Brambles Art Retreat -watercolour flowers

We offer courses in all of the following media.
Watercolour - Oil - Acrylic - Drawing - Freedom

All of our courses suit all different levels of experience, from beginners to semi professionals. below are painting by the tutors in each media. Each Medium has a brief description.

Watercolour.

Janet Brady teaches watercolour painting. Her specialism is working mostly with transparent colours painting in a very photographic style,
painting lots of detail. She demonstrates painting from photographs, works with painters on location, and offers lots of "one to one" tuition.

She uses vibrant, clear colours achieved using layers of transparent paints. Transparent Yellow, Sap Green, Ultramarine,Phthalo Blue, Dioxin Violet,
Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna, Scarlet Lake, Indigo and Cerulean Blue.* *Cerulean Blue is the only opaque colour she uses, as a sky colour because
Phthalo Blue stains so badly. This is only every used for skies and is never used to mix another colour. She recommends using Aquafine or Cotman
quality for beginners and intermediates, and Windsor and Newton Artist quality for advanced painters.

She recommends Acrylic fibre brushes not sable. The Aquafine and Stratford and York ranges are very good for beginners, intermediate and advanced painters.
Reccomended sizes: 12,10,8,6,4,2,1. A hog hair fan brush. A 1.5" filbert wash brush and a size 2 rigger.
A bottle of masking fluid is essential and a packet of natural sponges for texture. She recommends 4 sperate brushes for masking, sizes 4, 2, 1, and a size 2 rigger.

Paint, Brushes, Brush sets, Painting kits, Palettes, Masking fluid, Sponges and Paper are all available to buy at Brambles at very reasonable prices.
We also sell lightweight aluminum easels, portable and easy to use.

Watercolour Flowers.

Watercolour Landscapes.

Watercolour Sunsets and Seascapes.

Oil.

Peter Davies teaches Oil Painting, he particularly like to teach still life. We keep the class size small to allow more time to work with each guest individually.
We like to cluster our guest in groups of a similar skill level. We endeavour to cover many of the techniques needed to successfully paint in oil.
The depth to which we go is dependant on the skill level of each guest, the duration of the stay and pace at which guests work.

You can work with traditional oil paints or water based oil paints, on canvas or prepared boards.
Typical methods and techniques covered are A.P.E.S., fat over thin, the tonal register, composition, brush and palette knife work, printing and frottage.
Perspective, colour theory, and abstraction will be covered when appropriate or if requested.
A selection of hog hairbrushes, rounds and flats is recommended, the sizes of brush you need depends on the scale of the piece of your work you like to paint.
You can paint on specially prepared papers, board or canvases. You will also need linseed oil and low odour thinners.

Oil Painting Subjects.

Acrylic.

Peter Davies also teaches Acrylic Painting. The Acrylic course is primarily painting with acrylic or acrylic with other media used in a modern way.
The texture of acrylic paint and the speed at which it dries lends itself to layering, collage and many interesting textural effects.
You can use tissue as texture, texture paste with sand, pebbles, shells, and sponge. Collage and overprinting.
He also teaches painting techniques covered are A.P.E.S., the tonal register, composition, brush and palette knife work, scrafitto, printing and frottage.
Perspective, colour theory, and abstraction will be covered when appropriate or if requested.
He recommends a selection of acrylic fibre brushes, rounds and flats, acrylic paper, board or canvas and anything else you choose to paint on. It is very versatile.
Slow drying gel and a stay wet palette. You will also find an atomizer useful. A fine line indelible pen for sketching and drawing with, a watercolour sketch book for sketching in and then washing colour onto later.

Acrylic Seascapes.

Janet Brady also teaches Acrylic painting but in a much more graphic style. She also teaches throwing Acrylic paint to achieve wild crashing water effects
as seen in her seascapes below. She builds her painting up over several sessions of painting. She also teaches landscapes in Acrylic, promoting the use of
sponges for fine detail and texture.

Drawing.

Both Peter Davies and Janet Brady teach drawing. Peter likes to use charcoal, this medium is a great for teaching tone and also edges. The very mailable
properties of Charcoal are useful for pre painting work. Peter uses a putty rubber and a paint brush to achieve subtle effects.
Janet teaches basic drawing skills, back to basics, starting with "Gesture Drawing", "Positive and Negative Space" and "Measuring." This is also taught on the
Watercolour course. She also teaches "Life Drawing", from basic sketches to full tonal drawings. She also teaches drawing with a fine line pen, usually as a black and white sketch
or as a preparatory drawing for a pen and wash sketch.
They recommend you bring varying thicknesses of charcoal a hard eraser and a putty rubber. Cartridge paper that has a tooth and is not too white.

Freedom.

The Freedom course allows painters to paint freely amongst like minded people. Guests can choose to join in classes or not. Tuition is always available,
guests can paint as much or as little as they like.

We offer courses in all of the following media.Watercolour - Oil - Acrylic - Drawing - Freedom