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BEGINNERS

FOUNDATION COURSE

The Beginners Foundation Course is three intensive workshops covering all the information and skills a student needs to set up a regular watercolour practice.

 

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This course is ideal for the pure beginner who has never tried watercolour before or done anything artistic and has been too nervous to join a mixed ability class.

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The course is also very helpful for the intermediate painter who feels that they were never taught the basics and wish to increase their confidence by completing their training and ensuring a solid foundation for their practice

2025 DATES

MODULE 1... 5TH OCTOBER
MODULE 2... 9TH NOVEMBER
MODULE 3... 30TH NOVEMBER

The course will be held in the Ipsden village hall.


There is a lot of tuition with hand outs, practical exercises and using the techniques in final paintings to help consolidate the information and cement it to memory.
 

ALL MATERIALS WILL BE SUPPLIED


Cost for the complete course is £435 which covers lots of supportive tuition, all materials, handouts and refreshments...please bring a packed lunch.

 

To secure your place, a deposit of £145 will be required.
 

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Students who have already taken the Beginners Foundation Course are eligible for the graduate half price offer please see the courses listing for full details

Beginners Foundation Course 2024

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MODULE 1

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Understanding the watercolour kit

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a. Brushes - their shapes, numbers and what they’re used for
b. Paints – the difference in brands and difference in artist and student quality, light fastness, percentage pigment etc
c. Best pencils for watercolour painting
d. Papers – understanding the difference between cold pressed, hot pressed, rough and the different weights
e. Palettes – understanding the different types and what they’re used for
f. All the hints and tips for a good kit and keeping things orderly

 

Basic Washes

We will be learning how to:

 

a. do a flat wash
b. a graded wash
c. work from light to dark
d. work from dark to light
e. lift out colour
f. reserving the white of the paper
g. various other basic painting techniques

 

Tonal Value

Students will be taught the importance of the play of light and dark on a painting and how to translate it into their work finishing with a monochromatic painting capturing four tonal values.

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MODULE 2

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Composition

a. Understanding focal points and focal pathways

b. The golden section
c. Composition types
d. Using a view finder
e. Placement
f. Thumbnail sketches for composition and tonal value


Perspective

Simple perspective will be covered including aerial perspective
Two pigment painting

Students will consolidate their knowledge of tonal value and composition with a two pigment painting of a landscape.

 

They will also be taught
a. Basic mixing skills for neutrals
b. Tints
c. Luscious darks
d. Wet in wet washes

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MODULE 3

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Colour Theory

a. Introduction to the colour wheel
b. Understanding primaries, secondaries and tertiaries and colour mixing
c. Mixing neutrals out of triads
d. Understanding analogous painting
e. Understanding complementary painting
f. Understanding split complementary painting

Students will be given mixing exercises and will then look at a triad of three primaries to mix secondaries and their neutrals trying to reproduce named browns and greys like burnt sienna and paynes grey.

Students will consolidate their understanding of colour theory with a triadic painting.

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If the course is full and you would like to be added to the waiting list please contact Denny by clicking the button below.

Practical

MATTERS

  • WHAT IS PROVIDED
    a. All materials including palette, paints, paper etc except on specified workshops, please check course description. b. Refreshments throughout the workshop
  • TIMINGS
    a. Half day workshops run from 10am to 1pm b. Full day workshops run from 10am to 4pm
  • WHAT TO BRING
    a. An apron to protect your clothes b. You may like to bring your own mug as those supplied in the hall are on the small side c. If you are visiting Denny’s studio please bring indoor shoes as her studio is in the house
  • VENUE
    a. Most workshops are held at the Ipsden village hall, the street, Ipsden OX10 6AH b. On the odd occasion they are held at Denny’s studio at Boundary House, Crabtree Corner, Ipsden OX10 6BN
  • DIRECTIONS
    If you approach Ipsden from Wallingford on the Reading road, turn left before the Stone mason with the signpost to the King William pub, drive along a single track road, pass the church and at the first crossroads turn right, keep going until you get to the bottom of the hill and the hall will be on your left hand side. If you are travelling to Denny’s studio follow the same directions until you get to the first crossroads and turn immediately left into Crabtree Corner… Boundary House is the 5th house down the hill on the right with an Acer tree and beech hedge. Please only park on her drive and if there is no space park at the village hall carpark and walk back up the hill to her studio.
  • HOW TO BOOK
    a. Click on the booking button b. Arrange payment through this website c. You will receive a booking confirmation
  • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    PAYMENT Full payment is required at the time of booking unless otherwise stated CANCELLATION POLICY FOR REGULAR WORKSHOPS Cancellation up to 4 weeks before the course date… a full refund will be given less £10 admin fee on half day workshops and £20 admin fee on full day workshops. Or a course transfer. No refunds can be made and no transfers will be offered to those who cancel, for whatever reason, within one calendar month of the start of their workshop No reductions or refunds are available to students arriving late or leaving their workshop early DEPOSIT & CANCELLATION FOR THE BEGINNERS FOUNDATION COURSE The deposit is non- refundable but is transferable up to three months prior to the start of the course, if you change your mind within this time frame you will be allowed to transfer the deposit amount to another course(s) minus a £20 admin fee. After the 3 month cut off time the deposit is no longer transferable or refundable should you decide not to take the course. Students can substitute their place on the course with an alternative named person at any time providing they ask for written permission from Denny. The balance of the payment is due 6 weeks before the course start date, failure to pay the balance of the course will result in your place being forfeit with no refund of your deposit. Any cancellations once the course has started are not refundable TRANSFERS WITH REGULAR WORKSHOPS You can transfer your place on a workshop to another person at any point before the course starts, or (with the exception of the Beginners Foundation Course) you can transfer to another course of your choice in the current calendar year, subject to availability, up to one calendar month before the start of the workshop for which you originally booked, at no extra charge (unless the new class has a higher cost in which case you will need to pay any difference). No workshop transfers will be accepted less than one month before the course start date and no refunds given CANCELLATION BY TUTOR In the rare event that Denny has to cancel a course, you will be offered a new date or course transfer. CLASS SIZE Denny reserves the right to cancel and rearrange the workshop should it fail to reach the minimum number of students to make it viable LIABILITY By booking a workshop, students agree that they enter the Ipsden village hall or Denny’s studio at their own risk and Denny will not be held liable for any accident or injury sustained on the premises

Directions

Ipsden Village Hall: The Street
Ipsden
OX10 6AH

Please contact me for questions or queries about my courses or to be added to a waiting list.

Gift certificate - Courses
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Gift Card

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Buy an eGift Card online or email Denny to purchase a beautifully designed gift certificate for watercolour courses or artwork. 

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