This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Image credit Steve TannerCourse details
Maybe it’s time to liberate yourself from anxieties about what you should paint and how you should be painting it? This series of webinars with artist Naomi Frears will look at various ‘rules’ in art making and explore how we might either adopt them or ditch them in our work. We will explore some of the established ‘rules’ for making a painting and ask how useful are they?
There seem to be so many rules for making paintings out there – some are traditional and some come from the experience of artists or critics. Which are the helpful rules you can enjoy working with and which rules might be rather unhelpful and could be questioned?
Do you have a voice telling you what you should or shouldn’t be doing in painting? Does it sometimes confuse you or hold you back? We explore some of these rules and traditions of painting. We ask where they come from and question which ones are worth taking with you into the studio.
We will think about rules around the use of colour, composition, and even the rules around what we let ourselves make work about. After each session take away an exercise to do at home that will use these discoveries to trigger new confidence and enthusiasm. Share your work and ideas in our private Facebook group with other students.
We will record sessions and make them available for two weeks after each webinar for you to revisit.
Enjoyable for beginners who are curious to know what the ‘rules’ might be around painting but don’t want to feel intimidated by them. Equally you might be keen to liberate yourself from restrictions that might be stopping you working productively. It will also be a boost for people who are looking into fresh insights into how to appreciate and enjoy looking at art.
Webinar Series
Webinars start at 4.30pm BST/London time.
Webinar 1- Thursday June 11th
Colour – leaving the colour wheel aside, there are some quite firm rules about colour out there – is it right to forbid the use of black or accept that greens can be ‘wrong’? Is too much colour a problem? How have some of the most interesting artists interpreted or side stepped the rules?
Lines and Edges – hard or soft, present or absent – outlines, edges and meeting points within a painting have attracted ‘rules’. Are the rules helpful or are examples set by artists a better guide?
Webinar 2 Thursday June 18th
Composition – with a look at the dominance of certain kinds of perspective and proportion and a reliance on image-making by people educated a certain way, we will explore art that comes from looking at the world from a different angle.
Content – sketches and other reference materials – what is the subject of your work? How do you find what interests you and make use of source material? Is it really OK to use photographs and images made by others?
How does a webinar work?
Once you have booked a session, we will send you an invite to the session so you can register with Zoom and join us. You can put questions to Naomi during the session using the question and answer function during the webinar. We plan to record them so you can revisit the session to refresh your memory for up to two weeks after. You will also be invited to join our new Facebook Alumni group so you can share your discoveries with fellow students from around the world.
Who would this webinar suit?
These will be a great for beginners who are curious to know what the ‘rules’ might be around painting but don’t want to feel intimidated by them. Equally you might be keen to liberate yourself from restrictions that might be stopping you working productively. It will also be enjoyable for people who are looking into fresh insights into how to appreciate and enjoy looking at art.
Taught by
What to Bring
You will need access to the internet and ideally a PC or laptop or a tablet with audio. Phones are not really suitable to watch a webinar on as the presenter will be hard to see when she shares her screen with you. You don’t need to bring any materials with you to the webinar, perhaps some paper to make notes. But we will be sending you a recording of the session so you can revisit it. The exercise to do at home we will also email to you afterwards.
Timings and Breaks
Follow the link Zoom will send you at about 4.20pm. As soon as we open the webinar at just before 4.30pm you will then automatically connect. We expect each session to last about one hour. If you have any problems receiving your link email from us and Zoom email us and we can get that sorted before the start time. In the session if you have questions you can use the chat function and we will do our best to advise.
FAQs
Online Broadcast
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
Do I need a webcam/any equipment?
For our webinar sessions which are broadcast on the internet and no webcam or microphone is needed as you just need to be able to see/hear hosts and you can communicate using the chat function. You can watch using a PC, Smart TV or tablet. A phone isn’t ideal as you will struggle to see enough unless you can miracast to a screen or smart TV.
For the longer online courses on Zoom you will need a laptop or tablet with audio and camera enabled so you can have a screen near where you are working. If you have a PC without camera or speakers, you can purchase a plug and play webcam for approx £25 which connects to a usb port. You will also need reasonable broadband connection and speed.
All the art materials and equipment needed to participate in the course will be listed in full on the online learning platform, for live webinars this will be a minimum of two weeks before the session starts.
I have registered for the webinar but I can't find my joining link
You can access all the resources and joining link for your webinar via our online learning platform. You will need to have set up an account on our online learning platform in advance. You can do this during the checkout process when purchasing your webinar. If you are having trouble accessing your online account, please contact [email protected]. You can use a PC or tablet or even cast from your phone to watch on your Smart TV.
I paid for the session but missed it, how can I watch?
Currently all our online sessions are recorded and you can access the recording on our online learning platform until it expires. Usually 60 days for a webinar, 90 – 180 days for multipart webinars or online courses.
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.
What our students say
Just to say how very much I enjoyed and profited from the excellent ‘Time to break the Rules’ by Naomi Frears. It was illuminating, thoughtful, full of insights from a working artist and excellently illustrated with some lovely examples. I already have the two lists of rules (to be kept), given by Naomi, up on my studio wall.
You might also like...
Abstraction - A Closer Look
Liz Hough
Over 3 sessions, Liz takes you through common questions asked on her previous courses: finding your own, unique content; form versus line; and scaling up.
Postcards from St Ives - Barbara Hepworth's Drawings (recording)
Hilary Jean Gibson
Following the major retrospective of Barbara Hepworth's work at Tate St Ives, join us for this Hepworth-inspired webinar using the artist's remarkable series of drawings as a starting point.
Figure- Paula Rego
Gary Long
Join us for this two-hour online figure class inspired by artist Paula Rego. Broadcast from our studio in St Ives with a clothed model, join in at home with guided exercises.
Exploring Painting - 'alla prima' acrylics
Iona Sanders
Explore working wet on wet in acrylics and loosen up your approach with this fun and intuitive course discovering your inner voice.
Where Sea Meets Land - Winter Storm
Gary Long
Learn to convey the drama and energy of a stormy sea encountering the land in oils. Capture the movement of the sea as it clashes with an iconic Cornish harbour.
Postcards from St Ives - Christopher Wood
Alice Mumford
Join artist Alice Mumford as she explores Christopher Wood's quest for a lyrical way of describing the world through line and rhythm.
Diving Deeper into Abstract Landscapes
Natalie Day
Find new ways to connect with the landscape around you with this expressive and explorative online webinar.