Leeds Art Group

Art classes in Leeds and beyond!© Est.2013


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Courses for 2026

Hi everyone


I will be running the Beginners Animal Portraiture Course 4 from Monday 5th October 2026.  Please note the closing date is Friday 25th September 2026.  Scroll down for further information. Hope you can join us.  Wendy.

Beginners Animal Portraiture Course 4

Headingley Parish Hall, St Michael’s Road, Headingley, LS6 3AW.

Mondays 10am – 12pm – morning course (Ref: ANI4MORN)

Mondays 6.30pm – 8.30pm – evening course (Ref: ANI4EVE)

Start date: Monday 5th October 2026 – this course will run for 7 weeks.

Price: £70

In this course you will learn how to draw a variety of animals both great and small, from the native to the more exotic, using a wide range of media (pastel, charcoal, paint, etc.) from photographs. Each week we will create a portrait of a different animal by using a series of simple steps to gradually build up a picture. The course will give you the basic skills you need to help you continue with your drawings in the future.

This course is designed for beginners and is ideal for animal lovers or anyone who would like to improve their drawing/painting skills whilst experimenting with a variety of materials.

Please note: You do not need to have completed the Beginners Animal Portraiture Courses 1 – 3 in order to do this course.  The ability level is the same but the course content will be different.

This course will run twice on Mondays, please state which time slot you would like when booking.

All materials will be provided during the lessons.

All classes will be taught by myself, Wendy Atton BA (Hons).   If you would like to view my work please visit my website at http://www.wendyatton.co.uk or my instagram page @wendyatton_artist. Examples of work from previous courses can also be viewed on our Instagram page @leedsartgroup. Please note that places cannot be reserved without full payment and all fees are non-refundable in part or in full.  These classes are open to anyone aged 18 or over.

If you have any questions or would like to book a place please get in touch by either email:leedsartgroup@yahoo.co.uk or telephone: 07788 871286.  Payment can be made by bank transfer or cheque.  If you already have my online payment details please use the correct reference when booking and please drop me an email when you have paid so that I can confirm receipt and book you on the correct class.

Online tutorials

For those of you who prefer online tutorials, these can be found on my Patreon page and individual lessons can now be purchased for £3 each without subscribing.

If you don’t yet subscribe to my Patreon page and would like to join for free please click on the following link and select  “See membership options” then “Start 7 day free trial”;  Get more from Art by Wendy Atton on Patreon.  This will give you free access to over 120 videos.  If you wish to keep your subscription after the free trial, the cost is £6 +VAT (=£7.20) per month and you can cancel at any time.

If you have any questions please get in touch and I hope to see you soon.

Wendy x


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Beginners Drawing from Nature Course – Lesson 7: Brambles.

For the final lesson of the course it was nice to have a good blast of colour! We used Derwent Inktense Blocks to create these juicy paintings of blackberries (or Brambles). Gorgeous work as always folks!

It’s been so lovely teaching you all this term and thank you so much for all the effort and enthusiasm you’ve brought to the lessons.

Time for a little break now over the summer but watch this space for details on brand new courses starting in October.

Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.

Cheerio for now folks!

Wendy x


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Beginners Drawing from Nature Course – Lesson 6: Toadstools.

This week we used black ball point pen and a scribble cross-hatching technique to create all the different tones in these drawings of toadstools. To add the colour element we used our watercolour pencils again but this time without the water, layering the colours on top of each other. These look fantastic! A very time consuming process, so I’m amazed at how much you managed to get done in the lesson. Brilliant work – well done!👏

Next week is the last lesson of the current course. News on the next courses coming soon

Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.


See you all next week.

Wendy x


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Beginners Drawing from Nature Course – Lesson 5: Conkers.

Yes, this week we conquered conkers (sorry, couldn’t resist🤭)! We used watercolour pencils to create these fab drawings. This technique does take quite a bit of time especially to build up the colours. So I think you all did really well with the time we had. Great work, keep it up!😁

Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.


See you all next week.

Wendy x


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Beginners Drawing from Nature Course – Lesson 4: Mussel shells.

This week we used Indian ink applied with a stick (yep, just from the garden) to create these inky, black, mussel shell drawings. A very tricky technique to get the hang of but a really interesting effect that you just don’t get with a brush. And the best bit – no brush to clean at the end! Well done to all of you for having a go at this technique, they look fab!

Next week, maybe something a little less messy.

Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.


See you next week.

Wendy x


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Beginners Drawing from Nature Course – Lesson 3: Leaves.

Welcome back after the bank holiday everyone and always nice to start back with a good blast of colour. We used oil pastels to create all the vibrant colours in these leaves drawings. You managed to mix so many different colours from only a few pastels. Fabulous work folks – keep it up!👏

Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.


See you all soon.

Wendy x


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Beginners Drawing from Nature Course – Lesson 2: Flowers.

Time to get messy this week with these soft pastel drawings of Hydrangea flowers. It’s sometimes difficult to find blue in nature but with these petals we could really let go with all the blues, purples and pinks in our pastel sets. You all did amazing work this week and it was an absolute joy to see all your beautiful drawings. Thanks for bringing so much enthusiasm to the class.

Time for a little break due to next Monday being a bank holiday but we’ll be back on Monday 1st June with another challenge.

Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.

Enjoy the bank holiday!
See you all soon.

Wendy x


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Beginners Drawing from Nature Course – Lesson 1: Pebbles.

Welcome back everyone! For our first lesson back we painted these watercolour pebbles. Always interesting to play with scale by taking these tiny pebbles and painting them BIG!

You did a fantastic job with these. Next week, something different (and a bit messy).

Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.

See you soon.

Wendy x


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New courses starting May 2026!

Hi everyone
I will be running the Beginners Drawing from Nature Course from Monday 11th May 2026.  Please note the closing date is Friday 1st May 2026 (places are limited and may fill up before this time).  Scroll down for further information. 

Beginners Drawing from Nature Course

Headingley Parish Hall, St Michael’s Road, Headingley, LS6 3AW.

Mondays 10am – 12pm – morning course (Ref: NATMORN)

Mondays 6.30pm – 8.30pm – evening course (Ref: NATEVE)

Start date: Monday 11th May 2026 – this course will run for 7 lessons over 8 weeks (no lesson on 25th May).

Price: £70

In this course we will use nature as our inspiration for creating drawings and paintings.  You will work from both 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional sources using subjects such as plants, fruit and flowers.  Each week we will explore different materials and techniques and use a series of simple steps to build up a picture.

This course is designed for beginners and is ideal for anyone with a love of nature or who would like to improve their drawing/painting skills whilst experimenting with a variety of materials.

This course will run twice on Mondays, please state which time slot you would like when booking.

All materials will be provided during the lessons.

All classes will be taught by myself, Wendy Atton BA (Hons).   If you would like to view my work please visit my website at http://www.wendyatton.co.uk or my Instagram page @wendyatton_artist.  Please note that places cannot be reserved without full payment and all fees are non-refundable in part or in full.  These classes are open to anyone aged 18 or over.

If you have any questions or would like to book a place please get in touch by either email:leedsartgroup@yahoo.co.uk or telephone: 07788 871286.  Payment can be made by bank transfer or cheque.  If you already have my online payment details please use the correct reference when booking and please drop me an email when you have paid so that I can confirm receipt and book you on the correct class.

Online tutorials

Online tutorials can be found on my Patreon page and individual lessons can now be purchased for £3 each without subscribing.

If you don’t yet subscribe to my Patreon page and would like to join for free please click on the following link and select  “See membership options” then “Start 7 day free trial”;  Art by Wendy Atton on Patreon.  This will give you free access to over 120 videos.  If you wish to keep your subscription after the free trial, the cost is £6 +VAT (=£7.20) per month and you can cancel at any time.

If you have any questions please get in touch and I hope to see you soon.

Wendy x


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Beginners Watercolour Course – Lesson 7: objects.

For this lesson it was up to you to set up your own mini composition of different objects and create your own still life painting. This week you had to utilise everything we’ve learned in the past 7 weeks and bring it all together.
You all did an amazing job – what a finale to the course!👏

Yes, this is sadly the last lesson of this course and I’ve had so much fun teaching you all this term. I hope you’ve enjoyed it too.😁

Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.

Time for a short break now but courses will resume in May so watch this space for further details!

Cheerio for now.

Wendy x