Drawing and Painting with Confidence

This popular course combines the fundamentals of drawing and painting with an emphasis on creating original artworks from real life subjects. Enjoy taking chances and moving out of your comfort zone as you gain confidence in your art practice! Maryanne Wick sets group exercises designed to develop and improve your technical, observation and problem-solving skills. You’ll use drawing tools such as graphite pencils and charcoals, and choose between oil or acrylic paints, to learn solid painting techniques. Demonstrations, daily discussions about Australian and international artists and detailed feedback about your work is provided as you progress throughout the week - all in a supportive and friendly studio environment.

The course is suitable for real beginners as well as those with some experience up to intermediate levels.

*Short courses are open to students of ages 16 years and over.

*Drawing and painting short courses may be held in upstairs studios. If access to stairs is not suitable, please contact NAS Short Courses Administration at short.courses@nas.edu.au

Maryanne Wick is a graduate and lecturer at the National Art School. Primarily known for her painting, drawing, print making and collage, she has lived, worked, and held solo exhibitions in Sydney, London, South Korea, Hong Kong and in Spain. Her work is held in private and public collections in Australia and overseas. Maryanne has been a finalist in numerous awards, including the Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Doug Moran and Portia Geach Portrait Prizes, the Gallipoli Art Prize and the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award. In 2015, she was awarded the Korea-Australia Art Foundation Prize for painting and, in 2022, was invited to participate in the prestigious Kedumba Drawing Award.

Students must supply their own art materials, please refer to the list below.

Welcome to ‘Drawing and Painting with Confidence’. You will require your drawing materials on the first day of the course.

Drawing

• 1 x piece of large brown craft paper
• 1 x sketch pad (A4 size) or your drawing diary
• 1 x graphite pencil (2B or 4B)
• 1 x pencil sharpener and a soft or hard eraser
• 1 box thick charcoal (Willow)
• 1 x pair scissors, white paper masking tape (medium width 24 mm)
• Drawing fixative (optional)

Painting

Paint: Choose either oil or acrylic paint for the course. Bring along all your paints, include white and black. The essential colours required for the course are the Primary colours: red, yellow, blue.

Suggestions are Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue.

Brushes: Bring your favourite brushes to the course. If you need to purchase brushes, natural or synthetic brushes are fine. A set of flat, soft, synthetic brushes, ranging from 2mm to 15mm is a good way to start your brush collection. Or, try a combination of thin to wide, Flat and round Filbert.

• 3 x Canvases: pre-prepared on the frame, 1 x small, 2 x medium size (no smaller than A4). Your choice of size and shape. Canvas boards if you prefer.
• 2 x pieces of large brown craft paper. No butcher’s paper please.
• 1 x 250-gram tub of white acrylic Gesso and a wide flat brush (for priming your surfaces)
• For oil painting: 1 x small bottle of odourless solvent (avoid turps) and a small glass jar with a lid.
• For acrylic painting: a gel medium (optional). Water is fine.
• Palette, ceramic or plastic plate.
• Cling Wrap, a selection of rags (important).

*Wear an Apron/ protective clothing. Covered footwear is essential in all studios on campus.