Collection: New Courses and Programs

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. 

Are you interested in the history of drawing and would like to refine your skills? Learn the classical drawing techniques of silverpoint on prepared paper, red and black chalk on tinted paper and ink drawing with reed pen, quill and brush. With demonstrations and practical methods to inspire your contemporary drawing practice. 

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.

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

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.

Explore the art of collage and learn the practices of cutting and composition with award-winning artist Deborah Kelly. Learn to play purposefully with pictures and develop a range of technical skills to create original artworks, developing new imagery from historical materials.

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. 

Discover how to draw from the figure, from initial sketches of life models to detailed portraits and sustained studies. Learn to see and draw anatomical structures, bring out the personality of the subject and breathe life into your drawings.

Learn how to paint expressive, contemporary watercolour paintings with structured classes around specific themes, practical exercises, demonstrations and interactions with a lecturer in a live (online) studio environment. Discover the thrills of colour mixing, palette organisation, compositional ideas, pigments and different mark-making techniques. Experiment with different watercolour papers and work towards sustained finished artworks.

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.

Discover the mystery of bronze, from planning a sculpture to casting in bronze. Model a figurative sculpture in wax, then make the ceramic shell casting, including sprueing the waxes, burning out the ceramic moulds, pouring the metal, and using metal chasing and patina techniques.

This hands-on, practical workshop will cover the basics of ceramic glaze composition, surface development, application techniques, and firing over a range of temperatures. Learn how to test, apply, and fire glazes to suit your own practice. 

Discover new approaches to handbuilding in clay with a focus on making colourful ceramic vessels and objects using experimental techniques to push the boundaries of the form. Learn to work with a range of techniques including pinching, stacking, joining, coiling and slab constructions.

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.

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.