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Watercolour Workshops > Course Descriptions
Here are descriptions of a selection of the Watercolour Workshops that Sarah runs. For a full list of what is available at the moment, check out the course dates page. Click a link to jump straight to the appropriate course description section of this page: Introductory Workshops: Beginners | Improvers | Introduction to Watercolours Landscapes Workshops: Landscapes for Beginners | Landscapes and Farm Animals | Landscapes and Farmland Other Workshops: Printmaking and Cards | Christmas Cards | Darts Farm workshops | Painting Buildings | Chickens and Ducks Occasional Workshops: Fashion Illustration | Painting Simple Figures | Drawing for Beginners | Painting Watercolour Skies | Skies, Boats & Sea
Introductory Workshops Beginners It's about colour! Whether you have never picked up a brush before, or have often painted but been frustrated by the results, the Beginners Day will be a godsend for you! This workshop covers the absolute basics in watercolour: advice on what sort of brushes, palettes and paper to use and how to mix beautiful, fresh colours from just three tubes. Great for those painters who always seem to end up with greys and browns, or insipid colours. We experiment with making transparent, pure colours and create a colour chart for future reference. Time is spent looking at brush technique, and the wet in wet technique. The afternoon is spent in putting all this information and experimentation into practice, making small studies of fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers, and just enjoying loosening up with lovely, juicy paint. The emphasis on this day is to familiarise yourself with simple techniques, to lose inhibitions and possible unhelpful habits with watercolour, and not on producing a finished painting. It's all about enjoying painting and building confidence. It's not unlikely though, that one of those little studies may be lovely enough to make you want to have it framed! A Beginner's workshop DVD is also available.
Improvers Following on from the Beginner's Day: the second essential watercolour technique, glazing/layering will be covered in depth (that's layer upon layer of transparent colour, to build up depth of colour; paint angular, flat sided objects, and create depth in your painting). We will create tonal studies in blue to really look at how to make light and shadow work for our painting, with a mini workshop on looking at light and shadow, along with specifics such as on painting shadows on both flat and curved surfaces. We'll look at how to create atmosphere by using both harmonious and complementary colour schemes, thinking about colour the way artists do. There will be lots of advice on composition, and how to create lots of different paintings from the same subject matter. Sarah will be circulating to give help, encouragement, and administer watercolour first aid for any little mishaps! Go for it with all those new techniques to create your own still life watercolour.
Introduction to Watercolours For those who want total immersion in learning watercolour! This two day course covers all the course material included in the Beginners and the Improvers days.
Landscapes Workshops NEW! Landscapes for Beginners On this day we will briefly look at colour mixing; painting super simple skies, how to plan your composition, and how to stretch paper to prevent it from cockling. We'll do a little sketching in the fields around Sampsons Farm, weather permitting, and make a small landscape painting in the afternoon. It's recommended that you have already done an Introduction to Watercolours, a Beginners, or an Improvers workshop, but not essential.
NEW! Landscapes and Farm Animals Pretty self-explanatory! You'll be given a handout with simple tips to help you draw cows and sheep; we'll look at how to use one colour brush drawings to improve how you observe shapes; how to combine wet in wet and layering techniques to paint animals, and how light and shadows will make animals look solid and three-dimensional. In the afternoon session we will work on location at a nearby farm to put it all into practice. Sarah can't wait for this one!
NEW! Landscapes and Farmland Focusing more on coping with fields, trees, hedgerows, gates, and hills. We'll experiment with creating a sense of depth in the landscape; practice skies, layers, and mixing natural greens, and how to simplify any buildings you may want to include. Again, we'll be based at Sampsons Farm in the morning session, and at another local farm after our lunch, to work in the field.
Other Workshops NEW! Drawing with Simple Shapes This is a fun day on the basics of drawing, inspired by those students who were stunned by Sarah's famous "How to turn a cat's head into a chicken" demonstration on the Painting Chickens and Ducks day. This is the way Sarah draws: boiling subject matter down to its absolute simplest shapes, refining those shapes, and then adding light and shadow. Really interesting; really enlightening. A great day for absolute beginners and all levels. This workshop will also help people planning to do the printmaking day which follows.
NEW! Printmaking: Special Occasion Cards This is such good fun! Making prints by hand is a soothing, relaxing process: you make an original artwork and then create the means to print it by hand. There are lots of different methods, and you'll be introduced to at least three on this workshop. To keep things workable we make small artworks which we can make into very special cards which can be sent to very special people, or even framed. Sarah has lots of materials, and design inspiration sheets, so don't worry that you won't have any ideas. And your friends are going to be SO impressed! You may choose your own theme to pursue: birthdays, Christmas, simple note cards or special occasions. NEW! Paint your own Christmas Cards Your friends and family will be delighted to receive an impressive card that you have painted yourself! In this workshop you will have a variety of exclusive designs by Sarah Bell to use as inspiration, and Sarah will be showing you the techniques you'll need to paint them. There will be both traditional and contemporary designs to choose from, all specially formulated to look impressive with minimal effort! Feel free to bring your own ideas along too, but I think you'll be tempted by the lovely design sheets on offer... All materials are included, as usual, as well as ten matching cards and envelopes. Feel free to bring along more cards and envelopes, too, if you're planning to do a Christmas mailing on an industrial scale! The mini workshops last three hours (and are suitable for accompanied children above 11, too) and include hot chocolate and biscuits - price £25pp. The full day workshops go from 10am until 5pm, and feature a scrummy two course lunch. Price £65pp or save £10 per person at £110 for two - great for quality time with a friend or family member in that hectic time before Christmas!
NEW! Adults, and Parent & Child workshops at Darts Farm
New for this year, in July: a Beginners Day for adults and two half-day workshops for parents and children. Darts Farm (retail heaven experience!) near Exeter and Topsham is a fantastic location, and we'll be working in the stunning, light filled Estuary room with views over the river and meadows. Suitable for beginners and improvers, these workshops will be rather more relaxed affairs than the ones held at Sampsons, and your children or grandchildren will love them as much as you will. These events are being organised by Darts Farm, so please e-mail Rachel or phone her on 01392 878228 for info and bookings.
Painting Buildings Another of Sarah's big loves is architecture, and in this workshop we look at how to paint various aspects of buildings: tricks and techniques on how to reduce buildings down to simple forms, how to treat doorways and windows, a little bit on simple perspective, advice on painting shadows, and the colours of shadows, and how to use buildings in landscape painting to create a sense of scale. If you've ever wished you could do a painting of your own house, this is the course for you!
Painting Chickens and Ducks This a fun workshop, and always very popular. Using Sarah's pet chickens and ducks as models we will work indoors and outdoors. You'll be given a set of notes explaining how to draw the forms of chickens and ducks very simply, we'll have a little practice, and then do some quick fire drawing with a brush outside (it's much easier than drawing with a pencil - no, really!) to loosen up. We'll also look at colour mixing, how to paint a moving animal, and we'll complete a small painting in the afternoon session. You may like to look at Sarah's blog page about this workshop; here's the link: http://theinnkeeperswife.blogspot.com/2010/05/paintings-of-chickens.html
Exciting Paintings from Photos Sarah tries to paint on location and from real life as much as possible, but when in the studio it is often necessary to use photos: but sometimes our photos aren't that great to start off with. This workshop will teach you how to take more effective photos to use as reference; how to crop them to aid composition, how to manipulate and even invent the light and dark in your painting from a photograph to add drama; to create your own colour scheme to create atmosphere, and how to combine photos and sketches to create really interesting paintings. This will be a real power-packed workshop, and essential for anyone interested in painting.
Occasional Workshops These workshops are held occasionally, according to demand. To join a waiting list for any of these courses, please e-mail sarah, and when sufficient people show interest she will arrange a date to suit. (A minimum of four students are needed for a course to run.) 
Fashion Illustration
If you have seen Sarah's fashion diva paintings you'll know how exciting fashion illustration can be! You'll learn simple and easy techniques to make sketches of women in the correct fashion proportions (even if you can't draw at all I've got some fool proof methods for you, so don't worry!). We'll look at how to mix colours, and convincing flesh tones, how to paint special effects to portray fabrics such as satin and marabou feathers, and how to create simple, stylish hairstyles. This will be a great, fun workshop for a special day for mothers (or fathers) and daughters!
Painting Simple Figures
Have you ever seen a painting let down by a figure in it with a huge head, a body as stiff as an ironing-board? Painting figures can be really tough: the trick is to paint them as loosely and simply as possible. But how?!! This workshop will give help and practical assistance on painting different kinds of figures, whether a single figure, or groups within a landscape. You'll learn how to use light and shadow to model a figure and give it substance; how to simplify figures and get rid of fussy detail to make them more credible; a little on proportion and foreshortening, and also how to paint "shorthand" figures in the distance of a landscape to give your painting a sense of scale and life. A really useful workshop!Draw What You See! Drawing for Beginners 
By special request from students, this workshop is designed to give you confidence and build your drawing skills. Concentrating on simple techniques for accurate drawing (later in the year we may do another workshop focussing on expressive drawing techniques) we will look at proportions, light and shadows, simple perspective and foreshortening. We'll use varied media, such a brush and ink; pencil, and even a pen on Perspex to get you nice and relaxed and drawing well. Not scary at all: you'll have lots of fun with Sarah and the group trying out some easy ways to really see what's in front of you, rather than what your brain is telling you is there! So if you've ever wished to be able to draw better, this workshop could be a great investment for the future!
Painting Watercolour Skies
A really useful day learning about how to paint sunsets, calm skies, cloudy skies, graduated washes; how to stretch paper; and wet in wet and layering techniques. If the weather allows we'll be working outside for short spells, but mostly in the studio. Suitable for beginners and the more experienced.Skies, Boats & Sea Boats can be really tricky to draw, but I've got some special top tips to make it so much easier. We'll look at how to paint reflections in water, and how to create those sparkly highlights you see on a sunny day. If you've ever wished you could sit down to do some sketching at a harbour, or fishing village or just a painting of the ferry here at Shaldon, this workshop will be invaluable. The accent here will be on *simplicity*. In the afternoon session we will paint an atmospheric scene using Sarah's reference material and photos. Or depending on the weather,and the mood of the group, we mayo down to the beach at Teignmouth or Shaldon for an hour for an on-the-spot painting demo by Sarah. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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