Eaton Park Community Centre Friday Morning

Eaton Park Community Centre is very modern building on the edge of Eaton Park which allows for plenty of opportunities for drawing and painting outdoors. The class is held in the committee room which is light and airy. The venue has easy access and disabled accessible toilet. There is an adjacent kitchen which we use for refreshments. The venue has plenty of free parking. Tea, a selection of Dulce Gusto coffees and biscuits are made available by the tutor for a small covering fee.

This is a mixed ability class where everyone undertakes the same project, theme or medium. Students will be encouraged to share their thoughts and experience of a subject or medium. Per course/block we will focus upon one medium or a range of like medium.

For Beginner’s; If you want to discover your inner artist, then this is the place to start. The course is aimed at beginners and provides a fascinating introduction to a variety of media and basic techniques and approaches to drawing and painting.

As a Beginner and depending upon at what point you joint a class, you will be introduced to basic techniques using a small variety of media via a range of exercises. As a beginner you will learn about the following;

• Drawing and Painting materials
• Observation (looking), proportions (measuring) and mark making (Drawing)
• Reducing complex forms into simple geometric shapes.
• Drawing forms using Contour Lines and Tone (shading).
• Colour mixing (Colour harmonies)
• Tints, Tones and Shades (Colour theory)
• Basic (Single) perspective.
• Composition (Arranging the elements of a Still Life).

You may or may not do the above as a whole class activity or small group or one-to-one with your tutor. As this is a mixed ability class, you will find yourself covering the below Beginner’s Plus aims but the expectation will be appropriate to your skill level.

Beginners Plus
If you are progressing from the Beginners aims or you have prior experience and you are looking to develop your skills and understanding further then the following aims are for you, you may also find yourself revisiting previous aims and Intermediate and Beyond aims . You will have the opportunity to explore techniques and media further to enhance your developing skills while acquiring a greater knowledge and understanding of a variety of media.

Aims for Beginners Plus
You will be introduced to techniques that build upon the basic ones already covered. As with the Beginners you explore and experiment with various media via a range of exercises. Once you have an understanding of the following;

• Drawing and Painting materials, and their tactile qualities
• Preparing supports and selecting paper
• Observation, proportions, relationships (Intersecting lines) and scale
• Drawing forms using Contour Lines and Gestural drawing.
• Negative and Positive space
• Reducing complex forms into simple geometric shapes and developing them into more detailed art work
• Colour mixing (Colour harmonies)
• Tints, Tones and Shades (Colour theory)
• Basic single and double perspective.
• Composition – Balance, Harmony and Space
• The work of other artist

You will be able to move onto the Intermediate and Beyond aims.

Intermediate and Beyond
If you are progressing from the Beginners Plus or you have prior experience and you are looking to explore and improve your skills and understanding then the following aims are for you. You will have the opportunity to explore techniques and media further or to specialise in your chosen medium. Whichever route you want to take you will be able to enhance and further your developing skills and knowledge.

Aims for Beginners Plus
You will be introduced to techniques that build upon the basic ones already covered. As with the Beginners/Getting Started you explore and experiment with various media via a range of exercises. Once you have an understanding of the following;

• Select appropriate Drawing and Painting materials, and their application
• Multiple perspective.
• Composition – Balance, Harmony, Space, Rule of Third and Odds
• Reducing complex forms into simple geometric shapes and developing them into detailed art work
• Emulate the style/technique of a chosen artist