Interest area: art

This 1 day course is designed for beginner level attendees to understand and practice using pastels to create skilled and beautiful art.

***To avoid a booking fee and pay by card, cheque or cash, please contact dot-art Services directly on 0345 017 6660***

Sunday 28th April, 11:30am – 4:30pm (£65)
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Programme:

This 1 day course is an introduction to pastels. Aimed at those new to pastels and are interested in gaining an understanding on how to use this material.

During the morning session, we will get familiar with soft pastel, how to create colours in pastel and how to blend them on paper. Then we will start creating a still life, which we will carry on working on and finish in the afternoon session. We will use a print copy as reference for this workshop.

This is an opportunity to learn pastel techniques, practice and gain confidence in creating pastel on paper works. Over the day, Laleh your tutor will provide demonstrations, tips and give you support as you progress through the course.

Tutor: Laleh Kamalian

Laleh Kamalian – “Pastel is one of my two media of choice. Using their excellent blending properties and vibrant colours they are perfect for painting portraits, still life and landscapes in any style, from the most detailed realism to impressionist or even abstract styles. With the availability of a wide verity of soft pastel products, from pastel pencils to sticks and Pan Pastels, it gives the artist the opportunity to use one individually or combined to create from small details to hazy backgrounds on a large canvas.”

Dates
Sunday 28th April, 11:30am – 4:30pm

Venue
Bluecoat
School Lane
Liverpool
L1 3BX

Situated in the centre of Liverpool, just behind Church Street, down Church Alley and in front of Liverpool ONE. You can enter the building via the front courtyard off School Lane, or through the garden at the back off College Lane. Nearest train station- Liverpool Central.

Cost
£65

Materials

Soft (chalk) pastels: A small set of half pastels will suffice.
Paper: A few sheets, or a pad of pastel papers, size A4
A pencil
An eraser
A pencil sharpener
A ruler
A kitchen towel or dusting cloth

This workshop over 2 consecutive Saturdays will take beginner photographers through the whole process of shooting and developing black and white film.

Participants will be guided on a fun and relaxed photo walk followed by a day of processing their very own images in the darkroom. Suitable for complete beginners who are new to photo making.

***To avoid a booking fee and pay by card, cheque or cash, please contact dot-art Services directly on 0345 017 6660***

Saturday 27th April & Saturday 4th May, 10am – 5pm
(£160)

Programme

In a small group, you will be guided through the whole process of film photography from shooting to developing your work. You will be taught each basic component and process of using darkroom equipment, culminating in creating your very own black and white photographs using Ilford chemicals and photographic paper provided by the tutor.

Day 1: Saturday 27th April

Introduction & Health & Safety
Loading & using your analogue camera
Analogue photowalk around the beautiful and historic business quarter, focusing on exposure, composition and metering
Mixing chemistry
Processing your film
Drying & cutting negatives
Lightbox viewing & phone app inversion
Questions & a brief outline of Day 2 (darkroom)

Day 2: Saturday 4th May

Introduction to the room and materials & health & safety
Different kinds of format
Setting up the enlarger
Making a contact print
Making a test strip
Creating the first print
Using filters
Dodging & Burning
Creating your final prints

Tutor: Rachel Brewster Wright

Founder of Little Vintage Photography, Rachel has taught the magic and fun of traditional analogue photography techniques since 2014. She use vintage and toy cameras, run workshops and photowalks.

Rachel has exhibited much of her work and in January 2019 was nominated for an RPS #HundredHeroines award and won Top 10 in the International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards (film photography category). In March 2019 she delivered pop-up demonstrations & presentations at The Photography Show at the NEC as part of the #WomenWhoPhoto initiative.

Dates
Saturday 27th April & Saturday 4th May, 10am – 5pm
(£160)

Venue
dot-art Darkroom
The Cotton Exchange Building
Bixteth Street
L iverpool
L3 9JR

Cost
£160

Materials
You will need to bring your own film camera and roll of film (Ilford HP5+ film, 24 exposures is ideal – usually around £4.50 per roll).
All other chemicals and photographic papers will be provided on the day.
A large letter size envelope or folder to take your prints home in.

Explore botanical beauty through watercolour painting, perfect for beginner’s in this 1 day course.

***To avoid a booking fee and pay by card, cheque or cash, please contact dot-art Services directly on 0345 017 6660***

Sunday 14th April, 11:30am – 4:30pm (£65)
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Programme:

Botanical watercolour painting class designed specifically for beginners who wish to explore the enchanting world of plant artistry. In this course, we will focus on mastering the fundamental techniques of watercolour painting while capturing the elegance of the Monstera leaf. By the end of the class, you’ll have the essential skills to delve into a wide array of other plant and flower paintings.

1. Introduction to Watercolour Painting:

– Understand the unique characteristics of watercolour as a medium.
– Learn about essential tools and materials needed for the class.

2. Basic Watercolour Techniques:

– Wet on Wet: Discover the magic of blending colours and creating soft gradients.
– Dry on Wet: Explore controlled brushwork and crisp edges.

3. Comprehending Light and Shadow:

– Study the interplay of light and shadow to bring dimension and depth to your artwork.
– Learn techniques to create realistic shadows and highlights on the Monstera leaf.

4. Step-by-Step Monstera Leaf Painting:

– Guided, hands-on demonstration of painting a Monstera leaf using the learned techniques.

5. Individual Project Time:

– Apply your acquired skills to paint your Monstera leaf with personalised creativity.
– Receive feedback and guidance from the instructor for continuous improvement.

Tutor: Anne Wiziack

Laleh Kamalian – “Pastel is one of my two media of choice. Using their excellent blending properties and vibrant colours they are perfect for painting portraits, still life and landscapes in any style, from the most detailed realism to impressionist or even abstract styles. With the availability of a wide verity of soft pastel products, from pastel pencils to sticks and Pan Pastels, it gives the artist the opportunity to use one individually or combined to create from small details to hazy backgrounds on a large canvas.”

Dates
Sunday 14th April, 11:30am – 4:30pm

Venue
Bluecoat
School Lane
Liverpool
L1 3BX

Situated in the centre of Liverpool, just behind Church Street, down Church Alley and in front of Liverpool ONE. You can enter the building via the front courtyard off School Lane, or through the garden at the back off College Lane.

Nearest train station- Liverpool Central.

Cost
£65

Materials
All materials provided

Sketch Liverpool’s Beatles Quarter. Learn observational sketching tips while taking in the surrounding architecture on a 2 hour walk around.

Saturday 13th April, 11am-1pm (£30)

***To avoid a booking fee and pay by card, cheque or cash, please contact dot-art Services directly on 0345 017 6660***

Programme

Starting from dot-art Gallery on the Grade II listed Queen Avenue your tutor will guide you to perfect points around the Waterfront to stop, observe and sketch the city.

Tutor: Kathy Dereli

Kath is a skilled local artist, formally trained in traditional techniques in painting, drawing and sculpture which she uses to create well-crafted artworks with a modern sensibility. She has led classes and demonstrations in both oil painting for several years.

Dates
Saturday 13th April, 11am-1pm (£30)

Venue
dot-art Gallery,
14 Queen Avenue,
Castle Street,
Liverpool,
L2 4TX

Cost
£30

Materials you will need to bring:
Pad and Pencils

Learn how to create expressive and colourful abstract art. Suitable for newcomers and for more experienced painters wanting to try something new and exciting.

***To avoid a booking fee and pay by card, cheque or cash, please contact dot-art Services directly on 0345 017 6660***

Sundays from 12pm – 4pm starting 17th March, (£135 for 3-day sessions)

Programme

Suitable for newcomers and for more experienced painters wanting to try something new and exciting.

Day 1 will begin with an introduction to abstract art, and a discussion about what art means today as a visual manifestation of human expression. Students will be invited to share (if they wish) the kind of abstract art they find appealing and what they would like to develop themselves.

Following this, we will focus on colour. We will look at examples of artists who have magnified and celebrated colour in their work, and use acrylic paint to make our own experimental pieces that celebrate colour.

They will look at contrasting colour, paint opacity/transparency and experiment layering lights over darks, darks over lights, bright over dull, blending edges etc. They will have time for appraisal and feedback, appreciating different people’s reactions and responses to our work.

They will experiment with different ways of applying colour: brushing, sponging, scraping, using different tools and textured items to apply paint with.

Day 2 will focus on composition, space and movement. This will improve the ability to isolate visual information and notice the essential qualities of a painting, which will in turn help us distinguish and employ differing abstract techniques.

They will practise locating a focal area in various examples, and determining what kind of movement has been used to make a painting. We will do some intuitive exercises to discover our own unique “movement” – wavy lines, straight lines, splatters, random, controlled, etc. We will look at shapes and use the shapes that appeal to us to create our own original pieces of art.

They will look at opposites: saturated and neutral, dark and light, busy and quiet, textured and flat.

Looking into the arrangement of these elements and their relationship to one another we will learn how to put these together onto paper/canvas, producing aesthetically pleasing arrangements and patterns.

Day 3 will combine concepts from days 1 and 2, plus experimentation with layering for depth, self-exploring, and how to be “confidently spontaneous and intuitive”.

They will be given the opportunity to choose from different loose “themes” which we will interpret with our own creativity and style.

“Themes” exercises:– Scientific Exploration – Musical Energy – Peace and Simplicity – Softness – Clash and Disorder – Invisible Currents – Intersections

Every student will receive specific and individual feedback, suggestions, encouragement and advice from the tutor throughout, with the freedom to be as vocal or as quiet as desired during discussion times.

This course will give you opportunities for improving practical skills; practising both inward reflection and outward appreciation; and developing your unique artistic voice.

Dates

Sundays from 12pm – 4pm

17th, 24th March & 14th April

*Please note there is a gap of 4 weeks between week 2 and 3.

Venue

Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BX

Situated in the centre of Liverpool, just behind Church Street, down Church Alley and in front of Liverpool ONE. You can enter the building via the front courtyard off School Lane, or through the garden at the back off College Lane. Nearest train station- Liverpool Central.

Cost

£135 for the 3-week course (full course must be booked in advance)

Materials

Plenty of acrylic paint in lots of different colours (The Works and Art Discount do the cheapest versions)
Brushes of varying sizes and shapes
2-3 sponges (art sponges or domestic sponges will work)
Small squeegee/scraper/palette knife/even a short ruler for the scraping technique
4-8 small to medium sized canvasses (The Works and Home Bargains sell quite cheap ones)
A4 or A3 sketchpad
Coloured pencils or pastels
Water pot or jar for washing brushes
Kitchen roll
Apron/painting shirt (acrylic paint stains as it is plastic based)
Pictures/scrap book of abstract art/ideas that you find inspiring (Optional)

Sketch Liverpool’s Waterfront. Learn observational sketching tips while taking in the surrounding architecture on a 2 hour walk around.

Saturday 16th March, 11am-1pm (£30)

***To avoid a booking fee and pay by card, cheque or cash, please contact dot-art Services directly on 0345 017 6660***

Programme

Starting from dot-art Gallery on the Grade II listed Queen Avenue your tutor will guide you to perfect points around the Waterfront to stop, observe and sketch the city.

Tutor: Kathy Dereli

Kath is a skilled local artist, formally trained in traditional techniques in painting, drawing and sculpture which she uses to create well-crafted artworks with a modern sensibility. She has led classes and demonstrations in both oil painting for several years.

Dates
Saturday 16th March, 11am-1pm (£30)

Venue
dot-art Gallery,
14 Queen Avenue,
Castle Street,
Liverpool,
L2 4TX

Cost
£30

Materials you will need to bring:
Pad and Pencils

Learn how to design and make your first artists’ books with professional artist Brigitte Watkinson.

***To avoid a booking fee and pay by card, cheque or cash, please contact dot-art Services directly on 0345 017 6660***

Sunday 10th March, 11:30am-4:30pm (£65 for 1 Day Course)

Programme

This is an introductory workshop, covering basic techniques needed to delve further into the fascinating world of artists’ books’. Many famous artists have made works in book format, such as David Hockney, Andy Warhol and Gilbert and George. Artists’ books are a fascinating and growing art form that is gaining in popularity with many exhibitions devoted to them.

In this workshop we will be covering essential basic techniques, such as

– choosing papers and covers
– correct measuring and cutting
– folding
– simple bindings

During the workshop we will be creating A5 pamphlet booklets, Turkish map folds and accordion booklets with exchangeable covers. We will discuss various other styles, methods and practical issues involved in making artists’ books.

Tutor: Brigitte Watkinson

Brigitte creates surreal paintings and collages. Collated magazine images, old art work, current newsprint, paint, photography and found objects amalgamated and intra-acted, creating visions and telling stories of the complex dynamic and surreal interior landscape of my emotions.

Dates:
Sunday 10th March, 11:30am-4:30pm (£65 for 1 Day Course)

Venue
Bluecoat
8 School Lane
Liverpool
L1 3BX

Cost
£65

Materials

Participants should bring:
• A good selection of plain, printed or painted papers
• Card, heavy paper (decorated or plain), old artworks (for cutting up)
• Stiff fabrics and / or wispy fabrics, e.g. Tulle or gauze (if desired)
• A3 Cartridge paper 140 – 220 gsm

Over a 3 day course you will learn a variety of traditional painting techniques using acrylics.

***To avoid a booking fee and pay by card, cheque or cash, please contact dot-art Services directly on 0345 017 6660***

Sundays, 12:00pm – 4:00pm starting 3rd March (£135 for 3 sessions)
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Programme:

This painting course will be open to all abilities from complete beginners to those who haven’t picked up a paintbrush since school, to those who use art as a hobby, as well as artists wanting to develop their own work and practice. Over the course of 3 weeks, you will develop your awareness of painting using acrylic as a unique means of visual communication.

Each session will give you the opportunity to use your imagination and develop those inventive processes alongside traditional and contemporary techniques. You will make art as an artist does and develop your project from its conceptual beginning to its physical end. The course will help you develop a deeper understanding of art and how as practitioners we think and realise work.

Day 1: Introduction
Basics of acrylic paint, properties, and solvents
Properties of colour: value, saturation, and hue
Colour theory: primary, secondary, and the rest; colour mixing
Making value and saturation charts
Mixing secondary colours as well as some random target colours

Day 2: Drawing and painting from a picture
Introduction to gridding method to draw and paint from a printed and digital pictures
Creating painting from one printed and one digital photo using a grid.

Day 3: Drawing and painting from life
With the techniques learnt over the previous 2 days, you will apply your learning to execute a drawing and painting from life.

Tutor: Laleh Kamalian

Laleh Kamalian is a self-taught artist who found art at a late stage of her life after a long career in medicine and science. Her favourite subject is human portrait, where she aims to show the characteristics and emotions of the portrayed to the best of her ability. However, she enjoys describing the nature beauties in the form of flowers, scenery, or wildlife with her art too.

Dates
3rd, 17th and 24th March

Venue
Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BX

Situated in the centre of Liverpool, just behind Church Street, down Church Alley and in front of Liverpool ONE. You can enter the building via the front courtyard off School Lane, or through the garden at the back off College Lane. Nearest train station- Liverpool Central.

Cost
£135

It is possible to split this cost into two payments, please call 0345 017 6660 for more details.

Materials

Acrylic paint: A set, or individual tubes, that contain at least titanium white, red, yellow, blue, and black.
Brushes: Synthetic brushes suitable for acrylic paint, at least in three sizes, small, medium, and large (not wider than 2 cm). If you are getting a set, they normally come in different shapes. If you are buying them individually, go for filbert.
Paper: A pad of paper suitable for acrylic paint, size A3.
Palette knife: Go for a longer shape such as diamond or rectangular shape.
Painting palette: I recommend a pad of disposable pallet papers, although you can get a rigid one (wooden or plastic) or use disposable paper plates.
A pencil
An eraser
A pencil sharpener

Please bring with you a cup, or jar for water