Centre of England Arts

Ink, Wax and Watercolours

“Get sophisticated with your children’s wax crayons”
Claire Botterill
Friday – 19th April £18
1.30 pm - 4.00 pm
(Maximum 14 students)
Creating a painting in ink wax and watercolour is a great fun way of producing a work of art that is full of character and life.
It is a very relaxed and forgiving technique that creates a lovely image without being too controlled.
It can be used for all subjects successfully helping you to free up your approach and not be too critical if your original drawing isn’t as perfect as you may wish.
The watercolour washes over the brilliant coloured wax crayons give a delightful surprise and the inky darkness gives great tonal qualities with dramatic lights and darks.
“I have taught this technique that I developed over 35 years ago and it continues to give endless pleasure to new and experienced artists”
Materials needed:-
Watercolour paper I use Bockingford 200lb
Water colour brushes
Coloured wax crayons Crayola are good but most children’s crayons are fine
A cartridge pen and black ink cartridges Parker cartridge pens an ordinary standard one usually has a very suitable nib

Daffodils in Watercolour with Jeni Neale
Saturday 20th April 10am – 4pm
£30
Maximum 14 students
Join experienced botanical artist and tutor Jeni Neale to learn the fundamental skills of a botanical artist.
Daffodils create two challenges; how to draw a trumpet shaped flower against a flat whorl of petals and how to paint shadows whilst retaining vibrant yellows. Jeni will take you through each step with group demonstrations and individual tuition, focusing on learning to recognise the structure of Daffodils, drawing, painting and mixing shadow colours. Numbers are limited to 14 students to allow plenty of time for individual tuition and offers the beginner or those with experience the opportunity to learn or refresh their skills whilst enjoying a relaxed and instructive day.
A selection of watercolour paper and reasonably priced sable mix brushes will be available to purchase on the day. Jeni will also provide watercolour paints if required.
Please bring:
Daffodils, cut or growing in a pot
A3 support board
Hot Pressed or ‘Not’ Watercolour paper (available for purchase on the day)
H or 2H pencils
Pencil sharpener and eraser
1 x 5 hole, slant well palette or white ceramic plate for paint mixing
Size 3, 4 or 5 sable or sable & nylon mix watercolour brushes (available for purchase on the day – approx £4/brush)
Artist’s quality watercolour paints (tubes or pans)
2 clear water pots
Kitchen paper or cotton cloth
An A3 folder or envelope to take work home

Pen & wash - John Frith FULL
SATURDAY – 27th April
10.00 am - 4:00 pm
£30
(People: 6min - 12 max)
On this workshop we’ll use as many of the pen & wash ‘techniques’ as we can (or want to) and we’ll use pens, watercolour and graphite pencils (soluble) to create some stunning scenes.
If you’re new to Pen & Wash - DON’T WORRY – because we’ll start with a warm up session on ‘How to do it’ and then we’ll ease our way into putting what we’ve learnt to good use.

IDEAL FOR BEGINNERS AND EXPERIENCED ‘PEN & WASHERS’ ALIKE!!!
Because Pen & Wash is so flexible, each artist can make their picture as simple or as complicated as they like, and I’ll be there to help as much (or as little!) as people like.
I’ll do my best to make this another really enjoyable workshop for everyone, and at the end of the day I’m sure people will have acquired more skills, painted some lovely pictures ............ and got sore ribs from laughing!
I will provide pens, but please bring your art ‘kit’ as usual.
(The Centre has some watercolour pencils which you can borrow for the day, and there’ll be art supplies such as paper, bushes etc available to buy).
PLEASE BRING:
• Your watercolour brushes
• Watercolour Paints
• 1 x mixing palette
• Watercolour paper, preferably 140lb, ‘not’ surface, size 14 x 10 inches.
• 1 x 2b pencil and eraser
Don’t worry if you haven’t got some of the above items, we will have them available on
Book your place today, and let’s have a GREAT DAY

Watercolour Workshop
Imaginative Washes with Ian Ridley
Friday – 17th May £18
1.30 am - 4.00 pm
(People: 6min - 14 max)
Some of you may know Ian’s landscapes based on very loose washes. The images here show different ways in which these washes can be developed.
In this workshop the aim is to develop an imaginative approach to washes which may be used for all kinds of subjects ( eg floral, figurative, abstract, landscape ). The workshop is a hands-on session, based initially on a series of short exercises before moving on to complete a larger piece.
You will need;
• Watercolours and brushes
• 2 pieces of paper, preferably rough and stretched
• Most importantly, YOUR IMAGINATION

Wet on Wet Watercolours - Andrew Geeson
Saturday – 18th May £35 FULL
Saturday – 6th July (Spaces available)
10.00 am - 4.00 pm
(People: 6min - 15 max)
Andrew Geeson has been a professional artist for 22 years working for galleries and publishers. He will guide you through these enjoyable and rewarding art workshops with demonstrations, talks and of course individual one to one guidance. He favours a loose Wet in Wet style of watercolours.
Kit List -
Brushes: Large round 14-16 + size medium size 8
Rigger brush
Paints: Any suitable watercolour paints you have
Paper: 140lbs not paper with slight texture is fine
Paper Towel/ Rag
Large Pallet to mix enough paint for a wash
Board to work on
Soft pencils and rubber

Calligraphy - Josie Brown
An introduction to the ‘Mouse Roman’ script
Saturday – 8th June £37
10.00 am - 4.00 pm
(People: 6min - 14 max)
We are luck to have Josie Brown, HSDAD, Cert Ed., MIfL, who is a professional calligrapher and heraldic artist, to run this workshop for us. She normally carries out commissions for the private, academic and military sectors.
She enjoys taking natural materials together with ancient techniques and using them in a contemporary manner. She also has a particular passion for gilding using historic and modern, Western and Middle Eastern methods.
Calligraphy that’s fun, lively and modern! This workshop is an introduction to the ‘Mouse Roman’ script which is easy to learn for beginners and a light-hearted contrast to other hands for those with some experience. It can be carried out very simply in monoline form or penmanship skills can be developed and honed using manipulation or pressure & release techniques. This script is particularly useful for informal and spontaneous work such as greetings cards, journals or scrap-booking and anyone can play with the letterforms, enjoying their happy-go-lucky stance on the page.
Materials:
• 1 HB pencil
• Rubber
• 30cm ruler
• A4 / A3 pad of layout or cartridge paper (some paper is available at COEA)
• Kitchen roll or rag
• Small old/child’s paintbrush for mixing paint
• Fine liner pen such as a Uni, Pilot or Staedtler pigment liner
Bring the items below only if you have them – don’t buy them especially!
• Penholder to take individual nibs
• Small pointed nib such as a Speedball Sketching nib, Brause 66EF, or Leonardt EF Principal nib (all obtainable from www.scribblers.co.uk ), or even just a mapping nib, if you have one.
• Non-waterproof ink
• Gouache or watercolour paints
• Colour pencils
• A few short, snappy or comical quotations
Only bring these items if you already have them, the tutor will have plenty available for your use as well as coloured paper, white gouache and folded card for greetings cards.

Coloured Pencil Workshop
Flowers with Eleni McLoughlin
Subject - Roses
Sunday - 9th June £30
10.00am - 4.00pm
(People: 14 max)
Eleni is an experienced botanical artist working in coloured pencil and pen & ink. She has illustrated several books and posters for environmental visitor centres in Cyprus.
For today's workshop Eleni will demonstrate how to apply coloured pencils to create beautiful pieces of art.
Bring whatever coloured pencils you have. If possible you should only buy artist quality such as Faber-Castell Polychromos, Caran D'Ache, Derwent Artist. You do not have to buy complete sets as you will not use most of the pencils. It is best to buy them singly from art shops or on-line.
We will use the pencils dry so it does not matter which ones you already have.
Materials to bring.
• HB -H pencil for drawing
• Coloured pencils
• Pencil sharpener
• Good quality plastic eraser
• Hot press paper - 140lb/300gms or Bristol Board (paper)
• Eleni will have some of both to purchase if required
• Feather or soft brush to remove pencil debris
• Plain kitchen paper, towel or clean cloth to rest your hand on whilst working
• Jam jar for water to keep your specimen fresh
• One or more roses
Eleni will have with her;
• Tracing paper
• Spare coloured pencils
• Erasers
• Sharpeners
• Paper to purchase on the day.
NOTE; If you have experience it is a good idea to do a pencil drawing of your subject at home. This will give you more time to concentrate on using the coloured pencils.
Here are the most important greens I always use; Faber-Castell Polychromos , 170 May Green,(old Apple Green), 168 Earth Green Yellowish,(old Moss Green), 172 Earth Green,(Grey Green), 173 Olive Green Yellowish, (Olive Green), 174 Chrome Green Opaque(Cedar Green), 278 Chrome Green Oxide, plus103 Ivory.

Stained glass workshop
Traditional Lead work
Victoria Littlehales
Saturday –15th June £40
(People: 4 min - 8 max)
Leaded work - Learn to select glass and cut to a pattern. Cut and shape lead came and then solder, cement and finish to complete a stained glass panel or mirror to take away at the end of the day.
Victoria will bring along materials to get people started with a small extra charge for materials used. (approx £10)
WARNING….It's very addictive….!!!

How to Use Watercolor Pencils - John Frith
Saturday – 22nd June £30
10.00 am - 4.00 pm
(People: 6min - 14 max)
A one-day workshop, with JOHN FRITH
I was given some watercolour pencils ages ago. I had a try with them, they didn’t seem much good, and I put the away in a drawer.
What a waste!
But then someone showed me how to use them properly, (Wow, what a difference!) and in this workshop I’ll show you!
We’ll cover the various ways of applying watercolour pencils
PLUS
I’ll show you how to get great results with them for TREES, PEOPLE, SEA, ROCKS, SKIES, FORESTS, GRASS, BEACHES, STONEWORK and all the bits that make up great Landscapes.
ALSO,
we will tackle 2 fascinating pictures, a Beach Scene and a Rural Scene.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO BRING?
If you’ve got your own watercolour pencils, please bring them (it’s better to get used to your own pencils). If you haven’t got any, I will have some for people to borrow.
You’ll also need good quality Watercolour Paper (140lb / 300 gsm minimum). (There will be some available to buy on the day).
Apart from that, just bring yourself and
BE PREPARED TO HAVE A GREAT DAY,
and develop lots of new skills with your watercolour pencils
– They are fabulous to use once you know how!

Two day Botanical Painting weekend
with Jeni Neale
Saturday and Sunday– 29th/30th June £60
10am – 4pm
Join experienced botanical artist and tutor Jeni Neale to learn the fundamental skills of a botanical artist.
Clematis are abundant at this time of year and we all have our favourite whether it is delicate pink or vibrant purple in colour. Their simple petal structure and meandering habit make them an ideal subject to paint for the beginner or the more experienced painter. Through group demonstration and one-to-one tuition Jeni will lead you step-by-step through each process from drawing, composition and watercolour technique in order to complete a finished painting at the end of this two day workshop. Numbers are limited to 14 students to allow plenty of time for individual tuition and offers the beginner or those with experience the opportunity to learn or refresh their skills whilst enjoying a relaxed and instructive weekend.
A selection of watercolour paper and reasonably priced sable mix brushes will be available for purchase on the day. Jeni will also provide watercolour paints if required.
Please bring:
A Clematis of your choice
A3 – A2 support board (available at the class)
Hot Pressed or ‘Not’ Watercolour paper (available for purchase on the day)
H or 2H pencils
Pencil sharpener and eraser
1 x 5 hole, slant well palette or white ceramic plate for paint mixing
Size 3, 4 or 5 sable or sable & nylon mix watercolour brushes (available for purchase on the day – approx £4/brush)
Artist’s quality watercolour paints (tubes or pans)
2 clear water pots
Kitchen paper or cotton cloth
An A3 or A2 folder or to take work home

Wet on Wet Watercolours - Andrew Geeson
Saturday – 6th July £35
10.00 am - 4.00 pm
(People: 6min - 15 max)
Andrew Geeson has been a professional artist for 22 years working for galleries and publishers. He will guide you through these enjoyable and rewarding art workshops with demonstrations, talks and of course individual one to one guidance. He favours a loose Wet in Wet style of watercolours.
Kit List -
Brushes: Large round 14-16 + size medium size 8
Rigger brush
Paints: Any suitable watercolour paints you have
Paper: 140lbs not paper with slight texture is fine
Paper Towel/ Rag
Large Pallet to mix enough paint for a wash
Board to work on
Soft pencils and rubber

Coloured Pencil Workshop
Flowers with Eleni McLoughlin
Subject - Poppy, Fuchsia, Dahlia
Saturday - 13th July £30
10.00am - 4.00pm
(People: 14 max)
Eleni is an experienced botanical artist working in coloured pencil and pen & ink. She has illustrated several books and posters for environmental visitor centres in Cyprus.
For today's workshop Eleni will demonstrate how to apply coloured pencils to create beautiful pieces of art.
Bring whatever coloured pencils you have. If possible you should only buy artist quality such as Faber-Castell Polychromos, Caran D'Ache, Derwent Artist. You do not have to buy complete sets as you will not use most of the pencils. It is best to buy them singly from art shops or on-line.
We will use the pencils dry so it does not matter which ones you already have.
Materials to bring.
• HB -H pencil for drawing
• Coloured pencils
• Pencil sharpener
• Good quality plastic eraser
• Hot press paper - 140lb/300gms or Bristol Board (paper)
• Eleni will have some of both to purchase if required
• Feather or soft brush to remove pencil debris
• Plain kitchen paper, towel or clean cloth to rest your hand on whilst working
• Jam jar for water to keep your specimen fresh
• Poppies, Fuchsia or Dahlia
Eleni will have with her;
• Tracing paper
• Spare coloured pencils
• Erasers
• Sharpeners
• Paper to purchase on the day.
NOTE; If you have experience it is a good idea to do a pencil drawing of your subject at home. This will give you more time to concentrate on using the coloured pencils.
Here are the most important greens I always use; Faber-Castell Polychromos , 170 May Green,(old Apple Green), 168 Earth Green Yellowish,(old Moss Green), 172 Earth Green,(Grey Green), 173 Olive Green Yellowish, (Olive Green), 174 Chrome Green Opaque(Cedar Green), 278 Chrome Green Oxide, plus103 Ivory.