Weekend Art Workshops and January Summer School
Art Class Sydney hosts a regular timetable of Sunday Workshops in Painting, Drawing and Watercolour throughout the year for absolute beginners to more advanced students. The Sunday workshops are aimed at students who are keen to explore art with a one day taster class or students who are unable to commit to a full 8 week term. The workshops have a maximum of 12 students which ensures students get quality time with the tutor.
Owner and main tutor Ochre Lawson is a professional artist and experienced tutor of up to 20 years having trained at the prestigious National Art School and has her Certificate 1V in training and assessing adults. Ochre is a clear communicator with a structured program taking students step by step through theory and concepts of making art.
The Sunday workshops are conducted in a natural light-filled room in the Back Hall at the Annandale Community Centre on Johnston St Annandale. This room has disabled access, street parking and access to public transport.
January Summer School 2025
The January summer school runs annually in the third week of January. There is a 3 day Intensive for absolute beginners to more experienced and a 2 day Intensive in Expressive and abstract painting for those with some experience to more advanced. These workshops are held in the St Johns Church Hall in Birchgrove, which is a large wooden light filled hall with plenty of free parking close by. More details below.
I’ve learned so much from Ochre – not just about the mechanics of painting but also how to look at pictures and see things differently which is still a skill that I’m working on, it’s a practice. Classes with Ochre are fun and accessible and I find it inspiring and a privilege that I am learning from an artist that I admire.
Current Workshops
Introduction to Abstract and Expressive Painting Workshop
Date and Time
Sunday September 22, 2024
10am - 3.30pm
Venue
Annandale Community Centre - Back Hall
Cost
$190 inc (materials excluded) or $217 (materials included) gst and stripe fee included
Overview
Learn to understand Abstraction! This one day workshop for adults will guide students through basic concepts of abstract art using a still life as subject matter. Experienced tutor and professional painter of over 15 years, Ochre Lawson, will lead students through a series of abstraction exercises based on master artists to help you understand abstract compositional ideas and basic colour theory. Students will start by using willow charcoal and chalk pastel to do a series of works. These ideas will then be transferred to a canvas to continue the concepts on a larger scale exploring different brushstrokes and painterly application.
You will learn:
- Skills in observation and simplification of form
- How to see line and form and break up space
- Compositional ideas around weight of shapes
- How to create a sense of depth in abstraction
- Basic colour theory
- About different brush strokes and applications of paint
- About different abstract artists and their approach
Materials List:
Introduction to Abstraction Material List – Art Class Sydney
Unless you have paid for art materials they are not included in the workshop fee. Students will need to bring the following items:
- One Canvas, canvas paper or wooden board to paint on, minimum 14” x 18″ for the workshop. This may be cheap canvas from a $2 shop.
- 5 times A4 cartridge paper (210gsm), willow charcoal/pencil and rubber for sketching out ideas
- one colour chalk pastel plus white
- A selection of 3-4 filbert brushes small, medium and large size. A large glue brush for painting a ground is also useful.
- A rectangle plastic or wooden palette (no smaller than A3 size)
Rags, Apron
Paints: Students may use Oils or acrylics depending on
preference.
- Cadmium yellow (hue) or a mid yellow
- Ultramarine Blue
- Cadmium red (hue) or a warm red
- Titanium White;
- Burnt Umber
- Please buy ‘student quality’ paints from a decent brand (Matisse Derivan Acrylics or Art Spectrum paints are good, reasonably priced brands). Cheap paints are a waste of money! At least buy a good quality white.
If using Oil Paints:
You will need odourless solvent for cleanup and mixing mediums. We recommend ‘Gamsol’ by Gamblin. This is the least toxic solvent on the market and the same price as other odourless solvents. Solvents MUST be odourless. Oil painting solvents and mediums must not be tipped down the sinks. You will need to bring 2 small jars with lids to take away spent solvents/mediums. Spent solvents/ mediums must be taken with you. Your tutor will give you information on reusing and disposing of spent solvents and mediums. You need to clean oil brushes at home. If you want to save paint bring some glad wrap to put over your pallet. Latex gloves are recommended.
Equipment List:
Equipment List:
Facilities provided by Art Class Sydney
- Desks
- Easels
- tea/coffee, milk, mugs, microwave, fridge
- toilets
- Free street parking
- Disabled access
Introduction to Travel Sketching with pencil and watercolour workshop
Date and Time
Sunday November 17, 2024
10am - 3:30pm
Venue
Annandale Community Centre back hall.
Cost
$190 inc gst, or $217 including materials
Overview
In this fun and informative one day workshop you will learn the fundamentals of sketching with pencil and using watercolour wash to render the urban landscape. Professional landscape artist Ochre Lawson will facilitate this adult workshop with demonstrations of different techniques using both pencil, brush and watercolour. She will also talk about master artists and how they interpreted the urban landscape. This is an excellent workshop for students interested in drawing and painting whilst travelling or on holiday.
You will learn about:
- How to divide space in the landscape
- Basics of landscape composition
- Perspective and proportion in the urban landscape
- Sketching techniques
- How to use limited watercolour
- About Chroma, Hue and Tonal effects
- About Master artists
Facilities provided by Art Class Sydney -Desks, backing boards, bulldog clips, tea and coffee, microwave, toilets, parking on site
Materials List:
- A4 or A5 watercolour paper and practice cheaper watercolour paper
- 4b pencil, rubber
- Watercolour set and a small and large wash brush
- Kitchen paper for blotting, masking tape for taping down onto board
- Apron
Equipment List:
- Tables and boards
- Kitchen with microwave, water, milk tea and coffee
- toilets
- disabled access
Summer School 3 day Intensive in Painting and Drawing for Adult Beginners
Date and Time
Monday January 20, 2025
10am - 3.30pm
Venue
Saint Johns Church Hall, Birchgrove
Cost
$620 (materials excluded) , $680 inc gst (materials included), gst and stripe fee inclusive
Overview
Monday 20th to Wednesday 22nd January 2024
This fun and instructive 3 day Painting and Drawing workshop for adults will cover basic drawing skills and the fundamentals of painting. The workshop is suitable for absolute beginners to students with some experience. Experienced tutor and professional artist Ochre Lawson will guide students through structured techniques using demonstrations and reference to master artists. The genre of Still Life and Landscape will be used to inspire you and bring out your inner artist! You may choose to have materials provided in which case acrylic paints will be used. If you wish to bring your own materials you may bring oils or acrylics depending on your preference.
You will learn about:
- basic skills in drawing and observation
- how to measure proportions
- how to draw and paint tone
- how to mix a tonal and limited colour palette in paint
- about proportion and perspective in still life and landscape and creating depth
- About historical and contemporary artists
- How to set up a painting palette, basic colours, brushes and materials
Materials List:
Unless you have paid for art materials they are not included in the workshop fee. Students will need to bring the following items:
- 2 x canvas to paint on minimum 16” x 20″ for the workshop. This may be cheap canvas from a $2 shop, spotlight or office works
- 4 x A3 paper , willow charcoal medium sized and rubber for sketching out ideas
- A selection of 3-4 filbert brushes small, medium and large size.
- A rectangle plastic or wooden palette (no smaller 22 x 30cm) Don’t get palettes with wells in them( these are for watercolour). The best for acrylic is a rectangle melamine rectangle plate with edges from a $2 shop. For oils get a flat rectangle palette no edges.
- Rags, Apron
- Paints: Students may use Oils or acrylics depending on
preference. - Mid yellow
- Ultramarine Blue
- Warm red
- Burnt Sienna
- Titanium White
- Please buy ‘student quality’ paints (Matisse Derivan Acrylics or Art Spectrum oils are good, reasonably priced brands). Cheap paints are a waste of money!
If using Acrylics:
Bring a general flow medium but not necessary
If using Oil Paints:
You will need odourless solvent for cleanup. We recommend ‘Gamsol’ by Gamblin. This is the least toxic solvent on the market and the same price as other odourless solvents. Solvents MUST be odourless. Oil painting solvents must not be tipped down the sinks. You will need to bring 2 small jars with lids to take away spent solvents. Spent solvents must be taken with you. Your tutor will give you information on reusing and disposing of spent solvents. You need to clean oil brushes at home. If you want to save paint bring some glad wrap to put over your pallet. We will not be using mediums in this workshop only solvent.
Places to buy art materials
Art on King in Newtown
The Art Scene in Ryde
The Sydney Art Store in Botany
Parkers in the Rocks and in Sydenham
Pigment Lab in Enmore
Equipment List:
Facilities provided by Art Class Sydney
- Easels and backing boards
- Tables, drop sheets
- water containers for acrylic paint
- bulldog clips
- Some source material
- Kitchen facilities with fridge, microwave, coffee/tea, milk, mugs
- Disabled Toilets and disabled access to hall
- Free all day street parking around the hall
Summer School 2 day Intensive – Expressive Painting workshop for Adults
Date and Time
Thursday January 23, 2025
10am - 3.30pm
Venue
St Johns Church Hall, Birchgrove
Cost
$420, materials excluded, gst and stripe fee inclusive
Overview
Thursday 23rd to Friday 24th January 2025
This fun and challenging 2 day intensive Expressive Painting workshop is aimed at adult students who wish to understand techniques in abstraction, composition, expressive brush marks and use of colour. This workshop is for students with some experience. We will use a still life as subject matter over the 2 days to demonstrate concepts that can be used across all genres. Experienced tutor and professional artist Ochre Lawson will facilitate the workshop using both demonstrations and references to master artists to guide students through structured processes.
What you will learn:
- How to look at expressive paintings
- How to create an abstraction from a still life using different techniques
- Methods of composition
- How to attain different brush marks and surface textures
- Some basic colour theory in relation to composition
- About a variety of modern and contemporary abstract/ expressive artists
Materials List:
Unless you have paid for art materials they are not included in the workshop fee. Students will need to bring the following items:
-
- 1 x Canvas to paint on minimum 14” x 18″ for the workshop. This may be cheap canvas from a $2 shop.
- 5 x A2 paper in 210 gsm
- An A4 art journal or paper, willow charcoal, chalk pastels (a selection of soft white, yellow, blue, red) rubber for sketching and mark making
- A selection of 3-4 filbert brushes small, medium and large size.
- A rectangle plastic or wooden palette (no smaller than A3 size and no wells)
- Rags, Apron
- Paints: Students may use Oils or acrylics depending on
preference. - Cadmium yellow (hue) or lemon yellow and a Yellow mid
- Ultramarine Blue and a Phthalo blue or Prussian Blue
- Cadmium red (hue) or Vermillion or a warm red and a cool Alizarin Red
- Burnt Umber
- Titanium White;
- Please buy ‘student quality’ paints (Matisse Derivan Acrylics or Art Spectrum oils are good, reasonably priced brands). Cheap paints are a waste of money!
If using Oil Paints: You will need odourless solvent for cleanup and mixing mediums. We recommend ‘Gamsol’ by Gamblin. This is the least toxic solvent on the market and the same price as other odourless solvents. Solvents MUST be odourless. Oil painting solvents and mediums must not be tipped down the sinks. You will need to bring 2 small jars with lids to take away spent solvents. Spent solvents must be taken with you. Your tutor will give you information on reusing solvents. You need to clean oil brushes at home. If you want to save paint bring some glad wrap to put over your pallet.
Mediums– I mix my own medium using 1/3 solvent, 1/3 refined linseed and 1/3 stand oil and mix it in a glass bottle with a good lid. I prefer you don’t bring toxic premixed mediums to class. If you want to use a premixed medium please buy from Gamblins non toxic range. Medium is not necessary in this workshop.If using Acrylic paints:Please bring a general flow medium. You may want to also bring a gel medium or impasto medium but this is up to you.
Equipment List:
Facilities provided by Art Class Sydney
- Easels and backing boards
- Tables, drop sheets
- water containers for acrylic paint
- bulldog clips
- Some source material
- Kitchen facilities with fridge, microwave, coffee/tea, milk, mugs
- Toilets
- Disabled access
Enrolment Terms and Conditions
If the hall is forced to close due to restrictions being put back in place students must be prepared to do the class via zoom. There will be no refunds due to hall closure.
All term classes must be taken within the term paid for.
Fees are non-refundable, unless negotiated for an extended illness.
You may make up missed classes by attending other classes within the same term (Subject to available places in the class)You may also use credit toward a workshop within one month of the term finishing – only up to 2 missed classes may be used in credit. This is also subject to availability within a week of the workshop. Credit per class missed is as follows – Wednesday morning – $50, Wednesday evening – $30, Thursday morning – $40
If you choose to withdraw from a course or workshop up to 7 days before its commencement, you will be charged a $25 administration fee. You may transfer the remaining value (class fee paid less administration fee) to another class or student, to be used within 12 months of the date payment was received. You will not receive a refund for the course or workshop fee paid.
If you choose to withdraw from a course or workshop within 7 days of its commencement, you will be charged 50% of the class fee. You may transfer the remaining value (50% of the class fee) to another class or student, to be used within 12 months of the date payment was received. You will not receive a refund for the class fee paid.
NO refunds transfers or credits if you withdraw or cancel on the day of the course or workshop.
NO refunds transfers or credits once the class has commenced.
If you have enrolled in a one day weekend workshop that you cannot attend, you may transfer your enrolment to someone else. Please let us know prior to the workshop.
If you are enrolled in a term course and if for any reason you are unable to attend a class during the term, you cannot give your place for the missed week/s to someone else.
Art Class Sydney strive to run every class advertised, however, very rarely, classes may be cancelled due to low numbers. Students will be reimbursed the full fee or they may be credited toward another class if you prefer.
