Collection: Short Courses

Ready to take your drawing skills to the next level? This course is designed to deepen your observational and expressive abilities, expand your perception and unlock new possibilities in your drawing practice.

Are you eager to move from being an arts enthusiast to a practising, exhibiting and sustainable artist? Learn what it takes to become a professional artist; how to research and understand the investment of time, money, planning, energy and creativity it requires to survive in the arts.

Image courtesy of the Geoff Raby Opening, National Art School

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 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.

A comprehensive introduction to the world of printmaking techniques such as lino and woodcut, dry point etching and Monoprinting. Explore layering processes, multiple plates, and sensory drawing exercises to create a series of prints. 

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.

This course presents a unique approach to understanding and applying colour developed by David over the last 25 years. 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 live lectures and discussions can be viewed outside class as video recordings. Students undertake practical exercises outside class and can submit photos for feedback.

Develop your drawing skills and unleash your creativity in structured, live online classes led by Rachel Fairfax. Designed to mimic a studio-style experience, each lesson focuses on a specific theme with practical drawing exercises, demonstrations, and interactive engagement.

Learn to trust your eye and hand to capture the model’s dynamic movements and poses through gestural mark making as you draw the figure from life. Explore the fundamental techniques for life drawing with charcoal, graphite, ink and brushes.

Engage your five senses in the act of drawing and experience a fresh, personal and perceptive approach to art making. From initial idea generation to the creation of resolved drawings, this course provides a pathway to dynamic and personal expression.

Are you time-poor yet want to learn how to take great photos? In this two-day intensive photography workshop, you’ll let go of relying on the camera’s automatic settings and be taught the fundamentals of manual exposure, empowering your creative shooting capabilities.

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.

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.

Would you like to take a line for a walk with experimental contour drawing? How about tapping into your creativity and becoming one with ink while drawing? Experience the art of using your whole being when you draw, and see your drawing expand beyond its current horizon.

Are you eager to begin your drawing journey and unlock your innate creativity? Join this beginner’s course to develop essential drawing skills, gain confidence and teach you solid foundations upon which to build your art practice.

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. 

Gain a comprehensive understanding of the Australian art world, a rich and complex ecosystem that bridges public exhibitions and collections, commercial galleries, university and art school galleries, art fairs, artist and community run initiatives, and private collections.

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.

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. 

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.