Collection: Daytime Courses

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.

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.

Learn the fine art of copper plate etching, a medium both steeped in tradition and one that allows for exciting approaches to contemporary art making. In this 2-day workshop discover various methods to create a small edition of prints in the beautiful NAS etching studios.

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.

This exciting course combines textiles with creative drawing using diverse techniques with paper, fabric, collage, assemblage. Including sketching, painting, weaving and embroidering lines on the surface of papers and textiles, exploring the materiality of different surfaces.  

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.

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.

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.

This hands-on workshop will strengthen your drawing practice and introduce you to the magic of analogue animation methods. You’ll explore dynamic mark-making, gestural drawing, and develop strategies for capturing movement and complete a short animation. 

This course explores techniques and mediums of acrylic painting, composition, colour, representation, collage and the use of text in art. Experiment with abstracting from reality including landscape elements, still life, space or the figure. 

Reignite your curiosity in this engaging course designed for beginners or those returning to the sketchbook. Explore observational foundations—line, tone, and perspective—while gaining confidence in creating drawings from life. Each week you’ll develop skills through expressive use of charcoal, Conté, ink and pastel, working from images and objects, inspired by the vibrant NAS campus.

In this two-day workshop, you will learn how to hand build three-dimensional forms and sculptural wall works out of clay. Working with slab building techniques, explore ceramic forms as well as surface design and decoration through a use of slip, underglaze, sgraffito and carving techniques to create personal stories with clay. 

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.