mixed media painting 1

Getting Started with Mixed Media Landscape

Acrylic / Mixed Media / Beginners / Landscape - Materials included

Book Selected Date

Course details

This inspiring course offers exciting new ways to creatively absorb your spectacular St Ives surroundings. With an encouraging and experimental approach, establish a solid foundation in mixed media painting.

This course is a concentrated dose of encouraging tuition and individual experimentation, giving you a solid foundation in mixed media landscape. Our spectacular surroundings and relaxed St Ives studios provide an ideal climate for you to feel confident and excited about trying something new. Benefit from generous guidance and inspiring tuition with one-to-one support on how to evolve your paintings and open the door to new techniques with confidence.

Develop your sketches through dynamic experiments that loosen up your mark making. Use a host of materials including oil bars, graphite, cut-outs and pencils with a variety of tools to introduce surprise and expression in your studies. 

Armed with the new tools and techniques you’ve learned, shift your perspective on your source material, approaching them as starting points. Use them to guide you on your journey to discovering rewarding ways to creatively absorb the world around you and create distinct responses with depth and dimension.

expressive mixed media painting of the sea

Day to day plan

This is a rough indication of what to expect over the course. However sometimes the structure of the days may alter depending on the nature of the group and weather.

Day 1

Spend time out in the landscape working freely in a sketchbook to record your personal take on the stunning St Ives surroundings.

Day 2

Expand your work into printmaking in mono printing. In the afternoon we will explore the benefits of using a limited palette working with acrylics. 

Day 3

We will spend time out in the landscape in the morning. Combining ideas from this as well as themes developed in the previous days.  We will look at artists Wilhelmina Barnes-Graham and Ellsworth Kelly. 

Day 4

Back in the studio start to combine collage with painting using painted papers to add dimension and depth in your landscapes.

What will I learn?

  1. Tailored insight into how to develop your ideas  
  2. A creative momentum to see and absorb the world around you a little differently. 
  3. Confidence using techniques and developing ideas that you can use in any creative capacity back at home. 
  4. Permission to wholeheartedly try something new, without judgement or self-criticism. 
  5. A chance to experiment with a lot of different kinds of materials with guidance so you can make some unexpected discoveries of processes that you enjoy and would like to use again. 

Who would this course suit?

This course is for you, whether you’re finally getting around to something that’s been on your mind for a while, shedding some light on some forgotten creative corners or giving yourself the gift of painting for the very first time. It introduces you to techniques and feeds you with a confidence you can take with you wherever your creativity leads you. 

Getting Started with Mixed Media Landscape

Acrylic / Mixed Media / Beginners / Landscape – Materials included

Book Selected Date

What to Bring

Our studios are fully equipped and we provide you with all the materials you need for your course. However, if you have a favourite set of brushes or any specialist materials that you would prefer to use, please bring them with you.

Your Tutor

We have a team of specialised tutors that have designed and deliver our beginners Mixed Media courses. You can read about them below. Each one is a practicing artist so will bring their own unique flavour.

Timings and Breaks

The first day usually starts at 10 am and finishes at 4.30 pm.

All course days after that start at 9.30 am and finish at 4 pm and there will be an hour for lunch. Occasionally these times may be changed if required by the tutor. There are plenty of nearby places to eat or you are welcome to bring a packed lunch into the studio.

Taught by

Steven
Buckler

View Steven’s Work

My work is about more than the landscape, it’s about the sense of being in it. The atmosphere, the light and the colour. For me it is about drawing and painting these bits of our landscape that are normally edited out of our perception and experience.

Liz
Luckwell

View Liz’s Work

Liz Luckwell’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in the act of drawing, which underpins her method of working with materials, allowing images to emerge from the process itself. Starting from realistic beginnings—often sketching her immediate environment—Luckwell’s work evolves through a gradual process of simplification, distilling forms into more abstracted, emotive expressions. Her creative journey is infused with early memories of helping her mother craft wreaths and bouquets on the kitchen table, a tactile experience that still informs her approach. Working from her home, the Gardener’s Cottage, she often reflects on her family’s deep connection to gardening, a theme that permeates pieces like her oil pastel on board Summer Weeds, where natural forms are transformed through a nuanced, intimate exploration of colour and texture.

What our students say

The course adverts really don’t get across the inspirational elements of the experience. It reawakens the artist in everyone.

Liz Grindrod

Fun tutors, lovely studio, space to explore different ideas and approaches, hour long lunch break, going out to observe, fun fellow students.

Grace

There was a great contrast between the two tutors which gave each day something slightly different. All of the tasks and exercises were interesting, creative, educational and fun. As was the contrast between studio and outside working. The students within the group were also great fun to be around. 

Graeme

Everything I wanted and more!

FAQs

Studio Courses

How can I get help in choosing a course?

Our friendly expert staff are always happy to discuss your needs and our courses in more detail to help you with your decision. Please call us on 01736 797180

How do I get my work home?

Tutors have special techniques for transporting oil paintings and the school has plastic folders available in our shop for £3.50 or do bring a portfolio.

For international students we are happy to arrange transportation of your work back home.

What do I need to bring?

Absolutely nothing! All materials and aprons are provided although some people do like to bring their own set of brushes.

What do I do for lunch?

Courses allow an hour’s break for lunch and there are numerous places nearby or you are welcome to bring a packed lunch into the studio.

What times do courses run?

Most of our courses start at 10am and end at 4.30pm on the first day. Subsequent days we start at 9.30am ending at 4pm.

Weekend Courses run 10am – 4pm on the first day but the final day starts at 9.30 and ends at 3.30 with a short lunch break to enable people to get home that evening.


Do you have to be experienced to come to the School?

The School is a very friendly and welcoming place for all ages and experience. Our drop-in life classes and August half-day workshops are ideal for those wanting to have a go for the first time. Most of our longer courses are also fine for novices.

If any of the courses do need a bit of experience we flag this up in the brochure and on the website.

Booking a Course

How can I reserve a place?

We will hold a provisional reservation for 24 hours if you give us a call whilst you find accommodation. Otherwise please book online or by telephone 01736 797180.

You can reserve a place with a £100 deposit; balance is due 12 weeks before course start date.

About St Ives

Where do I park?

The nearest long stay public car parks are the Island and Barnoon Long Stay Car Park, both a 5 minute walk away. In the peak summer months it may be easier to park at Trenwith Car Park by the leisure centre and walk down into town. If you don’t fancy the walk up the hill at the end of the day there is a shuttle bus which runs from outside the cinema.

How do I get there?

Public Transport: If you are coming from further afield the main train line runs into St Erth which is a 15 min taxi ride away or you can take the St Ives Bay Line which runs approx. every 30 minutes. The School is a 10 minute walk from St Ives station.

Driving: M5 will take you to Exeter where we recommend that you take the A30 across Bodmin Moor and into Cornwall. After passing Hayle, leave the A30 at St Erth roundabout for St Ives. Turn right at the second roundabout. This road will take you through Lelant and Carbis Bay into St Ives.

Where can I stay?

St Ives has a huge selection of hotels, guest houses and self catering accommodation to choose from. Please browse the art holidays St Ives section on our website and give us a call if you would like any help.

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