Course format

All our programmes are flexible and subject to your personal requirements, preferences and ideas...as well as weather conditions! All courses offer a selection of intensive workshops or 1-day 'clinics'. Information you provide on our Enquiry/Students Programme planning form upon booking helps us to devise an individual, tailor-made programme that is agreed or adapted after due discussion with you.

Drawing and Painting

Our programmes include working either outdoors on field trips to carefully chosen, picturesque sites in the area, around our village, or within our grounds.

Content of sessions, subject to your level of ability (please see guide below) includes traditional disciplines such as:

• use of materials
• fundamentals of drawing & draughtsmanship
• colour theory & usage
• perspective, tone, balance & composition

We also include innovative exercises covering:

• visualisation
• intuition
• simplification
• interpretation
• abstraction

There are also practical demonstrations and perhaps even the chance to actually work alongside the tutor/artist, to watch him at work.

As courses are individually tailored to suit your requirements, providing a "typical format" isn't very easy, but we thought it would help to provide a framework to give you a feel for how a week might be structured. Although the following is based on a weekly course, 1-day intensive workshops can also be arranged. One day off per week will be taken as a rest day and any additional time off for relaxing, gallery and museum visits, etc, will be at the student's discretion.

Induction:
This will normally take place on day of arrival and will consist of Welcome, Introduction, Review of the base and facilities, proposed Programme for week/fortnight, and discussion thereof. Please note art work and courses will not normally commence until the next day.

Morning sessions (Refreshments can be supplied, if on-site at base):
Duration 3-4 hours, either out in the surrounding area creating a Landscape, Villagescape or scene; or in the garden/grounds creating a Still-life or Life study.

For example you might be sketching or preparing preliminary studies in your preferred medium or you may learn from working directly alongside the tutor...

Afternoon sessions:
Duration approx 2.5 hours, either:

• continuation of morning session on-site; or:
• develop morning/earlier work in the shade of the trees; or:
• rest, or go-as-you-please activities locally (or explore further afield!)

Students are free to develop their work (being overseen by tutor if required)... or they may just feel like relaxing...

Final day review:
A chance to constructively review work, sometimes in the form of a 'gallery' displaying the weeks' production (if you wish to participate), assessing student's development (and perhaps areas for further improvement!), as well as a platform for feedback.

Guide to representative content and exercises on our courses:
This is a guideline only for a choice of suggested content/exercises. It is also included on our Students Programme planning form which we'll ask you to complete when you book with us.