Welcome back everyone! We kicked off the course with these striking paintings using watercolour pencil. The image we studied was a photograph taken of the Sri Krishnan Temple in little India in Singapore. This very small section was part of a statue of the Hindu god Hanuman.
Well done everyone! It was great to have you all back in the classroom and on my screen (those of you doing the Zoom course).
If anyone wants to join in with these lessons they are available on my Patreon page and you can try it for free by tapping on the link below.
I will be a running new course “Places 2” from 30th September 2024 and for the first time ever this course can be accessed in 3 different ways: face to face, online or via my Patreon page. Please go to the Courses for 2024 page for further details. Please note the closing date is Friday 20th September 2024.
For our final lesson in the Beginners Birds Drawing Course we painted these glorious goldfinches using Derwent Inktense Blocks. Quite a difficult medium to master I think but a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone who has attended this term and well done on producing such great work every week no matter what challenges I threw at you.
No definite dates for future face to face classes at the moment but there are plenty of tutorials available on my Patreon page and remember you can sign up for a free trial using the following link:
This week we tried something a bit different and did some timed drawings of Blue Tits ranging from 15 minutes to 30 seconds, followed by a longer drawing. This helps to train us into making quick decisions about the most important aspects of the drawing. Soft pastel was perfect for making quick marks and smudges of colour. Great work everyone! Well done.
Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.
This week we drew these beautiful bullfinches using oil pastel. We focused a lot on colour mixing especially in the background and the grey feathers of the bird, only using black where we really needed it. Great work everyone!
Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.
We have a week off next week for the bank holiday but I’ll see you back in class on Monday 13th May.
This week it was the Heron’s turn to be our subject. We all got very messy with bits of magazine collage and glue. Worth all the mess though as it’s a really effective technique and quite engrossing to do. If we’d had a bit more time we could have added some more detail and tone with black biro. You can always finish them later at home. Hope you all enjoyed it.
A much less messy technique next week but lots of colour!
Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.
There are few British birds that allow use to use such bright blues when drawing them. So big thanks to the Kingfishers for letting us use our blues and oranges! We used soft pastels to create these vibrant colours. A very smudgy, messy process but definitely worth it for such great effects. Keep up the good work everyone. More mess next week!
Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.
Great to be back in class after our little break and a brilliant start to this term’s course. We began the course with Starlings and used holographic scraper board. We scratched through to reveal the colours underneath to suggest the iridescent feathers of the bird – and don’t they look fabulous! A great start to the course everyone, well done.
Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.
I will be running the following courses from Monday 8th April 2024. These classes are open to anyone over 18 years of age. Scroll down for further information on each course. The closing date for payments is Tuesday2nd April 2024.
Beginners Birds Drawing Course – face to face
“Inspired 5” – Online Beginners Art Course (via Zoom)
All classes will be taught by myself, Wendy Atton B A (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.
The online courses only are free to any NHS employees as a thank you for just being wonderful. Just send me a photo of your staff card when you book.
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.
Face to Face courses
Mondays
Beginners Birds Drawing Course – face to face
Headingley Parish Hall, St Michael’s Road, Headingley, LS6 3AW.
Start date: Monday 8th April 2024 – this course will run for 6 lessons over 7 weeks (no lesson 6th May).
Price: £60
In this course we will use images of the birds we see around the UK as inspiration for drawings and paintings. Each week we will focus on a different bird and use different media. We will explore a range of 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 birds or who would like to improve their drawing/painting skills whilst experimenting with a variety of materials.
All materials will be provided during the lessons.
This course is designed for beginners but would also be suitable for all abilities.
Online Course
Tuesdays
“Inspired” 5: Online Beginners Art Course – Via Zoom
6.30pm – 7.00pm (Ref: INS5)
Start date: Tuesday 9th April 2024 – this course will run for 5 lessons over 6 weeks (no lesson 7th May)
Price: £25
In this course we will look at other works of art and use them as inspiration for our own artwork creations. This may mean recreating all or part of a picture or simply using it as reference for our own ideas and interpretation. This course is designed for beginners but would be suitable for all abilities.
Materials
The course will explore a range of different media including watercolour, oil pastel, charcoal, etc. Alternative media suggestions will be given for each lesson, so if you don’t have the specific materials used in the example, you will still be able to have a go at the tasks. The bare minimum you will need for the course is a pencil and something to create colour. A full list of materials used in the lessons will be included in the booking details.
Please note: you do not need to have completed any of the previous “Inspired” courses in order to join this course. All courses are stand alone courses.
This week was the final lesson in the “Beginners Portraiture Course 1” and a chance to draw from life! Thank you to our life model Charlie who did a great job and to all our volunteers who stepped in to do a spot of life modelling too! Brilliant drawings everyone, a great finish to the course!
Below are some of this week’s pictures and you can see more on our Instagram page at: @leedsartgroup.
Courses will be starting again in April. So watch this space for more information – coming soon!
Leeds Art Group 