| Workshops Programme 2023

David has taught Art and Design for over 30 years, the last 23 at Arran High School. During his Fine Art Degree David studied across mediums including sculpture, photography, printmaking and drawing. In this workshop participants will use a range of drawing based techniques to make a series of studies based on a variety of starting points. There will be several demonstrations of techniques followed by time for participants to try them out. There will be something to inspire everyone!

Necessary Experience | The workshop is suitable for all abilities from the absolute beginner to the more accomplished.

Materials to Bring | All materials will be provided

Food & Drink | Please bring a packed lunch and any drinks.

Gillian has been a professional artist for the past 6 years. Having graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1993, she worked in the design industry for many years. However the lure of the paint was too much and she now teaches & paints full time in her Ayrshire studio. Her love of colour, texture, buttery oils & new love of pastels is evident in her work which she exhibits in galleries throughout Scotland.

Channel your inner Nancy Kominsky and join me as we let loose with glorious slabs of oil paint and enjoy creating fabulously textured, super-fast paintings like a pro! Plus: Hints and tips on how to handle your palette knife, from sweeping gestural marks to the tiniest of details.
How to mix on and off the canvas
What surfaces are suitable for palette knife painting and using different shapes for different effects.
Palette knife painting can be a fast process, we'll work alla prima (a single layer of wet paint) so please bring multiple surfaces and sizes to last throughout the 2 days.

These principles can also be applied to acrylic paint if you prefer to use this instead of oils.

Necessary Experience | No previous experience required.

Materials to Bring |
Suggested list of oil paint (or acrylics - please bring tube acrylic, not liquid acrylic):
Lemon Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium red, Alizarin Crimson or any Rose, Ultramarine Blue, Pthalo or Prussian Blue, Titanium white

Selection of brushes, any palette knives you may have (I’ll also bring a selection to use and try different shapes), Palette for mixing, Rags (a chopped up t-shirt is perfect), Baby wipes, Turps or white spirit (if using traditional oil paint) in screw lid vessel, Masking tape

Selection of surfaces: Palette knife painting is a fast process so bring as many surfaces as you like - ideally 5 or 6 for the two days, Canvas paper or boards, Stretched canvas, Hardboard or cardboard (I’ll talk more about how we can use these with oils), Thick watercolour paper can be used also

Food & Drink | Please bring a packed lunch. Tea & coffee provided.

Heather is an established artist, and has worked from her Studio in Whiting Bay for almost 20 years. Living on Arran, the local landscape is the main inspiration for her work. Having worked in many different mediums over the years, painting on silk gives her the desired vibrant colours to express her interpretation of land/sea/flora/fauna etc. Whether it’s a scarf, cushion cover or a landscape painting, this workshop will begin with the basics of stretching the silk, use of gutta and design. There are many techniques to explore, with different effects to enhance and make work more interesting and exciting. The dyes used will be iron fix and washable.

Necessary Experience | No previous experience is necessary.

Materials to Bring |

Food & Drink | Please bring a packed lunch. Tea & coffee provided.

This two-day workshop offers a complete introduction to the decorative colouring of anodised aluminum, perfect for jewellery making. Students will learn about the anodising process and be introduced to a variety of fun techniques which will include direct application using pens, rubber stamps and other easy to use materials. Dip dying techniques will also be shown, all of which will be tried out on sheet metal to create lots of colourful samples ready to turn into a pair of earrings, pendants and cuff. This workshop is suitable for complete beginners or those with some experience of jewellery making.

You will leave with a set of jewellery and lots of colourful samples which can be used for other projects. Be ready for jam-packed days full of colour and creativity.

Materials to Bring | Please bring a face mask (as there is an aspect of sawing which creates aluminum dust) and an apron to protect your clothes from dyes. Wear appropriate shoes for safety when working with tools. All tools will be provided.

Food & Drink | Please bring a packed lunch. Tea & coffee provided.

Joan studied at Glasgow School of Art and taught for many years before establishing her own art school, Robinwood, in Ayr. She is a successful practising Scottish artist. Using photographs of animals for reference, Joan will take you through some mixed media techniques and help you to produce some colourful and quirky animal paintings. Watercolours, oil pastels, inks, pastels and acrylics will make this a fun workshop!

Necessary Experience | No experience is necessary.

Materials to Bring | Photos of ‘quirky’ animals...giraffes, cats etc.
Watercolour paper no lighter than 140lb, minimum size A4.
Masking tape.
Masking fluid.
Watercolours and or inks.
Watercolour brushes.
Oil pastels.
Black permanent pens.
White gouache (or acrylic).
Pastels.
Sketch pad.
Pencils, eraser.

Food & Drink | Please bring a packed lunch. Tea & coffee provided.

Kori graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee, in 2021 with a BDes (Hons) in Textile Design. She then studied for her PGDE at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 2022, before moving to Arran to start her career as an Art & Design teacher at the high school.

This will be a 2-day course open to any level of artist – from beginner to experienced – to explore the wonderful medium of gouache paint. Sometimes referred to as opaque watercolour, gouache can be watered down to give a sheer wash of colour or applied to give opaque coverage – making it a very versatile medium. Day 1 will be an introduction to gouache paint and landscape compositions, and weather dependent, some plein-air drawing at Lamlash beach. During day 2 you will have the opportunity to complete a larger scale landscape gouache painting of your choice.

Necessary Experience | From beginner to experienced

Materials to Bring | Please bring your own gouache paints (see suggested ones below) and a selection of your favourite landscape photos – preferably printed on A4 as this will be easier to paint from.
Gouache paints to buy at Amazon
Gouache paints to buy at Jackson's Art

Food & Drink | Please bring a packed lunch. Tea & coffee provided.

Discover the exciting world of watercolour!

Over the weekend you will be shown various watercolour techniques and how to apply the paint in a clear fresh way to create translucent and vibrant paintings. You will learn how these methods can be combined with tone, colour and composition to convey the beautiful shapes and textures of a landscape in watercolour. world of watercolour!

Frances is a watercolour artist and tutor who uses watercolour in a traditional way to respond to inspiration from the changing seasons and the landscape around her, focusing on colour and light in scenery, and details and patterns in nature.

A graduate in Interior Design from Edinburgh College of Art, her practice has evolved to encompass a broad spectrum of creative arts. Her interest in the use of visual art and the creative process as a tool to enhance people's lives has led her to work with various vulnerable groups. Participants have included women offenders, patients with a diagnosis of dementia, school children with additional support needs and adults with learning difficulties and complex mental health needs. world of watercolour!

Frances has extensive experience in teaching and leading creative workshops in the community, with local art groups and organisations and in recent years has enjoyed sharing her passion for watercolour by teaching weekly classes and running weekend workshops in this exciting medium.

Necessary Experience | From beginner to experienced. This course is designed to introduce beginners to watercolour or if you are more experienced, to help you develop your own style.

Materials to Bring | Watercolour Paper
A reasonable quality watercolour paper with a texture eg: cold pressed/NOT 300gm.
Frances will bring some Bockingford watercolour paper available to buy 70p a sheet (17” x 13”)

Watercolour Paints - pans or tubes
Palette
Brushes
Water container
Pencil & rubber
Masking Tape
Kitchen Roll
Small drawing board/piece of hard board if you have one, but I can bring some.

Food & Drink | Please bring a packed lunch. Tea & coffee provided.

Fenneke is a visual artist, maker and educator based in Aberdeenshire and specialises in contemporary artists' books and paper sculptures. These are all one-off pieces and can be organic, dynamic, quiet, powerful, informative, delicate, vibrant, conceptual, experimental or sculptural. By combining various techniques such as printmaking, digital processes, papercutting, paperfolding and bookbinding, she wants to show people what you can do with such a simple yet effective material.

As a keen sea kayaker and mountaineer, she gets her inspiration from the textures, patterns, colours, tones and shapes in the great outdoors. When out there in the elements, she feels a deep inner connection with herself and the world around her.

Her books have been exhibited nationally and internationally and purchased by Special Collections of a few libaries in Scotland. She is a professional member of Society of Scottish Artists and Council member of Aberdeen Artists Society.

Day 1
After a brief introduction into the history of papercutting and its influence on other art forms, Fenneke will show you how to use the materials and techniques to create a papercut. She will bring some examples of papercuts (books, photos) to give you inspiration to cut your own designs. At the end, you will feel familiar with what will work for you and what not and you will choose a certain pattern to work with for the next day.

Day 2
Today we are going to take it further and learn about how we can present our papercut design in a small artists' book. You will fold a concertina structure and cut out the chosen pattern. We will cover board with bookcloth and your concertina will then be glued in a hard-backed book to bring home with you.

Necessary Experience | Open to all levels of experience.

Materials to Bring | Craft knife: I recommend one with a soft grip such as this one from Modelcraft.
Bone folder or blunt knife
Ruler
Pencil + rubber
Cutting mat (Fen has only 4 available)

Fen will supply paper, board, bookcloth and pva glue. She will also provide spare #11 blades as we need to replace them regularly. This all will be £5 pp.

Food & Drink | Please bring a packed lunch. Tea & coffee provided.

Julia studied Applied Arts (Craft) at Brighton University working mainly with glass, metal and ceramic. A keen interest in nature and traditional celebration and a want for a less environmentally impactful craft led her to start working with straw. Her work predominantly relates to nature and the renewal of life and is heavily influenced by ritual celebrations of British and native culture. Costume and performance art also have a strong link to her work.

Throughout the day you will learn how to select and prepare straws, how to tie them, and a selection of weaving and plaiting techniques. By the end of the day you should have several small pieces of decorative straw work to take home with you helping to keep this endangered and beautiful craft alive.

Necessary Experience | No previous experience required.

Materials to Bring | Materials will be supplied.
Please bring: Scissors, ruler or tape measure, pen and paper for making notes.
Optional - ribbons for attaching to your finished pieces.

Food & Drink | Please bring a packed lunch. Tea & coffee provided.

Tim is a professional sculptor, painter, printmaker and ex-lecturer at Grey's School of Art, Aberdeen. He exhibits regularly in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

This ambitious two day workshop will explore, in clay panels, the basic properties of bas-relief sculpture. The processes covered will be 'wedging' clay to de-air it, rolling it building it up, reducing it all to achieve the desired effect. Participants may attempt as many bas-reliefs as they like. Any subject can be modelled in relief. Portraits, still-lives, animals, landscapes, abstract panels...no subject is out of bounds.

Some famous bas-reliefs range from wonderful Egyptian figures, to Assyrian hunting scenes to great church panels of biblical stories to simple architectural detailing/war memorials to portrait panels by Della Robbia and Eric Gill abstract panels by Ben Nicholson and many more...will be shown and discussed. Examples of all these works will be shown and some small examples brought to be held and scrutinised. Mythological subjects can be explored, subjects from natural history and folklore all exciting. Participants will be required to bring source material. Their own drawings/sketchbooks/ideas things they would like to see peeking out from leaves on a garden wall or on a wall by the fire or above the piano.

Necessary Experience | No clay experience required. Drawings / sketchbook highly encouraged but not essential. More info re. source drawings / ideas will be sent before workshop.

Materials to Bring | An additional charge will be asked for the raw materials which will be supplied by the tutor and for the kiln firing.
Clay working tools will be supplied by the tutor.
Participants should bring pencils/paper/sketchbooks/photographs/source material. Participants are further requested to bring a small light or strong torch as the process is much helped by the use of light across the surface. If everyone has a light source this would help. Aprons essential and enthusiasm a must.

Food & Drink | Please bring a packed lunch. Tea & coffee provided.