Graham W Smith

No 1 - Oils

Wet into wet

Have you ever wanted to complete an oil in one day? This workshop is designed for those who are beginners or those artists who have experience with oils but want to speed up their painting prowess.

This course will be supplemented not only with demonstrations but also hand outs and other useful information. We will cover colour mixing, outdoor painting, painting from photographs and completing the painting in three simple stages which participants may photograph for their own personal use at home.

Learn more about composition, colour harmony, limited palettes, and subject selection and how to produce vibrant, light filled landscapes and seascapes using colour and tone.

Each artist will find this an exciting and enjoyable workshop and will go home with the satisfaction of seeing how easy it is to paint an oil a day!

Materials List:

I recommend a sturdy standing portable easel- a table easel is OK but it is preferable to work standing up.

A large wooden 3 ply studio palette. I use a glass one in the studio.

Brushes - flat brushes 4 - 6 - 8 - 10 plus liner or detail brush. (Note: Brush sizes vary with each manufacturer - up to 1" flat).

Canvas boards, stretched canvas or acrylic primed cotton or linen canvas cut to approximately 26cm x 31cm, 29cm x 40cm or a larger size if preferred. This canvas can be taped to a painting board. You can cut the canvas each day to suit the size required.

Painting board large 3-5 ply sheet to suit your own preferred working size, but beginners may prefer to start with smaller size canvases.

Suggested artist quality colours are:
Titanium white (large), lemon Yellow, Cadmium yellow, Indian yellow, Australian Red, gold (AS), Cadmium or Brilliant Orange, Light Red, Burnt Sienna, Spectrum Red (AS), Permanent Rose, Ultramarine, Cobalt, Tasman Blue (AS), Viridian,Turquoise, Dioxazine purple, Lilac.

Odourless turps, rags, odourless turps for cleaning (Note: you may need more small rags). Bottles for mixing mediums and cleaning brushes (small jam jars), stand oil (small) or liquinor a painting medium, roll of masking tape, palette knife, tissues, apron, old bath towel, notebook, sketch pad, pens/pencils, hat, camera, sunscreen for outdoors.

See Eckersley's equipment list and prices here

Chris Blake

No 2 - Pastels

Laid back pastels

I will teach people with all levels of skill.

On the first day we will work on the basics and you will paint your first picture.

Day two will cover all aspects of landscapes and we will paint from a selection of your pictures or mine.

On Thursday, seascapes will be the order of the day and on Friday, weather permitting, we may have an adventure out of doors.

You will leave this workshop with your skills much improved, no matter where you start from.

See Eckersley's equipment list and prices here

Penelope Gilbert-Ng

No 3 - Pastels

Capture the Light

This workshop explores the impact created by light and seeing shapes in tonal contrasts. For the beginner to advanced the workshop is loaded with information and enthusiasm of many techniques (some recently acquired in America) in the application of this wonderful and exciting medium. Subject matter covered will be still life and figure work creating visually stimulating paintings. We will be working in limited palette as well as more complex palettes towards the end of the course.

Materials List:

Paper - Mi Tientes Oyster, Pearl or Sand, avoid light green and pink or Colorfix (which I shall be working on) Umber, Terra Cotta, Green, Blue and similar in Mi Tientes, Mid tone papers Choose a colour you like.
Sketch paper - You can work on full sheet or half but must have a board big enough to accommodate the paper size. Backing paper (about 10 sheets of butchers paper) as padding behind the paper.

Bulldog Clips, Easel, Faber Castell Kneadable eraser, also plastic eraser, Torchon, Metho and spray bottle optional, old flat hog hair oil painting brush, Willow charcoal, Barrier cream Dermex 5A, Mask if you use one, Apron, Newspaper, Cloth for table, Pastel fixative optional not hair spray, Glassine paper for protecting painting for transport.

Pastels - The pastels you have already hard and soft. Make sure you have a variation in tones of your colours such as dark medium and light. Suggested colours Schmincke Quinacridone violet 048B, Schmincke perm orange 005 O (lightest one), a black, Rembrandt Mouse grey 707.3, 707.7, 707.9 (portraiture), ochres, umbers. Bring pastel pencils if you have them.

For those starting in pastel Faber Castell have boxes of half sticks which are a good base of colours to start from and gradually add colours to your collection as you need them. Rembrandt also have excellent sets in different quantities to start with landscape portrait or mixed colours. Schminke are difficult to buy so Unison have good colours and Art Spectrum have a good dark purple Flinders Blue Violet D520 that can substitute the Schminke O48B.

I shall have some pastels for those who have small sets to use for the purpose of this class. Art Spectrum colorfix white paper, watercolour paint and palette and old oil bristle brushes half inch to 1 inch wide. Don't use your good quality brushes as the paper destroys the bristle. A water container is also needed. Can be student quality watercolour. We are underpainting with the watercolour toning our paper.

This workshop will suit artists with some experience to very experienced. 16 years and over.

See Eckersley's equipment list and prices here

Judith Rosenberg

No 4 - Etching

Day 1:
Morning - Meeting & Introduction to the Project
Participant's expectations discussed and recorded informally
Selection of plates (two sizes to choose from: 12cms x 14cms
& 14cms x 16cms)
Begin line drawing onto the plate
Afternoon - Drawing completed

Day 2:
Morning - Soak the paper for printing in water tray
Plate "Bitten" in the non-toxic solution for 20 mins
Clean off bitumen resist with vegetable oil
Clean plate with Brasso
Afternoon - Registration made ready for the printing.
Inks mixed
Printing 3 prints per person (or more if possible)

Day 3:
Morning - Aquatint session. (This is to give the plate depth and texture)
Plate "Bitten" for 10 minutes to achieve this.
If there is time, we can do "Sugar Lift" (This gives a different
effect on the plate)
Afternoon - Printing up the plate ( Hopefully 3-4 prints each person)

Day 4:
Morning - Final printing session
Afternoon - Collection gathered up ready to exhibit
Group enjoyment of the works
Afternoon tea and goodbyes

Materials List:
Judith will supply all materials.

Suitable for all - beginners to experienced.

Terry Lewitzka

No 5 - Oils

Mastering the impressionistic style

This week of teaching will focus on impressionistic landscapes, with rivers and the sea if the need arises. Palette control and colour mixing are paramount in his teaching. Creating a mood and "colour accords" are an essential part of 'en plein air' painting; with warms and cools playing a vital part of the overall impression, created by the artist.
Learning to mix a variety of greens is also foremost in understanding the natural landscape as opposed to using the same green/s over all the painting. Be prepared with your visual diary, for a fair amount of information, with student's needs and styles being taken into consideration at all times.

Materials List:

Canvases or Boards -
6 @ 9" x 5"
Some larger canvases or boards under 20" x 30" - 10" x 15" a good size.
Brushes - A selection size 2 to 12 plus a liner
Oil Paints - Titanium white, Lemon yellow, Cadmium yellow, Yellow ochre, Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna, Viridian, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt blue, Ultramarine

Palette, dipper, easle, rags, masking tape, odourless mediums, A4 Visual diary, Photographs for your own reference or sketches to copy from.

Paper towelling or tissues, paper for cleaning brushes.

Suitable for beginner to advanced Artists.

See Eckersley's equipment list and prices here

Lorraine Lewitzka

No 6 - Water colour

Portraits and figures in settings

Using the portrait and clothed figure as the subject, this course will cover everything you need to know about watercolour, from foundational drawing, through picture making principles, watercolour techniques and more. Generous with information, Lorraine will share colour ideas and show how to prepare for watercolour success. The class will work from photographs and the model.  Lorraine will have available photographic reference but students may like to bring their own as well.

Materials List:

Arches 300gm medium watercolour paper
Fabriano 200gm rough watercolour paper
2B, 4B, pencils  6B graphite pencil
Kneadable eraser
A4 sketch book
Wash brush
Size 12, 8, 6, round sable or synthetic, or squirrel.
Liner brush
masking tape, drawing board, tissues, towel
Fine spray water bottle
Easle (optional)

Winsor and Newton watercolours
Cad yellow pale, raw sienna, vermilion (or spectrum red, cad red,) alizarin crimson, cerulean blue, cobalt blue, French Ultramarine, Terra Verte, veridian green, raw umber, burnt umber, burnt sienna, ivory black light red, white gouache.

Suitable for beginners to advanced Artists.

See Eckersley's equipment list and prices here

Maxine Thompson

No 7 - Pastels

Portraiture and animals and birds

Day 1: Introduction: Discussion of portraiture and taking commissions. The observation and drawing skills involved in accurate likeness portraiture. Demonstration of facial features followed by students exercises. How to measure up and draw a portrait with accuracy. Portrait photography and interpreting photographs for art purposes.

Day 2: Demonstration of drawing up a portrait followed by students working on their own choice of portrait under supervision.

Day3: Lighting and photography for realistic animal portraits. Seeing proportion, perspective, shapes and alignment.
Demonstrations of an eye, muzzle, ear and fur effects followed by students exercises. Demonstration of drawing up the subject.

Day 4: Demonstration of colour application and techniques. Students work on own choice of subject with encouragement and constructive criticism.

Victoria Fitzpatrick

No 8 -Pastels and Acrylics

Wildlife and nature

Chalk Pastels are a wonderfully versatile medium with which you can both draw and paint at the same time.We will be exploring a range of ways to apply pastel and get to know the many and varied applications of it, including combining pastel with acrylic paint, using the dragonfly for our subject.

You will be taken through how to develop a painting from composition stage through to using colour & technique to enhance the mood & emotion of your work. There will be opportunity to compose some 'mini' painting ideas using a limited palette, helping you to apply some of the concepts explored through the first part of the course, and plenty of opportunity to contribute ideas or questions along the way! Victoria will then lead you through a step by step process, by way of both demonstrating and getting alongside each student, to help you  towards the completion of your dragonfly painting. (Photo will be supplied)

Materials List:

1 full sheet of Canson pastel card 250 gsm in Navy Blue, kneadable eraser, clean rag, Stanley blade or equivalent, chamois (as used for polishing) is optional, plastic eraser i.e. Faber Castell or Staedtler, Charcoal pencil (fine point required), white plate/s or palette, acrylic paint brush (around sizes 10 to 12), water jar, spray fixative (optional), enthusiasm!

Good quality acrylic paints - Atelier or AM recommended (Reeves acceptable)  Titanium White / Yellow green / Pthalo or Cobalt Blue Chalk Pastels - ART SPECTRUM colours listed.. P507 Coral, P502   Lemon Yellow, P512 Crimson, P572 Yellow Green, X520 Flinders Blue Violet, N530 Pthalo Blue, Titanium White.

See Eckersley's equipment list and prices here

Ross Paterson

No 9 - Water colour

Australian landscapes

Ross is a highly respected artist who works equally well in several media. Ross is most recognised for his Australian landscapes in watercolour as well as his vast teaching experience. Trained at Caulfield Institute of Technology (Diploma of Art) and as a secondary teacher with many years of service in art education, he is in constant demand throughout Australia and New Zealand as a tutor to various Art Societies and groups. He has won in excess of 200 awards, many of these at major art show venues such as Camberwell, Box Hill, Waverley, St Kevin's College Melbourne and Victor Harbour S.A. Ross is represented in major galleries and collections in Australia and overseas. He is a member of the Twenty Melbourne Painters Society, the Watercolour Society of Victoria and Australian Guild of Realist Artists.

This watercolour workshop will cover diverse ways of interpreting this medium, from concept, design and drawing methods through to various ways of resolving technical problems, both indoors and outdoors with emphasis on conveying an illusion of light on the subject.

Appropriate demonstrations will feature figures, buildings, animals and various aspects of the landscape both intimate and general. Suitable appraisal and encouragement of an individual approach will be offered during the week. Teaching notes will be distributed in accordance with subjects covered.

Suitable for students with some experience to very experienced.

See Eckersley's equipment list and prices here

Deirdrie Truslove

No 10 - Acrylics

Feel good acrylics - from fundamentals to fantasies