

Explore the representational, atmospheric, and emotive possibilities of tonal drawing. Working from set ups and life models in the studio, you will learn to perceive and convey lights and darks in your work; adding drama and tension to your drawings.

Discover a range of drawing techniques to unleash your expressive potential using conventional and non-conventional drawing materials. Build your drawing vocabulary with a personal approach to mark-making, composition and subject matter.

Curious about what it’s really like to be a working artist? Step behind the scenes of the art world and visit real artists’ studios, going beyond the white walls of galleries and museums, to the places where creativity and experimentation come to life. 

Develop the skills to create larger, more complex forms on the potter’s wheel and expand your throwing techniques. You’ll be introduced to advanced methods such as coiling and sectional throwing, exploring the nuances of working with larger pieces.

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 fundamental welding skills and complete small-scale welded steel sculptures. With demonstrations and techniques for using arc and MIG welders and oxyacetylene to cut, shape and bend steel, as well as ways to grind steel and use surface treatments suited to steel.

Explore and learn to draw the forms and structures of the human head, facial features, and body dynamics and discover the connection between the ‘character’ and the ‘face’.

Using a variety of drawing mediums from pencil, charcoal, ink and wash to collage, via quick sketches and sustained drawings, students will investigate a range of subjects starting with the skull and plaster casts, to the live model and self-portrait.

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.

Immerse yourself in the luminous world of watercolour and explore the expressive potential of the medium, working across landscapes, still life, and the human figure. With demonstrations, hands-on exercises, and discussions, this course encourages you to refine your technique while embracing spontaneity.