Teaching:
The beginners or refresher course.

1) Colour Theory. A study of how colours work. Games with spinning tops and after images, mixing paint, exploring your palette, a pointillist study in watercolour.

2) The Study of space in a drawing. How to approach still life. Composition. Positive and Negative shapes as an exercise using oil/chalk pastels.

3) Light & Shade Drawing. Measurement. How to create solid forms. Use of the pencil. Cross-Hatching techniques. How to draw large and use your mistakes.

4) Light & Shade through colour. Study and exaggeration of reflected light. Large drawing using oil pastels on sugar paper.

5) How to set up a still life group.

6) Pen & Ink drawing. Ink & brush. Study of various methods and techniques.

7) Studies for egg-tempera painting on paper. Mixing and using egg-tempera.

8) An egg-tempera painting on a gesso board.

9) Tonal recession and atmospheric perspective in landscape

10) Linear perspective. Drawing to a vanishing point.

Lessons 11-20 deal with surrealism, oil painting, anatomy, the figure & portrait.

Lessons 20-30 deal with watercolour painting from stretching paper to useful techniques. These lessons lead into abstraction. There are specific notes on landscape painting, printmaking & epic pencil drawings.

What to bring for the beginners course:
A4 Sketch pad, watercolours & brushes. Oil Pastels, sugar paper. Pencils, a variety from black to hard e.g. 6B, 3B, HB, H, 2H. Dip pen & indian ink. Charcoal – Diffuser & fixative for drawings especially charcoal and chalk pastel. Watercolour paper if you want to have a go at watercolour.

There is plenty of shelter for working in rainy weather as this is Wales. Apart from 3 studios, the cottage porch has good light and many windows. There are various covered areas and a riverside hide.

Being a riverside environment there is plenty of activity from birds, mammals, fish and amphibians, and also rich insect life. The riverbank and woods have been botanised and found to have many rare plants which were once common throughout Britain. Some are poisonous. The mill has fishing rights for about 250 yards on both banks of the river.