Painting the Coast and Coastal Wildlife

Dates are being revised due to Covid-19

This course concentrates on drawing and painting birds from life. This inevitably presents a number of problems and initially we will look at different drawing techniques and ways of seeing that help overcome these difficulties, applying these ideas at different locations in Cumbria where we will be able to get close to birds. Whereas drawing will be the focus that trains the eye we will also look at applying colour to enhance our studies and sketches. We will look briefly at anatomy in order to help flight studies in particular. The methods discussed apply to both beginners and the more experienced and you will be able to work at your own pace.

By the end of the course This course focuses on the coastal habitat of Great Cumbrae Island off the Ayrshire mainland. John has written and illustrated two books on the UK coast, Between the Tides and Drawn to the Edge so is well qualified to lead a painting journey of exploration around the lovely coastline of Great Cumbrae. A range of habitats will be encountered and as the wildlife alters accordingly and you will be encouraged to incorporate the birds and mammals observed by way of animating your landscapes and bringing a narrative to the picture making process.
We will look at composition and the tonal qualities of your painting by way of bringing a stronger dimension to your work and at drawing/seeing techniques to be able to sketch wildlife. The methods described will be of benefit to those in the early stages of their artistic journeys as well as to the more experienced field artist.

John is a member of the society of Wildlife Artists and the Artists for Nature Foundation. He is a past winner of the ‘Bird Artist of the Year’ competition and his work has feature in a number of publications including The Artist magazine and Bird Art and Photography.

We anticipate that this course will run with between 3 and 17 participants.

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