Art for Beginners | Drawing and Acrylic Painting | Sally Mowbray
Join our painting and drawing course for adults where you will discover the joy of drawing and acrylic painting. Perfect for beginners or artists seeking to refresh their skills through a step-by-step structured course, building skills and gaining confidence week by week.
Your tutor will walk you through fundamental drawing techniques, covering perspective, proportions, shading, and composition. You'll gain the confidence to sketch a variety of subjects and express your ideas on paper.
Once you've mastered drawing, we'll dive into the exciting realm of acrylic painting. Learn how to handle acrylic paints, mix colors, and apply various techniques to bring your paintings to life. Acrylics are a safe, water-based paint that can bring a bright and textured finish to your paintings.
Unleash your creativity in a fun and inspiring environment. Start your artistic journey with us today!
What to expect
Each week students will learn new concepts and techniques. Students can expect to:
- learn foundation drawing skills working from simple still life objects
- learn foundation painting skills working from simple still life objects and have the confidence to progress to other genres
- learn about paint application techniques
- learn about naming, mixing and matching colours and organising your palette
- learn different approaches to painting compositions using traditional and contemporary ideas
Is this course right for me?
This term course is an excellent starting point for beginners or anyone wanting to learn essential drawing skills and refresh or learn new skills in painting with acrylics. This course is for absolute beginners new to art, as well as new or continuing students who want to build on their skills before trying other courses. There are no prerequisites or assumed knowledge for this course.
Materials
Acrylic paints, brushes, palettes and water buckets are provided for use in class. If you have your own paints etc, please bring them along, but there is no need to rush out and buy any. Canvasses are also available for purchase in class - please bring cash.
Please bring the following materials each week:
Drawing Materials - essential
- Lead pencil from the B range eg 6B or 4B
- Eraser (White plastic)
- A3 size paper - single sheets of cartridge paper approx 3 per class or a 30 page sketchbook to pull apart (about 30 pages)
Painting Materials - essential
- Pad of canvas paper or paper suitable for acrylic painting (could be same as your drawing paper if that is good quality)
Additional optional materials you can discuss with your tutor:
Painting Materials - Optional
If you wish to build up your art kit, please consider the following but discuss it with your tutor at the first class.
Disposable painting palette pad OR a flat reusable white plastic plate
Be mindful that different acrylic paint brands have varying names for their pigments, but for reference, you could look at the Matisse Derivan Acrylic colour chart from which these colours are taken. Your tutor has chosen them because they will provide a broad mixing range and belong in the lower Series numbers meaning they won’t be too costly. You need 37 ml tubes and “Flow’ or ’Structure’ options are equally fine. Best to wait until after your first class when you can discuss this with your tutor.
- Primary Yellow
- Red Bright (Vermillion)
- Red Crimson (Brilliant Alizarin or Napthol Crimson)
- Warm Blue (Ultamarine Blue )
- Cool Blue (Pthalo Blue)
- Raw Umber
- White (Titanium)
Brushes
Again, no need to buy any, but if you wish to please discuss with your tutor at your first class. There are so many to choose from but as a basic pair you could get these from the ‘Brood’ range or equivalent:
- Size 6 ‘Filbert’ Shape - Natural Bristle
- Size 4 ’Round’ Shape - Natural Bristle
About studio classes
Our class sizes are small, ensuring you receive the individual tuition you need. We have a maximum of 12 students per class.
Unless otherwise noted, prices *exclude* art materials. Click here to see a list of local art supply retailers.
To learn about our studios, amenites and how to get there, click here.
Save on your art class
Art Est accepts Creative Kids vouchers and memberships to help you save on your art class, along with regular discounts for current students. To find out what you are eligible for and how to book with these, visit our special offers and discounts page:
More Information
Course testimonials:
- Sally again has been an excellent tutor I have learnt further techniques and skills she provides plenty of time for one one discussion. Thanks Sally
- Love Art Est! Sally's class was great - she is very encouraging to beginners, and takes everyone at their own pace. She gently nudges people to try new ideas but at the same time respects everyone's interests and experiences. She's a great teacher - I'd encourage anyone who feels they lack talent to let Sally work her magic on them!
- Sally is a great teacher. She is a wealth of knowledge, approachable, friendly, and works to each person’s needs in the class. I like the variety of what we were asked to paint. It enables you to understand styles of different art movements/artists. It also allows you to explore and experiment with what may be your own style.